YANA - YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

 

SILVER

 Stephen Kramer and Patricia live in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He was 46 when he was diagnosed on November 3, 2000. His initial PSA was 16.0 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 3+4=7 and although he says he was staged T2c, this is apparently his pathological staging: his clinical staging would likely have been T1c from his narrative. His choice of treatment was RRP (Retropubic Radical Prostatectomy). Here is his story.

My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer at 42 in 1974 and died of it in 1982 at 50 years old. For two years (since 40), he had experienced reproductive organ and/or urinary pain. It is likely that my paternal grandfather died from PCa at 72, but we are not certain of it and I didn't realize it until recently.

I had none of my father's symptoms, so I went on blithely ignorant and pain free until a bout of diverticulitis put me in the hospital October 1999 at 45 years of age. My family doctor, who I had never met before, told me to get a PSA after the effects of the diverticulitis wore off. I waited until October 2000 and my PSA was 16. Within days, I was in a urologist's office. On November 1, I had a 12-needle biopsy. On November 3, I was given the news. I had PSA 16, Stage T2c, and GS7 - hopefully organ-confined - disease.

At 46 years of age, I had no choice other than surgery and the robot was not available at the time, so on December 15, 2000, I underwent RRP (Retropubic Radical Prostatectomy). My post-op biopsy indicated no lymph node involvement, but I did have some seminal vesicle involvement - Stage T3c. My Gleason was unchanged.

My PSA initially was 0.10 (without the 'less than' symbol) and eventually began climbing to 0.32 at which time we decided to go with salvation radiation treatment. I began in May 2002 and ended July 3, 2002.

My PSA initially lessened, but then soon began rising again. At 0.23 in July 2003, I started Lupron. My PSA immediately went to undetectable, but after three years, it became detectible again and I began Casodex during July 2006. I have been undetectable since.

Based, I believe, on an exercise regimen, my side effects from treatments have been temporarily irritating at worst. When diagnosed, I began walking for the first time in my life. I started at one mile in 20 minutes. By the time of my surgery, I was doing two miles in 34 minutes. After surgery, I continued to build and got bored of the treadmill and started walking in various parks. Soon, I was walking three to five miles a day, three to five days a week. I was back to work in six weeks. I went through radiation without taking off a day of work. I have had almost none of the worst side effects of androgen deprivation therapy.

LIFE AFTER DIAGNOSIS

I have had one hell of a life and it didn't stop because of my cancer. Since my diagnosis, my three children have married, bought homes, and thus far produced for me nine grandchildren; each of which instantly became another reason to live. I worked full time in an active job, very often sixty hours a week, sometimes more. At my job I or those who worked for me had more notable accomplishments each year that most have during entire careers. I did not retire until January 2009 and only then because it became financially stupid not to.

I was helped very much in the beginning on the newsgroup Alt. Support. Cancer. Prostate. Two major early supporters, Bernard Berkowitz and Robert Young have succumbed to this disease and I try where I can to pass it forward. I am a major contributor on A.S.C.P., try to help everyone at my job that is diagnosed, and have become the family 'expert'. One who used to work for me was recently diagnosed and he advise me of this site.

Stephen's e-mail address is: skramer@cinci.rr.com