YANA - YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

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Terry C and Glynnis live in Beijing China. He was 54 when he was diagnosed on September 23, 2009. His initial PSA was 12.0 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 6 and although he does not give his staging it seems likely he was staged T1c. He is undecided as to his choice of treatment. Here is his story.


I just received the results of my biopsy and am not sure about the staging. I found this site as part of my research and feel that it will be very useful especially as I am located in China (albeit with an American oncologist). I will post more later after I have had a consultation with my doctor, but thought I should register now.

 

UPDATED

January 2010

 

 

I have been dragging my feet to tell the truth. I just finished reading the 2003 version of Dr. Sheldon Marks book - Prostate and Cancer - and that is providing me with more incentive to come to a decision soon.

I am very reluctant to do a Radical Prostatectomy for several reasons not only the potential ED complications and penis shortening, but I am am uneasy with a major violation of body and removal of organ approach given my more holistic view of the body and health. Western Medicine is so narrowly focused and specialized and I just have to believe that a prostate has other functions than just producing seminal fluid and that it is part of a whole with impacts on the whole. The other aspect is my feeling that PC is a natural development and a natural sign of ageing with a horrible name. The problem is my relatively youthful age, like Terry Herbert's ... but not as severe except for my elevated but stable PSA of 12.0.

I really need to set up another PSA test as the last one prior to Biopsy was in August, I also need to find out some specifics on the cancer. As far as I know, the DRE was normal i.e. no tumor or hard parts felt, plus I don't have info on the size/volume of my prostate which should be available from the radiologist who did my biopsy. I have had a bone scan and a lower body CT scan which were normal, though I know it won't definitively rule out any spread outside the wall, especially to the Lymph Nodes, but those results are reassuring.

I like the sound of Proton Beam Therapy and there is a center in China, but it isn't convenient location wise and we are talking 45 days or so!! (also don't know how many cases of PC they have handled as well) I still need to research HIFU which sounds awfully attractive to me from what little I know, and in fact I am going to read up more on HIFU on your website this afternoon and also research where it can be done competently. I am also researching Bangkok Thailand as a possibility for treatment. But again, I haven't really decided on what treatment yet, so I guess I need to nail that one down first.

I need to spend a lot more time on the site, rather than just random sampling of people's stories.

I would love to hear your opinions as well.

Terry's e-mail address is: tienruay@gmail.com