PJ
lives in Michigan / USA. He was 52 when he was diagnosed on 7 March 2004.
His initial PSA was 9.0 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 6 and his staging was T3a.
He elected Laparasopic Robotic Radical Prostatectomy. Here is his story:
I
noticed what appeared to be some blood in my urine in January of 2004, went to
my doctor in early February who then referred me to a urologist. Following a battery
of diagnostic procedures (dre, psa, alkaline phosphatase, bone scan, chest x-ray,
cystoscopy, and finally a transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy), I was given the
devastating results on March 7, 2004.
My urologist (also a surgeon) recommended
RRP, but suggested I check out all of the other options (i.e. radiation, cryotherapy,
brachytherapy) available before making a final decision. I then spent the next
3 weeks deep in extensive research online, and talking to several different men
who had experienced varying treatments for this, trying to find the answers to
all of hundreds of questions I had about this life-changing disease. None of which
sounded very promising considering all of the different side effects depending
on which course of treatment you choose.
I then discovered Dr. Mani Menon
at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, who is one of the best LRRP surgeons in the
world - right here in my own back yard (14.3 miles to be exact). The more I read,
the more anxious I became, this almost sounded too good to be true... but it was.
I asked my urologist for his opinion concerning the VIP (Vattikuti Institute Prostatectomy)
surgery and he actually said that if it was him, this is this procedure he would
choose. You can't get a better endorsement than that!
My initial consultation
with Dr. Menon was on April 7, 2004 and my surgery was scheduled and performed
on Thursday May 27, 2004. Two hours after surgery, I was up out of bed walking
up and down the halls of Henry Ford Hospital, was back home the next day, and
out walking around the neighborhood on Sunday, the 30th.
I had the catheter
removed on Tuesday, June 1st, and then let nature take over the healing which
is an up-and-down process. Throughout the first month I was very discouraged by
the incontinence, then by July I noticed a marked improvement, and by August a
huge change (about 80-90% continent), and now I'm 100% continent. No pads at all.
Although, if I suddenly sneeze or cough, I may get a drop or two but I can live
with that considering the alternative.
PSA check on July 26th indicated
a reading of 0.02 ng/ml which completely devastated me, but he said that this
is not a rarity following RP. The following PSA check on November 1st was undetectable.
(Woo-Hoo!!!) So now I can breath again. My next PSA test is 01/31/05, I'll keep
you posted.
Potency: Still not much going on the area of sexual function,
although I know the nerves are intact. I've been able to achieve orgasm (with
a lot of work and concentration) but all indications are that this should return
within 9 to 12 months according to the data collected on Dr. Menon's patients.
These are much better results than with the "open type" RRP operation, which usually
takes at least 18 months for any signs of life to return down there. Patience
- patience - patience.
I lost my wife in 1998 to liver cancer, and finding
another partner now is going to present a real challenge for me given my new physiology,
but I'm going to stay optimistic... hey, I'm still breathing!
Also -
after finding this web site, I don't feel so alone.
It's
been one year since my surgery (May 27, 2004) and this is my first follow-up posting
to YANA.
On
my initial post-op consultation last July, I received the results of the pathology
report and got the bad news that the cancer was not confined within the gland.
What
this means is that some of the cancer had penetrated the capsule of the prostate
and escaped into the seminal vesicles. Consequently, my pathology results have
reclassified my staging at T3b, the second highest from the top, which is T4.
Given
these numbers, I'm told that I have a 20% to 30% chance of reoccurrence.
Optimistically
speaking, I guess that also means I have a 70% to 80% chance it won't come back.
So
for now, it's back for a PSA test every 90 days, with the hope that I'll fall
into that 70%-80% category.
I
received my latest PSA results on August 3, 2005, and thankfully it was less than
0.02 ng/ml (or undetectable). As I stated in my last update, I'll have to endure
this roller coaster ride every 90 days - forever. So consequently, I've re-rearranged
most of the priorities in my life over the past year. That which used to be important
to me no longer is; and that which used to take a back seat has now moved forward
to the top of my list.
Life
is too short to be angry; those that you love cannot be replaced; and happiness
is not defined by what you have - it's defined by how happy you are with what
you have now! Happiness is a state of mind. I am happy and thankful to be inhaling
and exhaling, one day at a time.
First
of all, my apologies, for not updating my status for over a year. I guess I just
assumed that no news was good news. But following an email from a friend on this
site, he pointed out that when men come to this website for hope and assurance,
and then notice that someone hasn't updated their information in over a year,
that conjures up all kinds of negative images in their mind, as you can well imagine!
So, my pledge from this point on is to "Update" at least once every six months,
or sooner if something changes.
I
am still on a regimen of PSA diagnostics every 90 days, and so far they've all
been less than 0.02ng/ml, also referred to as undetectable, or for all practical
purposes, simply zero. That's a good thing!
On
continence issues, I still get a drip or two if I cough or sneeze suddenly and
violently, but other than that I've had no problems. Although, I have awaken in
the middle of the night to a wet spot on my sheet, but thankfully I had installed
a mattress protector a month after my surgery. I've learned that this phenomenon
occurs usually when I'm having a dream about having to pee real bad, and am frantically
searching for a bathroom. Another contributor to this is consuming too many adult
beverages prior to going to bed. (Duhhhh!) So I just apply a little common sense,
and no more accidents.
Erectile
function is completely another story. Since my wife died in 1998, I only dated
one woman and that only lasted about 6 months. So I've basically been single for
that past 8 years. Spontaneous erections are a thing of the past, but if I really
work at it, using Viagra, my Osbon vacuum pump, and a lot of visualization techniques,
I'm usually successful in achieving an orgasm. You can read more about this device
here and you may also want to talk
to your doctor about it prior to purchasing. I'm not advocating this particular
brand, it just happens to be the one I own. There are numerous types and brands
on the market, so do some research before you make up your mind, and with something
this important... you usually get what you pay for.
I've
learned through a lot of research and talking with my doctor, that keeping blood
flowing to the penis is very, very important following a radical prostatectomy.
Those nocturnal erections you used to get when you had a prostate gland are natures
way of assuring that the penis is regularly saturated with blood in order to keep
it healthy and functioning properly. With the absence of a prostate gland, you
need to get that blood into the penis manually, and that's exactly what the vacuum
pump accomplishes. I was amazed at how large and rock hard I was able to get using
this pump, although unfortunately, it doesn't stay that way for very long. But
at least I'm getting blood where it's needed, and hopefully over time it will
re-learn to do this on it's own.
Finding
another girlfriend is going to be tough because I'm not fully functional, and
what woman would want to put up with that when she could easily find some other
guy who is 100% functional. At least that's the dilemma I've painted in my own
mind. I've had numerous lady friends of mine tell me that women don't care about
a small thing like that, to which I respond - "that small thing is the problem!"
But seriously, I believe that if I meet the right woman, I'll know it's right
and she'll know it's right, but the odds of meeting that right woman are going
to be a lot tougher now.
Going
through this entire ordeal all by myself over that past 2½ years has been rough,
but I've also learned a lot about myself in the process, and being patient is
one of the traits I've mastered very well. Stay strong - stay healthy - you are
not alone.
Greetings
my friends.
Just
checking in to let you all know that everything is pretty much status quo since
my last update. It's been a little over 3 years since my surgery and my PSA levels
are still below that magic number of 0.02ng/mL. Still getting checked every 90
days.
Haven't
been feeling too good (about 70% of my norm) over that past year or so, and not
sure if it's related to the surgery, anaesthesia, removal of lymph nodes, or simply
because I'm just getting older. I often wonder if it's because my testicles are
still producing sperm - but have no way of release, or escape. My urologist couldn't
give me a definitive answer either, other than to say that the body simply absorbs
them, to which my next question to him was.... "Then what side effects or other
conditions or complications does that cause?" He said, "We simply don't know at
this point." If any of you have been feeling tired, drained, or worn out, please
let me know.
Continence
is still 100%, but ED is something I'm still waiting for some much needed improvement.
I've had a few nocturnal erections over the past several months, and when I woke-up
I was jumping for joy! Hopefully, this is a sign of things still healing and re-growing.
I
also happened upon this article that discusses recurrence of prostate cancer following
surgery in obese
men. You'll be very surprised to find out what is considered obese. You can
find out your own BMI (Body Mass Index) here.
I
need to lose about 30 pounds - but never thought of myself as obese! (I wear size
36 pants). Ok, back to the gym and dump the sweets.
Stay
strong - stay in touch!
PJ
(Pat).
Greetings
all. Checking in once again to let you know that I'm still here, still doing great,
and apologies for not updating sooner.
My
PSA levels are still below 0.02ng/mL, and am now getting a PSA diagnostic every
6 months instead of every 90 days. Starting a new life. In order to get into optimum
physical and mental shape, and maintain overall health, I enrolled in private
Taekwondo training back in January of this year. I train 5 days per week for 1
to 2 hours per day, under the expert guidance of Grand Master Sang Sup Kil, and
the results are nothing short of amazing. I've dropped almost 30 pounds (30 more
to go), and just received my "Senior Brown Belt" this past Friday (June 27th).
The training is very intense and grueling, but the benefits are priceless. Grand
Master Kil assures me that my erectile problems will soon become a thing of the
past within a year of his intense style of training. I hope to earn my black belt
by years end.
Until
next posting...stay positive, stay healthy, and... keep it up!
PJ
(Pat).
Greetings
All!
No
medical changes to report, which is a good thing! My bi-annual PSA diagnostics
are still at <0.02 ng/ml, which as most of you know, is considered clinically
undetectable, also known as "0" (zero). Thank God.
I'm
just about to hit the "5 years since my surgery" mark on May 27th this year -
and after considering all of the material I've read and studied over the past
5 years, I am still an extremely huge proponent of RLRP. In my opinion, why would
you want to play "Bio-Russian Roulette" with your life? Get that alien out of
there and destroy it completely!!
I
also had my first colonoscopy last year, and it was definitely not as bad or degrading
as I had envisioned, even the "prep" wasn't as bad as they said it would be. Here's
an important thing to remember my friends: It's very easy to lose sight of this
other potentially looming killer within your bowels while you're in the process
of fighting PC. So don't forget to get your colonoscopy -- just do it!
I'm
still in active Taekwondo (see previous post) training 5 days per week - 2 hours
per day, and the difference in the way I feel physically is nothing short of amazing.
Oh yeah, I still ache most of the time, but I'm also going to be 58 this year,
and the soreness will most likely always be with me - a very small price to pay
for staying alive. I also earned my 1st degree "Black Belt" on March 13, 2009,
and am working toward my 2nd degree which I should receive sometime in the fall
of this year.
Until
next time.... try to stay positive, stay healthy, never submit to defeat, and
most importantly - keep it up!
PJ
(Pat).
P.S.
Thanks again Terry for your great website!.
