And So It Begins...

[JohnMN]

In October my PSA was 4.5, in December my PSA was 5.

On Feb 14 I had my biopsy. Ash (ass) Wednesday & Valentine’s Day ❤️. I have to say the biopsy was nothing, in & “out” in 20 minutes. If I have to have another in the future I’m not worried or concerned at all.

On Feb 28 I received my results of 3 of the 12 samples showing signs of cancer. Gleason score 6.

On June 4 I will have my PSA retested & on June 6 a prostate MRI. Then June 11 an appointment with my Urologist.

Samples were sent to a Genomics lab in California where the results indicated low risk.

I’m doing some research, I’m reading a few blogs. It’s a bit overwhelming, but in small doses it’s manageable.

I’m reconnecting with my therapist next week, who I haven’t seen in years, as a resource to help me through this journey.

That’s all for now.

I’m looking forward to reading more of everyone’s experiences, ups/downs & highs/lows and messages of hope & encouragement.

[TimCo]

Yes take advantage of this resource and all the great guys who contribute.

Man if I had known of this group my journey would have been a 1000x easier.

[Darryl Partner]

Sounds like you are in excellent shape. Take the word, "cancer," out of the equation and think of yourself as having a health concern worthy of monitoring for the rest of your life. One thing to consider is: malecare.org/second-opinion...

[JohnMN in reply to Darryl]

Thank you. I’ll check the link out.

[JohnMN]

Hi HarvInNY,

Thank you for your message and support. I sincerely appreciate you sharing your experience.

Yes, I am convinced and know I have to treat my condition.

I do feel that I am fortunate that I am in Boston with access to some of the best healthcare in the world and that it does appear I have some time evaluate all the options that may be presented to me.

Best regards to you!

[PSV60]

Hi John. It sounds like you are definitely on the right track in your thinking. My journey started in May 2017, and I didn't elect to have the surgery until November 2017. I am cancer-free as of today. Like you, I am fortunate to live in a great city like Chicago which offers many fine healthcare resources. I did get many second opinions, looked into all the options, and I eventually changed over to a different urologist/surgeon because I liked his approach better than the others and he had a very good reputation. He told me that I had the option of not doing anything if I didn't want to deal with surgery or radiation, but I would have to be monitored and do further biopsies. In the end, I decided the surgery was the best option for me. My point here is that I did NOT rush into any decisions and gathered as much knowledge as I could. Mentally and emotionally, I gave myself time to comprehend everything. The one thing that anchored me was that my urologist told me that prostate cancer is "treatable, and possibly curable". Those words were powerful for me and kept my thoughts positive during this journey. I was also lucky to to have a good friend who went through this a few years ago and he was very generous in answering all my questions. Please use all your resources and gain as much knowledge as you can. Don't rush into anything while being conscious of the timeline you've given yourself. Ultimately, you will make the right decision "for you"!

[darrelmw]

In a somewhat similar boat. PSA started going up Jan 2017. Went up a little more a month or two later. Had a biopsy about a year ago, showed nothing. PSA went up a little more to 7.1 a few months later.

Urologist suggested a 4K genetic test. Got that, showed I was at increased risk of aggressive cancer if I ever did get it. Although, at 15% everyone is considered high risk---I was at 47%.

So, urologist ordered and MRI. Right as I was going out of town for a couple weeks got the call that it was "indeterminate" but it showed a couple areas of possible concern.

Had a MRI Fusion biopsy a month ago, end of April. Because it took me an hour to drive there (hello, bladder!), but they wouldn't let me pee ("we want to make sure you can pee after the procedure before you leave"). I had a ginger ale right before I got there, so I could pee when it was done. (First biopsy they took a urine sample right before, so I emptied my bladder). This one was excruciating. Almost didn't feel the actual needle taking the samples because I felt as though my bladder was trying to exit through my penis and ass at the same time. Also the "area of concern" was on the far side of the prostate from my rectum.

The antibiotics I took didn't help, ended up with an infected prostate which then became a bladder infection. Was not a fun ride, to put it mildly. In the middle of all that (and a plateful of insanity at work) I got the diagnosis. 3 of the 12 cores tested positive, Gleason 3+4 in all three, all three in the same area, and all three less than 50% of the core had cancer cells. Not a Gleason 6, but at least favorable intermediate.

So now going through the same info process, often getting overwhelmed. My urologist is a specialist in robotic surgery, so is anxious to dig in. He also told me to take my time and talk to a lot of people, and recommended a radiologist to see. He also wants to do a Prolaris test on the cells, so now I'm dealing with the insurance company on that.

Told him I was leaning towards active surveillance, at least for awhile---I don't think he was super supportive. Mentioned the pain and complications if it spreads (I watched two friends die of lung cancer and one die of brain cancer, all in a space of about two years, so I guess I have a little bit of an idea of what's involved when cancer starts to spread). But the fact that my PSA has risen slowly over the course of a year and a half, and the cores were less than 50%, it would seem that it's probably going to be slow, at least for a few to several months so I can have lots of sex in the meantime.....lol

Glad I found this site and the guys on it for both the success and not so success stories to help navigate this whole thing. (I'm 56, by the way).

[Bcgkelly]

A Gleason score of 6 is not bad and there’s no doubt that having any type of treatment will have side effects. My PSA was only 4 however I decided that I wanted an MRI with a person that specialised in Prostate MRI’s and was glad I did as it showed I had a tumour coming through the prostate cap and was also in a lymph node. My Gleason score was 8 pre-operation. If I was sure the cancer was confined and low risk I would have opted for watchful waiting. The thing is you need to be sure it is low risk. I would be inclined to have an MRI followed by a targeted biopsy to be sure and perhaps that would also settle your mind. Hope this helps.

[JohnMN in reply to Bcgkelly]

Thanks for your replies.

I went in today to have PSA blood work done.

On Wednesday I have a MRI & then meet with my Urologist on Monday.

I did the Genomic test & the results were very low risk.

More will be revealed soon.