YANA - YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

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Gary Powell and Joan live in Alabama, USA. He was 56 when he was diagnosed in September 2002. His initial PSA was 5.5 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 3 + 3 = 6 and he was staged T2b. His choice of treatment was Surgery. Here is his story.

My PSA was elevated at annual physical exam and also a lump in the prostate was felt by DRE (Digital Rectal Examination) in 8/2002. Next month a biopsy with the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. Surgery in 11/2002. The PSA check it was at 0.6 but 3 months later it went up to .95 and then 1.0. Two consultations led me to EBRT (External Beam Radiation Treatment), 35 treatments in the summer of 2003. I had no problem with these until a couple of years later which I will not go into at this time.

After the EBRT my PSA dropped back to 0.6. That only lasted about 3 months. It slowly began to rise. There was a wait until it reached 4.0+ to begin ADT (Androgen Deprivation Therapy). The ADT was started in June of 2005. I was on Lupron Depot, 3 month variety, and 50mg of Casodex daily. There was a drastic drop in my PSA to 0.01 and to say the least my wife and I were elated.

I experienced some hot flashes, breast tenderness, very minor enlargement and slowly began to lose hair on my body except for my head. Also had more trouble with cold weather than previously. I was able and did go to the gym on a daily basis for an hour to hour and a half workout Mon. thru Fri. and was in great shape, gained muscle and weight.

This past spring I had a 2nd round of Transitional Cell bladder cancer and it removed (cauterized) in March. This is when I began to have problems with the radiation -radiation cystitis - and developed hematuria (bleeding) and would stop up with clots. Many trips for a catheter, learned self catherterization. In July my ADT shot was changed from 3 months to 6 months (Eligard). The following month, August, my PSA went up to 0.7 and then to 3.1 in November, 4.7 in December and 6.4 last week.

I had a bone scan today and a hotspot showed on my left hip. The Casodex was stopped last week after the most recent rise, and Eligard is not due to mid February. Chemo has been mentioned, Taxotere and steroid, for sometime later, even radiating the bone spot. We are not sure of when or what we will do.

I have started a very different diet since stopping the Casodex and await the next PSA check about Feb 12. My hope and prayer is the change in eating, and some other things will be beneficial.

 

UPDATED

January 2008

 

 

At the last report a spot was found on my left hip by a bone scan. That was confirmed with a MRI. For almost two weeks I have been on a vegetable, nut, berries and fruit diet. Cutting out the flour, sugar and red meat. I have also been taking an alternative treatment known as PC Hope along with the diet. I am scheduled for a PET scan on Feb 12 when I will also get a new PSA report. The oncologist is waiting to see the results from that and may also place me on a drug called Zometa.

Gary's e-mail address is: rgrpo@bellsouth.net