YANA - YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

BRONZE

Steve Evans and Sidney do not say where they live but that may be Washington, USA. He was 65 when he was diagnosed on March 15, 2008. His initial PSA was 6.9 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 3 + 3 = 6 and he was staged T1c. His choice of treatment was Da Vinci prostatectomy. Here is his story

Briefly; a needle biopsy performed due to a PSA of 6.9 found cancer in one lobe of my prostate. Of 14 cores, only one showed a malignancy and it was a 4 mm portion. It was staged at T1c with a Gleason score of 3 +3 = 6.

I opted for a bi-lateral nerve sparing Da Vinci prostatectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection and the surgery was performed on May 22, 2008, by Christopher Porter at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, WA. The surgery was successful and the path report found the tumor to be well-confined to the prostate proper; all margins were negative.

Four weeks after surgery, I was completely continent and have worn no pads since.

My sexual function is still partially impaired (with the aid of Viagra and about 10 minutes of massaging blood into my penis, I can achieve an erection that's about 90% of my pre-surgery ability which was robust and 100%). Apparently, it can take more than a year to recover function if it's to be recovered, but Dr. Porter considers my progress to date a very positive sign that I will eventually recover most if not all of my erectile ability.

My first post-surgery PSA was undetectable and I breathed a sigh of relief at the receipt of that news, although I suspect that there will be some apprehension in that regard for the rest of my life. My second PSA check is due in December and I'll update this post at that time.

I feel good about my choice (I felt that watchful waiting was not an option for me because if I needed treatment further down the line, I'd be older an less capable of withstanding the procedure and accompanying trauma).

Of three criterion by which a procedure can be judged to be successful (i.e., cancer eradication, recovery of continence, and recovery of sexual function), it's two down and one to go. I hope that this is of help to anyone who chances to read it..

 

UPDATED

January 2010

 

 

I'm now 1 year, 7 months from the date of my surgery and my PSA is still undetectible. My next PSA check is scheduled for March of 2010 and I'm sure that I'll be a bit apprehensive as that time approaches, but so far, so good.

I am fully continent (this happened very quickly after surgery) and as physically robust as can be expected for my age. I still play competitive volleyball and haven't had to curtail my physical activities in any way. I do, however, still have some issues with my erectile function.

I can get a decent erection with Viagra and some manual stimulation but the spontaneous nature of that function remains impeded. My surgeon posits that improvement will continue for two or even three years after surgery but I'm not quite as certain as he is.

Nonetheless, I'm for the most part satisfied with the treatment decision I made and with the outcome as I approach the two year mark. I've read quite a few stories and internet posts that make me realize that my situation could be significantly worse. I'm trying to take nothing for granted and to do whatever I can for myself to further my health.

I hope that this is sufficient and that it might help someone else faced with the same dilemmas that those of us who have already had to choose had to resolve. It's very apparent to me that there is no easy answer. I wish you well in your struggles with this disease.

Steve's e-mail address is: stevevans42@hotmail.