Henry
Fitts and Felecia live in North Carolina, USA. He was 61 when he was diagnosed
in November, 2008. His initial PSA was 4.8 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was (3+3)=6
and he was staged T1c. His choice of treatment was Laparoscopic Robotic Surgery.
Here is his story.
Part 1 - Annual Physical
I normally have
my annual physical in February, however last year (2008) I was late and didn't
get it until October. My PSA came back at 6.2, so my doctor, Dr. Maxwell, recommended
I see a Urologist.
On my visit to the Urologist, Dr. Davis, we discovered
that I had an infection. After treatment on antibiotics, the infection disappeared
and my PSA dropped to 4.2. My Urologist was still a little concerned and recommended
a biopsy, which resulted in the discovery of a small cancer growth on one side
of the prostate, so small it was missed in the normal digital rectal exam.
Dr.
Davis, my Urologist was very helpful in explaining that we had discovered the
cancer very early, that it seemed to be confined, however I needed to consider
my options for treatment. He gave me several reference books and suggested I visit
with a specialist in each of the possible treatment methods for the cancer.
After
reading the books thoroughly, researching the internet and some serious thought,
I decided to go with the robotic surgery. I met with Dr. Aubrey Evans and he was
so professional, through in his explanation of the procedure and considerations
for pre and post surgery, that I knew I had made the right decision to go with
him and the robotic approach. The surgery was scheduled for Monday, February 2,
2009.
Part 2 - The Surgery [Henry's contribution
ends here - presumably more to come.]
Henry's e-mail address
is: hmfj@triad.rr.com
