My prostate has been removed, my psa is rising. I am not on medication. Basically, just getting on with life. Refusing to let this nonsense get me down. Thoughts anyone ?
Getting on with life.: My prostate has... - Advanced Prostate...
Getting on with life.
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Scouse0151
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What is your PSA pattern?
It was 1.6, 6 weeks after the surgery ( may 2023 ) then it went up to 2.3 then 2.8 then 2.1. I check it every 4 weeks . I tested it last in Nov. It was 3.1. Not bothering with a check now, till I get back to Wyoming in Apr.
You can potentially still be cured and not have to suffer the intense pain and crippling that inevitably will occur if you hide your head in the sand.
We lived outside Riverton, Wyoming when my husband was diagnosed in 2004. Read my bio. They threw everything at him because he was considered young, in his mid 50s. They saved his life. He is stage IV and has lived a normal life. Dr. Tobin, the radiation oncologist in Casper, is one of the best out there. It was Dr. Tobin who found that the cancer metastasized to his tailbone, did additional radiation, and killed the cancer while he was still radiating his pelvis. He's still on the 6 month Lupron shots and has never taken a vacation from them. He still rides his Harley a few times a week and leads a very active life for a 75 year old. Your choice but I'd certainly listen to Tall_Allen.
Not up for nihilism. The only reason for me to respond is in case somebody else seeking answers here on MaleCare in HealthUnlocked sees a vote for nihilism.
Your path forward with medical nihilism is predictable - and hopefully you will have many years to enjoy, but the odds are against you, unfortunately.
If instead you choose to fight to there will be lots of uncertainty. But compared to doing nothing, fighting will give you better odds at more years of life, even many years and quite possibly years with a decent quality of life. There are lots of people here who choose to stay and fight. And this is despite everything, including the medical system. And the fatigue. On and on. But, for life.
Eventually the body will fail and pain will arrive. I'd rather put that off as long as possible. I wish the best for you, whatever you choose.
Had to look up nihilism. That's me!
Thanks for the comment John. I am not giving up, just going my own way. The doctors give no guarantee. This whole ordeal is a gamble. What works for you might not work for me.
Doctors can only guarantee you are dead. or that your cancer will kill you. You have given up. Your choice but not one most would make. As TA said you very well could be cured and live decades longer. But your choice.
I have not give up.
Choosing no treatments certainly appears that way. Best of luck
I am seeking answers. Perhaps others on here think the same and are doing their own thing. Each to their own mate.
I am, of the very few here, doing their "own thing". Check my bio if in doubt. Yet, despite our GS =9 being equal, our post RP PSAs are at an entirely different league. With your PSA history I am not sure I would be doing what I am currently doing. The odd one's out hazard lamp is blinking.
Consider getting a PSMA PET scan. It does not hurt and can provide you with information about where remaining cancer is located. Perhaps just one or a few sites that can be easily targeted? Perhaps more widespread. But you can then make choices based upon the best information.
I have considered the psma pet scan. As it stands at the moment, I am away from home until Apr then I will get my psa checked and take it from there. A choice between the insurance companies having my money and my wife. My wife wins everytime.
I think the question I would be asking myself is, assuming that your scan comes back unfavorable, what would you do? Ask yourself that. If you think you're not going to do any treaments, why bother. Buy your wife a nice meal and some great wine. If you think you may try treaments then it would be reasonable to do the scan.
Like I said Mr G, all this is up in the air until I go home in Apr. Hence coming on here to see how other Prostarians are coping.
Hope it works out for you buddy.
Thank you Sir, have a super day
You need to pay big time? That's just wrong.
Good day Mateo . Don't waste any time on the PET SCAN ! I was operated 2002 in Toronto and my prostate was removed and my PSA went down to -0 Than five years later it came back and has been going up ever since . The doctor kept on telling me not to worry and time went on . Every six months I do PSA test and it keeps on going up . 2020 I had COVID -19 and almost met God . Ever since than my PSA went nuts ! I do check it every six months and as of October- 1- 2023 it was 109.9 . The doctor kept on telling me not to worry because too many years have gone by . Something inside kept on telling me that it is not normal for the PSA to be going up so fast . I started asking to have PSMA PET SCAN done and he finally agreed. On October the forth I had it done and guess what ? THE CANCER IS BACK and it has spread into my nimph nodes and else where in my pelvic . Since than I am on hormonal therapy and chemical castration to lower my tostesterone . How about that bud ? Now every month I go to the hospital for testing and I HATE IT because I have to drive 200 km to the hospital in the big City and 200 km back every time !!! Good luck and don't trust the doctors for them it it is busyness and MONEY !!! Nobody gives a fuck about you and me because they only care about the MONEY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the words mate.
You've become a poster boy for government run healthcare
for or against? If Docs only care about $$$, as Bow masters stated, then private would certainly not be the preferred system it seems? Nor would inadequately funded government run system......see Britain!!!! Don't know much about Canada's system...more like Britain or Medicare?
That's the mantra, if only we had more money. It's government intervention in health care that drives up prices and drives down quality. I worked in the business for 40 years.
I live near Toronto and had kidney cancer in 1989 and prostate cancer since 2010. Other than my taxes (which pay for most medical treatments) I have not paid anything directly to family doctors, my urologist (who did the kidney surgery) and my radiation oncologist (who oversaw my 40 doses of radiation.) Fortunately I did not have to drive long distances but met folks whose long drive to the hospital was provided by the Cancer Society at no charge.
We sought treatment because a dentist friend told us what the end might be with our high Gleason score/pattern. Her father died in agony. We chose to determine what might allow us to travel longer, as we love it. So far, 7 years on since dx and 6 years since RT and ADT, he is fabulous, funny and fit, albeit mentally damaged by Zoladex. Up to you to decide. Sounds like you have made up your mind.🍀
Thanks for the reply.
My Gleason score was 9 . I have been told all the scary stories about the pain from my doctor. The fear approach does not work for me. We love to travel. We are travelling now.
The more people I talk to, going through this , what with treatments and side effects, just confirms to me what a crapshoot this cancer nonsense is.
There is a reason I don't gamble, I have no luck. If I fell I a pool 9f naked women, I would come out with my own thumb in my mouth. Hence , I just get on with life until I can't.
Live, love, laugh
I think it will be covered by insurance...why not have an easy peasy PSMA PET scan and see where any remaining cancer is detected> if not distant metastasis, whole pelvic RT +/- short ADT might be of GREAT benefit.
Yes, there is absolutely no guarantee re any treatment. About the best you can do is find data that tells you the probability of effectiveness for a certain treatment and compare that to data showing expected outcomes if a man refuses such treatment.
BTW, I believe I have read that salvage RT /WPRT has somewhere in the neighborhood of 50% success rate. Easy to research and confirm the number. So, if correct , a toin coss... same as crapshoot?
I think you are among many men who have had similar thoughts.....many decide to risk the negatives in hopes of also experiencing the positives that treatment can bring. even without further treatment, there is also no guaranteed that PCa will cause your death...though that would be more true were you 75 and not "only" 60. Do you have any other serious medical issues as of now? I assume you were initially diagnosed as non-metastatic high risk?
Easy peasy psma scans are not cheap , in the land of the free. I have told my wife I would rather her have our money than the insurance companies.
Are you saying you have no insurance?
No, just crap insurance. You don't find that out until something like this happens.
I have the cheapest insurance available here in Georgia : Ambetter. But they have remarkably paid for large chunks of my biopsy and my PMSA PET scan. Plus my Orgovyx (roughly $83.33 per pill).
Thanks Obamacare.
Here's my clinical history, we're on the 4th go round on treatment. Have I enjoyed any of these, no! That being said, that's 10 years of birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, vacations with my wife and daughters, etc.
With my clinical history, not sure I'd be here if not for the treatments.
The quality of life has been good, the side affects of treatment, annoying but manageable.
I've peaked behind that door, death by prostate cancer, no thanx.
I'm 67, turn 68 in a month. I see no reasons why I can't live another 10-15 quality years with periodic treatments as I've done these 10 years., managing this as a "chronic" disease.
This year my wife and I are taking vacations to Ireland, Colorado Rocky Mountain National Park, Glacier National Park, Banff National Park...in two weeks I'm going skiing with a friend in Colorado.
It's your decision, but I think the consensus of the forum is maybe think about it.
Kevin
Clinical History
Hawk, thanks for your reply. I am think about my decision everyday. My position constantly changes. But 10 yrs of treatments , hospital visits , tablets and radiation is not my idea of fun. Perhaps I am missing the point.
Ours is a heterogenous disease, not homogeneous...my cancer is not yours.
My point is for me, my cancer is high risk, that guides my decisions.
In my decision criteria I place an emphasis on longevity, balancing quality while using mitigating strategies for the side effects of treatment..
My being here 10 years after my urologist reviewing my TRUS biopsy results said "Kevin, you have prostate cancer, a pretty aggressive one (I'm 57 at the time)..." is in part a function of making decisions in the context of high risk disease, determined not to be one of the roughly 27k who die of it each year in the US.
I have been able to mitigate the side effects of treatment, mainly though diet and exercise coupled with an "attitude check."
In my ten years, three of those have been "on treatment."
As others have said, and the article I sent a link to, there is some discussion in the medical community about the risk-benefit about "early" treatment and overall survival, metastases free survival...but for high risk, my literature review and my medical team says their is a risk-benefit to early treatments.
I think the literature says you can live for some period of time with no treatment...is that eight years, ten years, three...not sure the literature can say definitely. For those in the high risk category, the literature is quite clear, you will die of PCa unless you're "lucky" and a heart attack, stroke, automobile...takes you out.
There is absolutely nothing "wrong" in your current decision. You may go sometime and enjoy life, not having the side effects, hot flashes, fatigue, muscle and joint stiffness, but you may very well at some time decide on treatment is the cancer follows its course. Question is, can treating now, push that back and can you live with the treatment.
Keep in mind I have been fortunate, lucky, but when the catheter came out after surgery, zero incontinence, no SEs from three radiation treatments, no neuropathy from chemotherapy, the rwas nerve sparing and I regained and have kept erectile function, aided by daily Cialis, to my wife's dismay(smile). That I think is testimony to the advances in treatment though technology, a skilled medical team and my being in good shape with no co-morbidities and an active lifestyle.
Kevin
Thanks for your input Kevin.
Treatment always involves a cost v. benefit analysis. And- when money ($$$) is involved, it makes the "cost" part of the analysis more difficult. All I can offer is my thought and that is that you will very likely live longer with treatment than without. As far as your willingness/ability to pay for the costs of treatment and put up with the side-effects of treatment, only you can make that decision.
For me, the decision was an easy one as I have excellent medical insurance coverage so my costs are very little and the side-effects, while significant, still permit me to enjoy life. The 11+ years I have been under treatment have allowed me to be with my amazing wife as we have both watched our 3 young boys grow up to become young men. For me, that's a GREAT reward that I otherwise almost certainly would NOT have received without treatment. I also play tennis, golf, Pickleball, and ski, when my knee replacement and upcoming hip replacement surgery permit. I wish you the best regardless of the decision you make.
Nice one Sir, thank you.
Did your treatment team include an oncologist as well as a urologist? So far, I've depended on a urologist only.
While doing the triplet therapy in January 17, I had a urologist - he administered the Lupron, the radiologist (and that's all he did, great surgeon, but after BCR, not so much value added), and an oncologist (he was pretty much worthless other than he agreed to do the taxotere), he administered the chemotherapy. When the chemotherapy was done, I looked at my wife and said, thank goodness we never have to see him again!
This time around I am not using an urologist, I have my radiologist, same one for all my treatments sice 2016 and an oncologist. I fired my urologist when his ego got in the way and said because I was using a radiologist and oncologist outside his practice, he couldn't help me..I said wrong answer, the correct answer was, how can I help you, 2nd opinions...
Kevin
It depends what you're hoping to achieve really. Ive read that treatments don't necessarily extend your lifespan. You might get more metastasis without the treatment but can still die around the same time.The issue, I think, is more to do with if you don't do treatments you may end up with some effect as a consequence. This might force you to do a treatment for that. So for example, you may find you are unable to pee due to the pressure from the cancer on your urethra.
I think the one most people are afraid of is the possible pain, especially from the bone if it spreads to there. But then again some people have a spread to the bone and don't get the pain others do.
So I actually agree with you. It's a craps shoot.
On the one hand you're possibly avoiding the side effects of treatments, which let's face it can be devastating. But you run the risk of developing a condition and/or suffering the pain. There's people who wished they never did treatments and there's others who wish they did it sooner. Theres people who have suffered less may be pro treatments and others who have suffered more the opposite.
Either way its your choice.
Just way up the evidense, make your choice, roll the dice, and hope it's a 7 on the come out.
Who knows, maybe you get an unexpected Yo!
Mr G, thank you for the kind words. I crack on regardless. We all take our own path.
This may worh a read - urotoday.com/video-lectures...
Thank you , I will have a gander at that ,in a bit. Nice one.
If you don't have cancer you shouldn't even be posting on this list. If you have cancer listen to Tall Allen.
Oh I have cancer Steve, of that there is no doubt.
Oh, so if some scientist who doesn't have cancer discovers a cure, I'll make sure to let him know that his cure isn't welcome. Having cancer doesn't qualify anyone to any special priviledge.
You lost me there.
It's not a requirement for this site to have cancer. Many people post on behalf of the family relatives. Having cancer doesn't give you the right to post whilst others can't.I was saying someone could post useful information who don't have cancer. Like a scientist who came up with a cure, but didn't have cancer as an example.. was replying to Steve's comment
Listen to Tall Allen. You sound like you're on a fool's errand but only you know your situation.
Wow, you didn' t have your frosties this morning, chill Winston.
If you don't give a shit about your choice.... then why should we ?
Oh BTW this is not the suicide hot line.....
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n
I'm not asking you to give a shit John. I am here to see what the rest of the prostatians are doing to remedy or survive this situation. Everyone deals with this in their own way. I have not give up.
Quote: Refusing to let this nonsense get me down. Thoughts anyone ?
Well those were my thoughts.
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n
Believe me John, I appreciate everyone's thoughts on this nonsense, crack on mate, enjoy your day.
Being and speaking American I prefer to crack up with laughter buddy. Enjoy your day...
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n
" Crack on " in my world is from my army days but I do appreciate a good crack up as well . It's a tonic when allelse fails.
The new Royal Baby has already done three of the things on my bucket list:
1. Become a billionaire
2. Meet the Queen
3. Suck Meghan's tits
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n
Brilliant John, keep laughing mate, it's non taxable.
I am not asking you to give shit. I am just interested in other people's experiences. Believe me , I give a shit. If my post come across that I have give up, I apologize for my wording.
You're Xas-cous-ed........
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n
Cheers
Can you give us some Cockney rhyming slang? Guv'nor..........
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n
I'm from Liverpool John, no rhyming slang from this kid.
Liverpudlians.........
'Scouse' - First and foremost, what does 'Scouse' even mean? Well, I'll tell you. The word 'Scouse' is the nickname for Liverpudlians. It's the name of the bowl of the imported Scandinavian stew, which is called 'Scouse.' This then led to the nickname of the local inhabitants of the Liverpool Bay Area that ate the stew in the Port of Liverpool areas being also known as 'Scousers', in addition to their official name of Liverpudlians. Areas included the likes of the Pier Head, Dingle, Birkenhead, Seaforth, Bootle and Wallasey. This then also became known as the nickname of the local accent that the local people spoke with, which is influenced by an amalgamation of poor air quality, and a whole host of immigration from around the world, as well as from across the UK; including Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
'Boss' - Liverpool's almost emblematic slang word that most people will know about before visiting the City. Saying something is 'Boss' means that it is brilliant or excellent. E.g. 'Mate, I can't believe you got the job! Well in. That's boss, that is.'
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n
Haha, well researched.
Just confirms that you can learn some things on this site and discussion board. 😎
Yep and fast too eddie.....
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n
Yeah you're way off piste there.Try something like this:
I too have decided to go off treatment... I’ve been fighting PCa since 2010. Had surgery, two rounds of radiation and on/off ADT. The side affects of ADT were horrible. Genetic testing discovered I have Lynch Syndrome I’ve been off treatment going on 12 months.. so far so good. I opted for quality vs quantity. I’m comfortable w/my decision. I am traveling w/my girlfriend and crossing off bucket list items. Prayers to all fighting this cancer.
Go for it Kenny. Thanks for the reply.Being a pagan, prayers don't work for me. Bucket lists are made to enjoy and tick off.
Listen to Tall Allen! I believe that most of us would do about anything to have even a small chance of a cure. PC is a miserable SOB that robs us of so much once it kicks into high gear. In addition to what it does to us,, it also beats up our families. Being from Wyoming, you have some real experts up north of you in Billings at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center who are fantastic at keeping you healthy. PC can turn on a dime in the wrong direction, and it’s often a one way street. Best of luck to you.
I had my treatment in Billings clinic.
Then you are in very good hands with managing your illness. As you know, they are affiliated with the Mayo Clinic and do a great job. I have Drs Kidd and Goulet and you couldn’t ask for finer Physicians. I hate that I have to be on this journey, but love my guides. Good luck in everything.
After your May 2023 your prostatectomy you checked your PSA almost monthly until November when it went over 3. You intend to check it again in April. Why? Most men who are truly “ one and done” …after they remove or radiate their prostate they never check their PSA. They choose to live without the angst of chasing their PSA . If their cancer metastasizes they will deal with it. Many men are metastatic when first diagnosed and can live long lives. Your desire to track your PSA suggests you are not “ one and done”.Get a scan. Be informed. Find out where it resides. And then decide.
Checking my psa gave my wife piece of mind. I should point out, I have not checked since Nov. That is now on hold until Apr when we return to Wyoming.
Interesting summary:
urotoday.com/conference-hig...
EAU 2023: 15-year Update ProtecT Trial - Part I: Oncology
Dr. Hamdy concluded his presentation of the 15-year outcomes with the following key messages:
• Survival from clinically localized prostate cancer remains very high over a median of 15 years (96-97%), irrespective of treatment allocation.
• Men with metastases do not necessarily die of prostate cancer.
• Men who die of prostate cancer have lethality features, yet to be identifiable and are not easily impacted by multimodality treatment approaches
• Current risk-stratification methods are unreliable and new tools are needed
• The indications for active monitoring/surveillance can be safely expanded to intermediate-risk disease
• The long survival of screen-detected prostate cancer men in ProtecT with or without treatment, with or without metastases does not support the introduction of population testing for early detection
• Treatment decisions need to balance “trade-offs” between the reduction of metastases, long-term hormones, and local progression with radical treatments against their short-, medium-, and long-term impacts on sexual, urinary, and bowel function
" trade offs " are the issue at the moment, hence the quest to see what others have experienced. At the minute, the people I have met and talked to, face to face. The " I wish I had done something different, the side effects are terrible ", seem to be the bigger group. Like I stated previously, this trek is a crap shoot and there is a reason I don't gamble.
you are probably correct that the ones who did treatment and "wish I had done something different seem to be the smaller group." The ones who did nothing are in the minority as most of that group has died already.
Where are the stats on that? I'm quite interested to take a look.
I know just 4 men with PCa...... all chose surgery and recommend it....sorry for your outcome. Actually, a 5th man, member of wife's church, had brachy MANY years ago and made it to at least 90....with a VERY good life posttreatment!!!
Thanks for that....you promped me to lokk for a slightly more complete report...think this is it..
nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/N...
From what I read, my Dr. J's comment "we have more questions than we have answers" was right on!!! I also noted in one of the study summaries that Hamdy states their analysis is not to minimize the need for treatment for high risk men !!! Also noted the diffferent risk grading outcomes when comparing the D' Amico and CAPRA systems!!!! Definitely noted the apparent conclusion that many or most intermediate risk men could consider AS!!! I don't know if they considered the NCCN unfavorable intermediate risk group to be canddates for AS?
This study only reinforced my speculation that more intense big data analysis (AI) might result in a more accurate risk stratification system????? Everything possible should be done to minimize treatment harms for overtreated men!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I remain somewhat confused about their conclusions re high risk men? Too small a sample?
Thanks again...wonder iif urologists, ROs and MOs paid much attention to this analysis?
Why have the RP if you have such a cavalier attitude towards towards dying?...Seems like a waste of time and money. Just take some hocus pocus remedies and accept the fallout.
It's not a cavalier attitude, it's facing reality. I prefer " voodoo remedies " to the term " hocus pocus ". Steaming cauldrons are not my cup of tea.
Then why are you on this site? Looking for affirmation? Won't find much I'd imagine. Try the Prostate Cancer forum.
Five years ago at 66, I had surgery with a rising PSA afterward and GL 9. Had Salvage Radiation and 2 years of ADT which hardly affected me at all. I have been <.1 for over 4 years now and loving life without worrying about the big C too much. If it does come back, there is a lot more the doctors and I can do. I think I would be a lot more stressed out if I had not done anything. Good luck to you!
Thank you for that,
I once had to explain some concept to a 20 years old kid. He was in a stage where his world was "if I do A I will get B". And of course he was trying to apply it to life. Started to follow those super successful guys (but not really that successful) that were saying "if you do as I did, you will get to my same level"..."if you work hard enough, you will get this and this and this..." In some ways it's a stimulus for many, so I do not totally take is as bullshit, but it needs to be explained in a different way in my opinion. My matematician/AI guy brain cannot accept it as it's proposed.
So I had to reformulate it. I have asked him about Leo Messi (he was his fan). And I went on like this:
He worked hard, he also had talent, but he had to work hard also because at first nobody recognized that talent (they suggested him to stop with soccer at some point). He worked very hard. and he succeeded. But do you think that there was no other player who worked even harder than him, who was even better than him but that is still playing in some minor league or that gave up playing professionally for a 9 to 5 job?
Succeeding is complex. Hard work yes, but also network, luck (fate, God,...) and many more variables. So John (the kid is Italian but his nickname is really John) you have to see it in a reverse way. Working hard won't give you a 100% chance of succeeding for sure, but not working hard will give you for sure a 100% chance of NOT succeeding.
I am 50, in perfect shape, and I have been diagnosed a terminal disease and I am here trying to have a fair CHANCE, and you complain because you do not have a guarantee? Ok.
But as for that 20 years old kid, doing something about your disease will give you chances, no guarantees. Doing nothing will give you a guarantee instead. But not of the good kind.
This said, in my opinion (and only mine) choosing quality over quantity is a good choice only when the difference in quantity is a matter of few weeks or quality becomes unbearably low.
3 years in Vegas with a different stripper every night or a more sober life but 15 years ahead of me? I have no doubt about my choice. Consider that I have been on this site for 5 months and I think I have found and posted a new clinical trial about prostate cancer basically every day, so every extra year could be the year that gives you another 5 years and so on...
But hey, if you have made up your mind, good luck!
I do like your Messi anology, and just so you know, I am not complaining.
Vegas or strippers have never done it for me. 🙂
😂😂
Its Vegas all the way!! 😂😂
I must tell you that I kind of realized I used the wrong example while I was writing it 😜😜
I’m a little perplexed at why you are calling all of this “nonsense” and then bothering to post here. Post treatment (48 gray IMRT) I toyed with doing nothing else even though my psa continued to rise….i was afraid of the side effects of meds ….figured maybe I could die before the disease would get me…..reading postings here convinced me that the odds did not favor that…..death by PC is not pleasant(duh). Eventually I decided to go on meds and have been one of the lucky ones who, thus far, has very few troubling side effects….. you,too, could be one of those…….and if you are not you can always stop the meds and take your chances with the “nonsense” again…….Dont know how old you are but perhaps you CAN run out the clock before the disease gets you.
This chap , full of nonsense is 60. Thanks for your reply Tommy.
Not going to run out the clock with age 60…..hope you decide on some tx.
My PSA went undetectable for 7.5 years after I got salvage radiation a year after my prostatectomy. I got another 4+ years of undetectable PSA after getting docetaxel plus radiation of additional lymph nodes. Keeping my testosterone has been well worth any side effects from radiation or chemo or surgery.
You get to pick your own poison, but I witnessed a guy dying from prostate cancer and concluded that is not how I want to exit. I hope you don't give up so early in your journey with the disease.
I have witnessed people die, it's never pleasant. Please don't think I am being flippant far from it. I just refuse to be scared. Thanks for taking the time to reply, have a top day.
Refusing to be scared is good. Refusing potential cures for a deadly disease is very different. Thousands of guys would love to have your current choices.
I'll say one more thing. We had insurance. I had to fight for every penny. Insurance would say, "Not reasonable or customary" and I'd have to pick up the rest. A few years I picked up thousands of dollars the insurance company refused to pay and even suggested I "stiff the doctors because they overcharge anyway". Stiff doctors that saved my husband's life?? All of that for a premium of $1531 a month?? Wyoming's "uninsured" pool was $1601 a month for a horrible plan. I don't think so. In 2007, we left Wyoming after 25 years and went to Washington state. Les was then on a true uninsured pool that was a bit over $700 a month for a superior plan. No more fights, no more writing out additional checks. We are now on Medicare with Plan F as a supplemental plan. No more additional checks to write or fights with the insurance company.
Thanks for that,
One more thing. We now live on Kauai in Hawaii. Our healthcare here is non-profit and excellent. We just about have universal insurance. Employers have to provide health insurance even to their part time workers if they work 20 hours or more.
You are lucky. For both your location and Healthcare choices.
No, we were lucky to get out of Wyoming and to have the money while in Wyoming to pay for it all. In Wyoming you were hung out to dry. The Riverton hospital no longer delivers babies so women have to get down to Lander somehow. We had healthcare choices, and good ones, once we got to Washington state.
those hoorible D states!!
There are many responses and I skipped many of them. You are experiencing some sort of denial instead of facing the truth of cancer.
Your approach is reckless and leaves you with no chance no hope to beat this cancer. But that is your choice if you choose to die early from it without attempting to live
Radiation is not for you you say. If so don't drag your family down having them watching you die a early painful possibly preventable death.
No denial at all, just very realistic. I don't consider myself reckless. As for dragging my family down that's not for you to say. 😘
I've been fighting "the Hog" since 2002 and damn it I lost my sense of humor....
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n
Hi -
Would you please use these nomograms to see what the probabilities are for your specific numbers? Perhaps after you see the results, those will prompt additional thoughts and questions re treat or not?
( 1 ) mskcc.org/nomograms/prostat...
( 2 ) mskcc.org/nomograms/prostat...
You can use the above nomogram for applicable results if your post-radical prostatectomy serum PSA level was at first undetectable (less than 0.05 ng/mL) and then rose steadily, indicating a recurrence.
( 3 ) mskcc.org/nomograms/prostat...
By your post here, I assume you are searching for additional info that will either reinforce or change your current views? Otherwise, seems you are just playing a game with the men here??
The above is my contribution in the hope that my assumption is correct???
Thank you so much for this reply and info.
No games, I assure you.
Your doubling times are concerning. I was 1.7 after my surgery in 2020. I watched my dad die of PC and there was no way I wasn’t going to do everything possible to avoid that kind of death. It was horrendous. Opted for adjuvant RT and have been on ADT for 3 years. Hasn’t been a walk in the park but psa is undetectable and I soldier on. We all choose our own path. Good luck with whatever you ultimately decide to do.
Thanks, I was 1.6 after surgery, climbs about a point a month at present.
It is your choice to treat or not, but I can only say, having been in ADT for 4 years now. Not a day goes by that I do not think about stopping treatments. This is not the best quality of life and regardless of where you might be in the treatment process, these treatments take their toll. Just because you are alive does not mean that you are living
PSA rising is not something to ignore.
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