YANA - YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

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Jeff Franzen and Barbara live in USA. He was 61 when he was diagnosed on April 11, 2007. His initial PSA was 16.2 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 3+4=7 and he says he was staged T2b, although this may have been his pathological staging rather than his clinical staging. His choice of treatment was radical prostatectomy. Here is his story.


After the biopsy confirmed the cancer it was recommended and I opted for a radical prostatectomy on July 10, 2007. The procedure went well and although the cancer had poked into the fat at one point, the final pathology tests for the edges and 11 lymph nodes were all negative. I was so relieved until I got the word on Oct. 17, 2007 that my PSA was 2.8-some cancer cells had escaped.

A CT, Bone and PET scan were all clean but a new non-specific lymph node was found in the pelvic bed. My urologist immediately recommended hormone therapy and I deferred after reading about the side effects and its limited period of effectiveness. My subsequent PSA's were 5.2, 4.8 and 5.9 in Feb., 2008. Since it has doubled in less than six months it looks like I will go on hormone therapy despite my fears.

I have decided not to do salvage radiation due to the side effects and likely fact that the cells have escaped the prostate bed. I have switched to an organic diet, am drinking pomegranate juice daily and aquajog in the pool every day for 30-45 minutes.

I would love to hear from people in my situation who opted for hormone therapy and hear how you are doing a few years out from making the decision.

 

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I haven't done anything as of yet with my PSA hovering around 7 a year and a half out of surgery but am thinking of going to see Dr. Robert Bard in New York. If you have not read his books you should. Prostate Cancer Demystified and Prostate Cancer Decoded.

Jeff's e-mail address is: jfran75119@aol.com