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John Mr lives in Ohio, USA. He was 59 when he was diagnosed in October, 2007. His initial PSA was 4.40 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 7, and he was staged T1c. His initial treatment choice was Surgery (Robotic Laparoscopic Prostatectomy) and his current treatment choice is None. Here is his story.

THERE WAS NO RESPONSE TO AN UPDATE REMINDER IN 2018 SO THERE IS NO UPDATE.

Hello everybody.

I have browsed through this site and it seems really good. The part that was the best was Part 1 which was basically.....IT AIN'T THAT BAD!!

I have had about a week to get used to the possibility and was going through in my mind how chemo therapy was going to really screw a lot of things up...and then when my doctor called with the results he only mentioned radiation and surgery...so I am thinking, "Great, that won't lay me up like chemo would."

Anyway, I am being a stoic German about it so far. I am thinking that I have a lot of years ahead of me (thanks to reading things on this site). I go back to the doctor Monday (October 15) for the "big talk." We will go over what is best, etc. I appreciate the "Questions" made available by this site.

The thing that I am dreading the most is telling my two boys. They are giving me a birthday party in Phoenix November 10 so I hope I will still be able to go (postpone surgery or radiation after I come back). I want to tell them face to face and let them know that "Dad plans on staying around for quite a few years yet!" Their grandpa (my Dad) died 5 years ago of colon cancer so that is going to be in the back of their heads.

Well, that's enough from me. I will have more after Monday. Thanks for a great Forum and a neat bunch of people.

J.R.

Later:

Have the Gleason now. 7 Cancer was in three sections. GS of 6 in two of them and 7 in the other. I will have to read about the staging. Not sure what that is. Anyway, friends have given me the names of their friends who have gone through it. The way I figure, I was planning on living to be a 100….so now I\'ll only live to see 95!!!!!

UPDATED

May 2008

I had the surgery Jan 11 using the "Robot."

I was a Gleason Score of 7 going into the surgery but after they looked at how close the cancer was to the outside of the prostate, whether it had progressed outside the prostate etc they stated that they got all the cancer and lowered my Gleason Score from 7 to a 6.

I have not been back for my four month follow up PSA. That is next week. Everything else is fine. I am still working on the Kegel exercises. I have good control in normal circumstances but the heavy lifting and stretching still is a little bit of a problem.

UPDATED

September 2009

So far all PSA's have been zero. Since the Gleason was downgraded to a 6 after the surgery my doctor thinks the chance of a resurgence is very slight....but we still take the PSAs!! I am now taking the PSAs once a year.

The bladder control still needs a little work but not much. I am still using "The Pump" to get circulation back to the penis and it is better but still not there yet. Doctor said takes two or three years "if it does return to normal."

So, overall things are good.

UPDATED

February 2011

Everything still the same. Still have PSA of 0. Everything going well.

UPDATED

May 2012

Health is fine. The only down side is that it looks like the ED will stay at 25%. Cialis etc isn't helping so the last thing the urologist talked about was a "shot" deal. I told him that as soon as I find someone to "test it out on...I'm divorced!...I will be in his office the next day for the deal!"

UPDATED

June 2013

Everything still the same. During the last visit with the urologist we talked about that "shot" to help with the ED! I may just put off dating a little longer just so I don't have to "Shoot up!" Otherwise, everything goilg well. I have stayed at 50% (I really don't know how you guess that percentage! As I said before my Gleason Score was downgraded to 6 after the surgery so I guess I am still a "6". Treatment was the DaVinci machine.....and now I see on TV that there is a new testing regimen to see if I really needed the surgery!!! Oh, well.

UPDATED

October 2014

Everything is still the same. I continue to see my urologist once a year and the PSA is holding at 0. I have found out that I will have to rely on the injection method for any sexual activity as everything else was ineffective. I am thus being very selective about dating!!! I see the "latest medical studies" come out now and then and wonder if I should have waited...or used another type of method to deal with the cancer but I am healthy and doing fine so that means that the method I chose was the best...I guess. I also volunteer with Habitat for Humanity during the Spring thru Fall and have learned in the past month that two of the men that I volunteer with are also Prostate Cancer survivors.....who'da known!!!!

UPDATED

December 2015

Status is still same. I am still looking at "The Shot" if I start dating!! My urologist has said there is no need to keep seeing him. I just have my primary physician take the PSA now and if any changes occur (an increase in PSA, etc) I will trot my little behind back to see him. An interesting side note: I volunteer with Habitat For Humanity - Thrivent Builds and have learned that two of the guys I volunteer with also have had prostate surgery over the years.

UPDATED

January 2017

My status is still the same. PSA is still 0. I think I should do the Kegel exercise more often to solve the leakage issue but I think that is my fault, not that of the surgery.

John's e-mail address is: jrushmeyer AT columbus.rr.com (replace "AT" with "@")

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


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