Like many others I started to notice issues discomfort when urinating and frequent late night wake ups. Since I had prostatitis in my 30's I knew it was an issue.

Went to Doctor in early December 2008 and he performed DRE (Digital Rectal Examination) as well as PSA test. Result came back and my PSA was 53.0 ng/ml.

Scheduled visit to Urologist where after he examined and talked he felt biopsy needed. Biopsy was performed early January 2009 - 8 cores taken. On January 23, 2009 doctor informed me I had cancer. 6 of 8 samples showed with a Gleason score of 7. Stated that it was 3 + 4 and with PSA level was staged at T3. [The PSA level is not part of the staging process which is described here. It seems that this notional stage may have been from the Partin's Tables.] I then had complete Bone scan and Pelvic MRI with die injection. Both came back negative.

I then had to decide on treatment. Believe me no easy thing. Saw Radiologist and Surgeon. Surgeon wanted to perform complete removal. Radiologist would perform IMRT treatment over 8 weeks along with Hormone treatment. Bought Walsh's book and read. Read some online and talk with someone who had gone through surgery. On February 23 met with Urologist and decided on radiation with hormone. Started treatment the next week March 1st 2009.

Can give more on how treatment went if like.

Thanks

After finishing my radiation treatment at end of May I completed one more month on Lupron. Scheduled to visit doctor at end of August.

I would have to say the radiation treatment for me was not all that bad. After first 3 weeks experienced some bowel issues but was minor. Toward the end I was noticing more fatigue.

The hormone treatments consisted of one shot each month for three months beginning in April. Minor side effects I experienced were hot flashes and some aching discomfort. Not sure if I would stay on this if needed for long term.

My urinary problems are minor now. Flow is good still have the wake up calls at night but only once or twice at most.

Lab work was performed first week of September. Report came back with a PSA of 1.57. Doctor would like to have seen zero, of course so would I, but for now will do watch and wait till end of November when I will retest for PSA.

Here's hoping for good results then.

Has been six months since last radiation treatment and Lupron injection. Visit to doctor this week in December and was pleased to find my PSA was 0.3. and doctor said prostate felt normal.

His words "you beat the odds". It may be what this is all about. I am scheduled for another check-up in March along with a full bladder scan. Sounds like fun.

Do I believe I am cured? Don't believe they have found a cure, I am just beating the odds : ) Well here's hoping for a great Spring visit.

Keep beating those odds my fellow YANA members!

Well has almost been two years since I first received my diagnosis. It has been quite a ride.

In February of this year I came down with Diverticulitis. I was taken to hospital and had surgery to remove a portion of my lower intestine and a temporary colostomy (reconnected in July). I wondered and asked if this was from the treatment of my prostate cancer was told it was not. Something for all to think about.

I had never had a colonoscopy I probably should have. Did the biopsy, marker implants, and radiation aggravate my colon? Ask your doctor about it may save yourself some headaches.

Okay back to my main issue prostate. I have seen my PSA increase over the last year. I just finished latest reading at 1.47. The Doctor says I have doubled since last time and wants to look at castration. [Presumably this would be 'chemical castration' - intermittent ADT rather than physical castration or orchidectomy.] He believes that this will buy time. For me I will read more and try to weigh and understand options. [The so called radiation "bump" occurs in many men who have chosen radiation treatment in this type of time frame. In those cases the PSA rises (possibly due to radiation proctitis) and reaches a plateau before descending or stabilizing.]

Hopefully I can post more on this journey as time goes. For now stay happy, enjoy life and get that Colon checked :)

Well here I am after long break to fill you in on my last year or so. At beginning of 2011 my PSA was doubling and rising.. doctor was concerned so a decision I needed to make as what treatment to do. Was either go with Hormone therapy, probably Lupron or.. yes look at Orchiectomy. It was suggested to me earlier because of the rate of rise of PSA. I waited to see if it would continue to do so.. it did. Doubling again. So now was decision time. My thoughts on Hormone is this.. to me its like putting a wet blanket on smoldering fire. I have read where people go on...then off... then on. And each time the side effects are there. Some continue and seem to do well others struggle. Also I wondered what happens as testosterone levels return. This is no easy decision I had to think about. Also the costs start. Lupron in most cases are not covered and here the cost is about $850 a month. So in June I decided to go through with the procedure. Was easy to go through..physically. What is like to have ones testosterone go to nil is another. I am sure many who have done hormone treatment know what this is like. Just in my case it is permanent. A month after my free testosterone was no detect and testosterone was 5ug/l ..very little my PSA was 0.64. About a third of what I was two months earlier.

My recent PSA in February of 2012 was 0.46. So now I wait to see what next. As I read through stories I see this path little taken and feel I am going down a path least traveled. So only time will tell what and where this path leads. I wish well for all who travel through prostate cancer for each has decisions to make along the way. Let's hope for better always.

Quick update. My recent PSA is 0.54 on 6 month follow-up after February check. Basically no change,so far, so good as the doctor said. For me is just wait and monitor every 6 months. Has been a year now without any detectable testosterone. Like anything the longer one goes the more normal one feels. Normal in that I spend less time wondering what it is I am missing. Hope to be back in 6 months for update.

Has been a year since update guess one looses track of time. My PSA has doubled in last year still only slightly above 1 but rising again so Urologist had me connect to an oncologist. We decided to wait for 6 months, see where PSA is and in spring do a complete bone scan to have a 5 year base line. So not much more happening till spring. Best wishes to all those who seek answers to this thing we call Pca.

My PSA last visit was rising have hooked up with oncologist. Will do testing again in August. Otherwise all is good.

I have not been updating sorry for that. I am sill alive and well having made it through this many years. I last saw my Urologist and Oncologist last year. Since nothing more was detected I am just monitoring my PSA and seeing where it goes. It has just about doubled in last year from 1.6 to 3.2 so at this rate not sure. As we all see and know most times after about 8 years one will see a trend. The treatment I chose and subsequent lowering of my testosterone has slowed what was fast becoming a doubling every 6 months to what appears a year. I plan on another checkup soon and eventually another bone scan. What I know is each person's decision and treatment should be done with understanding and belief of what best fits them. There is no magic bullet. Will hope to post more next year. Have a great holiday season. See you next year.

I have not updated in awhile. It has been a year since I last wrote. My latest blood work shows my PSA has about doubled in that time. Because I have had very low Testosterone over the last 5 years (12 ng/dl total..1.5 pg/mL free) my Oncologist suggested a Bone Density scan. The results were as expected. I have osteopenia which is early stage of osteoporosis. Much like women get at this age due to hormone reduction. Of course I can not take hormone replacement since that would totally defeat the purpose. I am hoping that my PSA will slowly double and provide me with a few more good years. I will soon be 9 years since I was diagnosed and considering my initial PSA was over 50 and biopsy score Gleason 7 it is not bad I think. It has been a little more difficult to get moving in the morning. I have done nothing really different since my treatment. I take 2 Excedrin every day and up to this year would walk about 3 - 4 miles a week. Now its mainly my lower back and hips that start to complain after 1-2 miles. I am due for another blood work in February so will try and update the results. Remember each persons journey is unique.No two are the same. Understanding your decision and treatment, working with doctor and keeping a positive attitude helps I believe. I wish all here good health and long journeys down this road.

Has been over a year since I updated but I am still here. I do follow up every 6 months with oncologist and as expected my PSA is rising. The doubling rate is about every year. The present value is 14.4. I am scheduled for a bone scan this May 2018. Will hopefully know more then and add more. My over all health has been good though I did have some kidney issues this year probably related to age than prostate. It was resolved without any major issues. I wait to see how this year goes. At this point not sure what treatment is needed since nothing has shown up other than rising PSA. Since my original PSA value was 53 when diagnosed I probably have had prostate cancer for 10 years now. Each person here has their own journey and treatment. Finding and learning what may be best for each. What works for some may not work with others and more has come to light in recent years about this issue. Let's look forward to what may come in 2018 and hope more will be done. I wish all a good health and good year.

I haven't posted in awhile so will try and fill in last year or so. My PSA was raising over period of years From 3.6 in 2015 to 17.4 in May of 2018. In discussing with oncologist decided to go on Bicalutamide. After 3 months my PSA dropped to 5.2 which was good but didn't care for side effects. So talking to oncologist in August discussed trying new drug on market Erleada. This drug was just approved in February of 2018 and seemed to have good results in reducing Metastasis time in prostate cancer that has not metastasized. So I decided to try. What I didn't realize was cost of drug. I got approved but co-pay was going to be $3000. The drugs cost is around $11000 a month! I talked with my Part D provider and they helped get me in touch with drug maker and reduced my overall cost. So I started on Erleada in December 2018. Last PSA test January was 1.4 so hoping this trend continues. After over 10 years now of fighting this at times its good and other its not but like I stated before each case is different for each individual as well as the treatment on decides on. Knowledge and diligence seem to be key. I hope to keep positive and keep on trucking on though my mobility is less than I would like but at 70 now slowing down seems natural. Okay that's it for now will hopefully fill in more later as I continue on Erleada.

I am still here. So more than a year has passed since last posted. I did take Erleada for 3 months and PSA did drop. I noticed some side effects. With the cost being as high as it was and with the side effects I decided to stop. Taking this 4 times a day and each bottle only lasting a month at $11000 a month could not imagine staying on this for an extended time. So now that I have been off of for sometime as usual my PSA is moving up. At present it seems to be doubling every 6 months. Time will tell if this continues. Having lived with this for the past 11 years one never knows what comes next. Have appointment with oncologist in May and will see how things go. Remember each person's journey is unique in dealing with this cancer. Maybe someday a standard treatment will apply but for now it's up to each to choose. With the pandemic at our door step this seems a bit trival. Especially for those with preexisting conditions. Stay safe and hopefully will make it through another year.

Has been awhile since I last posted and quite a past few years for many I am sure. With the COVID coming to the forefront. I was fortunate not to have contracted. I was vacinated with two doses of Moderna and then got a booster of Pfizer. I still survive and have been taking Bicalutamide for most of that time. There was something last year that did occur and was something that I had not expected and if I had known maybe would have though more about my initial treament. I was not informed about long term effects of radiation treament nor did I read about that one can have this happen. I experienced what is known as Hemorrhagic cystitis. It has a few causes but radiation can be one. Its effects are damage to the bladder's transitional epithelium and blood vessels. Last year I was hosptialized twice because of this and spent some days each time. I would advise anyone seeking radiation and or chemotherpy drugs to read up on this for once one has there is really no cure. It has different grading much like prostate cancer from Grade 1-4. I was unlucky enough to be at grade 4. Other than dodging COVID and getting through cystitus my PSA has started to rise. I am scehduled for a July 2022 appoinment to see where the PSA is and will then decide on what's next. I hope to be around for a few more years and wish all a better summer and year. Till later.

Still trucking on since my last post! My PSA had slowly increased to 36.4 in May. I had been taking Bicalutamide for sometime. Oncologist assumed that it's effectivness was declining. Decided to try Aplautamide again even though last time I did expierenced some skin rash. After taking 240mg a day for 5 months the skin rash had become more pronounced but my PSA had dropped to 4.12 so decided to reduce dosage to 120mg in November to see if that would reduce skin issue. Time will tell. So after 15 years still fighting the fight. Wish all a good holiday and hopefully a better New year.

Kenneth's e-mail address is: gromitwallace31 AT gmail.com (replace "AT" with "@")