Walnut

Subscribe to RSS Feed for recent updates
Subscribe to RSS Feed for recent updates

YANA - YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

 

SURVIVOR STORIES  :  DISCUSSION FORUM  :  WIVES & PARTNERS  :  TELL YOUR STORY  :  UPDATE YOUR STORY  :  DONATIONS  :  TROOP-C

YANA HOME PAGE  :  DON'T PANIC  :  GOOD NEWS!  :  DIAGNOSIS  :  SURVIVING  :  TREATMENT CHOICES  :  RESOURCES  :  ABOUT US  :  MAIL US

 

  PLATINUM  
This is his Country or State Flag

James MacDonald and Kathy live in Illinois, USA. He was 48 when he was diagnosed in October, 2008. His initial PSA was 3.40 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 6, and he was staged T1c. His initial treatment choice was External Beam Radiation (Proton Beam) and his current treatment choice is Undecided. Here is his story.

THERE WAS NO RESPONSE TO AN UPDATE REMINDER IN 2019 SO THERE IS NO UPDATE.

I was diagnosed with Prostate cancer as the result of a routine physical. The DRE did not reveal a concern but the blood tests over a number of years showed a rising PSA. Reading the many testimonies on this site and others has made me very grateful that I had developed the discipline of an annual physical exam with a full blood test including PSA screening. My PSA was 1.8 in 2005, 2.3 in 2006 2.8 in 2007 and between 3.1 and 3.4 since my last physical/ subsequent biopsy and diagnosis. My Gleason Score was 7 (3+4) on the first pathology report and then a second opinion gave me a score of 6 /(3+3). Of course my doctor didn't even mention prostate cancer to me until this last PSA and I while it would be easy to wish he had sent me for a biopsy a year earlier, the stories on this site make me thankful he was at least as aggressive as he was.

After a lot of research and input from others I have opted for Proton Radiation Therapy at Loma Linda University Medical Center. They have equivalent or better cure rates, with much lower incidence of side affects, to say nothing of the impact of the various surgeries themselves. There are several reasons I believe others do not opt for this treatment:

  1. They don't know about it, Proton Therapy is currently done at only five locations in America due to the cost of building the proton accelerator etc. which is over US$100 million
  2. They are referred by their doctor to a urologist, and of course urologists want to do surgery and we want to trust our doctors. (many of whom are less than candid about their success rates)
  3. Proton Therapy is more expensive and not covered by all insurances though if the right process is pursued it is very difficult for them to decline you
  4. Proton Therapy is misunderstood to be like other radiation which it is not
  5. Patients cannot manage to be away from their homes for the required approximately 45 treatments which take 10 weeks to complete.

In any event, I began my treatments on January 8 2009 with no discernable affects so far, and very little discomfort.

UPDATED

September 2009

Well I jumped back into life after my radiation at Loma Linda Medical Center in Loma Linda California. Ten weeks away was a long time. After 45 treatments it felt a little strange to have them simply say goodbye, with no further diagnosis or anything, but I had 4 more months to wait before my first blood test. Even though I was working and very busy it was always in the back of my mind. I felt more frequently tired at the end of the day,and I think that accounted for a decrease in libido. Another side affect was a persistent inability to have a normal bowel movement. Instead I had to go 5 our six times every morning before noon to clear out my system. I am already seeing improvement in that area.

Though I was working and very occupied the impending blood test was always in the back of my mind. My first test came back mid July and I was so excited to see that my PSA had droppped to 1.09. When I had my regular physical a month later I was curious and asked my doctor to add PSA to my regular blood tests, and it came back .08. So I am VERY pleased with these results. MY PSA IS FREE FALLING AND I DID NOT HAVE TO RISK THE SIDE AFFECTS OF SURGERY.

UPDATED

November 2010

I am now two years since diagnosis. I have a falling PSA (now 0.60 ng/ml) , and no significant side affects.

I am very thankful to God and to the wonderful people at Loma Linda Medical Center.

UPDATED

May 2013

Since 2010 my PSA; has twice risen. First gradually to 1.8 and reduced to 1.1 through anti-biotic. Then in late 2012 it rose to 2.94 from 1.3 just six months earlier and I was very concerned. I went to see urologist thinking that my meeting the 2.0 jump over nadir indicated certain prostate cancer recurrence. The uroglogist simply by reviewing the numbers suggested that I had almost certain prostate cancer recurrence and scheduled a saturation biobsy for Jan. 17 2013, indicating a grim prospect of 2-4 years likely survival. I asked about cryo-therapy and was told it was only experimental. ?? And asked about the potential of the bump being related to infection or inflammation and was told by my urologists that if that were the case the numbers would be over 500. ?? I asked why I would be feeling pain 'down there' if it were cancer which normally presents no pain at early stage. He had no answer. It seems he is trying to pay off medical school loans or something because none of what he said was accurate. Surgeons do surgery and have eyes for little else in terms of treatment.

I got back in touch with friends at Loma Linda medical center and they suggested 6-8 weeks of anti-biotic followed by 6-8 weeks of celebrex (anti-inflammatory) After first 8 weeks my PSA; was 2.4, not a significant drop but not getting worse. After the second 6-8 weeks the pain was gone and my PSA; was down to 1.4 again. So glad I didn't get surgery or even the saturation biopsy that would have made the inflammation even worse.

UPDATED

May 2015

I had a PSA in April of 2014 that was 1.42. Weary of 5 years of every six months - blood tests I took the year off to work on my healthy and lost 30 pounds. My PSA in May of 2015 was 1.67. The rise of .25 is standard for me though untypical. I have learned by experience that I simply have a chronically inflamed prostate. Occasional pain in the area and responsive drops in PSA after celebrex or antibotic have convinced me that there is no cancer present. I am very thankful for that. Side affects remain minimal due to Proton Radiation Therapy benefits which I would reccomend to anyone.

UPDATED

November 2015

I continue to monitor a fluctuating PSA; and found it to be at 1.54 - affectively unchanged for three plus years. Apparently chronically inflamed but nothing more thankfully.

UPDATED

January 2018

By fall of 2017, my PSA had risen to 3.7. I took a newer test method to check for recurrence. Offered in Phoenix, called c11 acetate pet scan. Follow up MRI, Utlrasound and finally a biopsy took two samples. One came back negative but the other was positive Gleason 7 confirming a cancerous lesion only the right side. Most concerning is the realization that the original proton therapy never entirely cured the cancer. My PSA was only ever below 1.0 a single time. The rest of the time I have gone up and down and every two years or so beat back a significant rise that I believed was inflamation with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory. "cancer doesn't respond to antibiotic" I was told again and again, so the drop in PSA had to be a signal there was not cancer there. Wrong! I now believe it was only ever beat down, never entirely gone. The potential side affects of an already radiated protate have me considering other options to deal with this. I am currently wrestling with the choice between High Dose Radiation Brachytherapy, (like seeds but nothing ever implanted only inserted according computer mapping in the exact area where the cancer is and then removed). Also though considering taking a season of better eating and fitness to see if I can contain this with diet restrictions.

James's e-mail address is: jamesmacdonald AT harvestbiblechapel.org (replace "AT" with "@")

NOTE: James has not updated his story for more than 15 months, so you may not receive any response from him.


RETURN TO INDEX : RETURN TO HOME PAGE LINKS