Robert
Leba and Wendy live in Canada. He was 59 when he was diagnosed in July, 2007.
His initial PSA was 5.6 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 7 (3+4) and although he does
not give his staging, it seems likely that he was staged T1c. His choice of treatment
was HIFU. Here is his story.
A
REMINDER TO ROBERT IN AUGUST 2009 BOUNCED SO THERE IS NO UPDATE
There
had been a history of prostatitis, and an enlarged prostate (50cc) for a few years.
My PSA was in the high 3's and about 4 years ago went up to 4.0. In the Spring
of '06 my PSA went up to 4.6 and in the Spring of '07 had climbed to 5.2. This
led to a TRUS and a referral to a urologist who did a biopsy in July of '07. My
PSA had climbed to 5.6 and the biopsy revealed cancer in the mid right and left
apex of the prostate.
The urologist told me that I could have a radical,
and have the prostate removed in six weeks. We asked about other options, and
were told that radiation was an option, and an appointment was arranged to see
an oncologist.
My wife and I did extensive reading on the internet about
all options, and we sought out a second opinion from another urologist. We also
found a peer support group in Toronto called Man to Man, and I attended a meeting,
and told the group my circumstances, and was assured that the course of action
I was taking was good, and that the doctors that I was seeing were well known
and highly skilled in their respective fields.
With the searching and reading
we came across HIFU, which seemed like a good route to follow, and as it happened,
the urologist I was seeing for a second opinion is also a practitioner of HIFU.
After he had reviewed my charts, and told me that I was a candidate for either
surgery or radiation, I asked him about HIFU, and he asked me, what about HIFU?
I
told him that I was aware that he did it, and asked if I was a candidate for it.
He told me I was, but that it was expensive, and gave me some information, and
told me if I was interested, to see him in a couple of weeks.
On December
9/07, I reported into the clinic for my HIFU procedure at 7 AM, and was home at
2:30 PM that afternoon. I had a Supra-pubic catheter, which remained in me for
almost 4 weeks. The only discomfort I had was with the catheter, and it was adjusted
one week after the procedure by the nurse at the clinic. I found the nurse extremely
helpful, and the clinic, Can-AM HIFU, was most attentive to my questions and my
concerns after the procedure.
The Catheter was removed January 7, 2008.
My first PSA after the procedure was in March, and it was 0.28.
I have
had no issues whatsoever, and so far, my experience has been very positive.
