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PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

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Peter Michaels and Tati live in Florida, USA. He was 46 when he was diagnosed in September, 2008. His initial PSA was 19.3 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 6 and although he does not state his staging, it seems it would have been T1c . His choice of treatment was Surgery. Here is his story.

My story begins in late July, 2008. I had developed a urinary infection so I went to the doctor to get some antibiotics. I also got a physical while I was there. A few days later my doctor called and said that my PSA was a little high, at 4.3. She recommended that I go see a urologist, but that it was probably related to the infection.

I went to a urologist the next week and had an exam. I got the results a couple of weeks later and was shocked that my PSA had jumped to 19.3. I then had the biopsy done, which came back positive with a Gleason Score of 6 in September 2008. While not unexpected given the high PSA score, it was still one of the toughest days of my life. I was discouraged but my doctor said that if the cancer was only in the prostate, that there was a good chance of cure. The next step was some more tests, including a bone scan and an MRI. These tests all came back negative, which hopefully means that the cancer is in it's early stage.

My urologist is recommending surgery, which seems like the best option for someone my age. I've had one consultation already with a surgeon who does the laparoscopic surgery. I want to find as skilled a surgeon as possible to do this delicate surgery. I'm nervous about the surgery (I've never been a patient in a hospital in my life) but also the potential side effects such as incontinence and impotence. I'm not married but have a girlfriend and we have enjoyed a great sex life. I want that to continue. Despite my concerns I think the surgery is the best chance at long term survival.

 

UPDATED

March 2009

 

 

In October 2008 I got a second opinion with a urologist. He told me that if in fact my PSA was 19.3 that surgery would not do me any good. My thinking was that that PSA result was accurate and was not my "baseline" PSA due to a bad infection I had prior to that test. He also told me that based on my biopsy results that I could join his active surveillance program. I decided to wait and find out for sure what my baseline PSA was.

In December 2008 I had another PSA taken and the result was 0.5. I spoke to my doctor about the low result and he said it was a result of a hormone inject I had received from my original urologist on the day of my diagnosis. I decide to wait a little longer.

In March 2009 I had another PSA taken and the result was 1.9. My thinking at this point is that I'm going to wait another three months and then get another PSA test and DRE. I've changed my diet and am taking supplements. I'm going to see what that does. If it stays low, I'll probably get a confirmation biopsy done and then go from there.

 

UPDATED

July 2009

 

 

In July 2009 I went to see my urologist for an exam. I had a negative DRE and my PSA was 0.8. Needless to say I was very happy with my PSA result.

It seems that deciding to put off surgery and try active surveillance was the right decision for me. In the Fall my doctor wants me to have a repeat biopsy and I suppose I'll do that, but am not looking forward to it.

For now I'm going to enjoy life and try to maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating a low fat, low dairy diet, working out and taking supplements and lots of antioxidants.

 

UPDATED

January 2010

 

 

Greetings to all on YANA.

I had a PSA test and a DRE in October, 2009. The DRE was negative, the PSA was 0.9. I had another PSA in January, 2010, which was again 0.9.

Based on the low PSA results over the last seven months I have decided to hold off on doing another biopsy for now and continue with the PSA and DRE every three months.

In addition I'll continue with my low fat, low dairy diet and take a few supplements. Otherwise life is good here in South Florida..

Peter's e-mail address is: pbdude1707@yahoo.com