Stuart
Crawford lives in Tuscany, Italy. He was 57 when he was diagnosed in February
2006. His initial PSA was 7.54 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 6 (3+3) and although
he says he was staged T3b, is his pathological staging: from his narrative it
seems he would have been staged T1c clinically. His choice of treatment was Radical
Prostatectomy. Here is his story.
I initially went to the doctor because
of a pain in my groin and erectile problems. A blood test December 2005 showed
that I had a PSA level of 7.54. Then I went to an urologist and he wasn't happy
at the results of my DRE (Digital Rectal Examination), so I had a further blood
test in February 2006 my PSA was to 7.82. The urologist said go away and come
back in months. Not being a very patient type of guy I sort the advice of another
urologist privately. He examined me and said he could do a biopsy the following
week, I didn't know at the time in visiting him that he was head of the local
hospital urology department and also chief surgeon. The results of the biopsy
came back positive 6 (3+3). Being only 57 years old, he recommended a Radical
Prostatectomy. I had this in May 2006 Post op Gleason 7 (4+3) T3b.
The
surgeon replaced the bladder valve with some kind of metal staple system and didn't
touch the lymph nodes. Surgeon advised me to have EBRT (External Beam Radiation
Treatment) as a precaution to pick up any dropped bits. Started six weeks of RT
in Sept 2006. I didn't have much in the way of side effects during the RT. The
only problem which I had at this time was a very weak bladder, I regularly had
to stop the car on the road side for a pee.
After the RT the oncologist
sent me for a Bone scan and CAT scan - these proved to be all clear. The metal
staples show up on the CAT scan. Strange thing is I was never offered these prior
to the RP. I did however have a CAT scan prior to starting the RT, this is so
they could compare the before and after.
These are my PSA results for the
past 3 and bit years
June 2006 PSA 0.01 ng/ml one month after op
Dec
2006 PSA 0.00
May 2007 PSA 0.00
Nov 2007 PSA 0.00
May 2008 PSA 0.00
Aug
2008 PSA 0.01 after operation on bladder stone
Jan 2009 PSA 0.01
June 2009
PSA 0.02
Sep 2009 PSA 0.03 after operation on bladder stone
Jan 2010 PSA
0.06
My blood tests were all taken in Italy and here they seem to be a
bit precise with their measurements, but I understand they are bit meaningless
below 0.1. [The issue of the accuracy of
ultra-sensitive PSA are discussed here.]
Therefore the fact they are rising I'm taking these readings as being no cause
for concern.
My condition was complicated in that I have a recurring bladder
stone the size of a golf ball. This was the main reason I went to see the doctor
in the first place, which uncovered the prostate cancer, which the doctor missed
until 2 years later. They never even picked up on this during the CAT scan and
in hindsight it's clear to see. I went to my doctors in May 2008 because I was
passing blood, peeing was always a difficulty. An ultrasound scan showed up the
stone. I had the first one removed July 2008. They blast this away with an impact
gun; I only had an epidural for this and could see it all on the TV screen. The
epidural injection was the most painful thing that have ever experienced.
This
stone recurred a year later and I had it removed again, but this time I never
felt a thing when I had the epidural injection. The surgeon also used a laser
to try and remove some of the scar tissue from the neck of my bladder hoping to
allow me to pee more freely. This scar tissue is a result of prostatectomy operation.
It only worked for two months and I'm now dribbling again. I'm convinced that
the stone has returned I'll no doubt be needing another op some time soon.
I
always seem to have this aching feely in my groin; it would be nice to know if
this is from the EBRT (External Beam Radiation Treatment), RP (Radical Prostatectomy),
prostate cancer or the stone.
Stuart's e-mail address is: scrawfor@elliott-turbo.com
