So this Friday I'm going in to have my cancerous prostate removed. Doctor gave me a choice between removal or chemo/radiation treatments. He said I chose wisely, as he says that has the best results. He also told me getting the biopsies would not hurt. He lied. Has anyone ever had this done? And pain pills...I don't do pain well. And does getting back to normal take very long, if there IS a getting back to normal? I may be a little hesitant about this operation...okay, I'm scared to death!

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Waiting For The Sun.

I worked with a guy who had throat cancer. He went to what he called a No Cut Hospital. He was cured with radiation. The only after effect was he had to cover his throat in the winter because he lost feeling in his throat

That chemo/radiation you mentioned would be no cut

You may want to google around and see what you can find for no cut, no cut prostate...etc...

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Retired IBEW, Local 134

PM sent.

SWCA# 3713

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SWCA #3713

PM sent.

De Oppresso Liber

PM sent - interested in hearing more as I am positive but PSA numbers “stable” and on an “active surveillance” program with Urologist.

Well, unfortunately I'm a "been there and done that". I'll be happy to talk to you about it. My journey started 13 year ago. PM me if you want to talk. We can talk by text or phone. I'll answer any questions you may have, based on my own experience.

Had radiation(40 treatments) psa went from 8.9 to .002. 14 months later, back to about 60% of old self. bath room visits the biggest issue with me. and depends ani't very dependable. Good Luck.

...I hope you the best of luck. And I have a friend that had prostate cancer and some of the procedures he described, I can't print here. The best I can describe is it think about having a giant stapler up your rear end.........

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

My thoughts exactly.

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Waiting For The Sun.

Had a radical prostatectomy for a Gleason grade 8 tumor, after having 4 biopsies. There was certainly no dignity in the biopsies, I'd say they did not hurt, even with 16 needles each time, but did have some very strange sensations and a little bleeding for a couple days.
I've been cancer free now 15 years, and everything worked as it should afterward.
My options were
1. a couple forms of radiation - pro: no surgery, con: it burns tissue and removes future surgery as an option.
2. Da Vinci robotic prostatectomy - pro: smaller incisions and quicker recovery, can still have future radiation, con: can't check surrounding lymph nodes
3. Open radical prostatectomy - pro: can biopsy lymph nodes or any surrounding tissue, can have future radiation if needed, con: longer recovery, more of the usual risks of surgery; e.g. bleeding, infection

I chose 3, was 6 days in the hospital, very little pain, and was much relieved to hear that surrounding lymph nodes and surgical margins were cancer-free, and that meant nerves were spared and that left all post operative functions as normal.

If you have questions or want to just talk, PM me and I'll be glad to help if I can.

Jeff,

I have not had this procedure done, but a very close friend from high school did have prostate cancer and thoroughly researched the many different alternatives. He sent a Word document to me that described each possible procedures and the possible outcomes. Although it's 28 KB, the file is too large to upload. If you will PM me with an e-mail address, I'll send the information to you.

He decided to utilize the "Cyberknife" alternative. The treatment center is in Savannah GA, but there should be a center in Allegheny County - What to Expect After CyberKnife Treatment - CyberKnife

As he has described it, it's non-invasive and only destroys cancerous cells and tissue. His PSA is now .5

I hope that all goes well for you. That's a sacred area of my body for me!

Bill

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That's what we do!

Diag. 3 years ago. Gleason 9 in one of 8 samples but no mets. I was 75 and that is at a point where cognitive problems can result due to the long duration of operation. Twenty-eight rounds of radiation and ADT... Androgen Deprivation Therapy. So far so good. My next 6 mo. office visit near the end of the month.
There are a lot of variables to consider...Gleason, mets age, therapies.

RANT time! ADT/ Lupron, was supposed to get 3 shots at 6 month intervals. First shot had hot flashes (usually turned into a joke), a little brain fog, arrythmia and leg cramps. Second shot, no 6 mo. available so got a '3 mo.' version. The fog, arrythmia and leg cramps got much worse plus stabiity issues. I didn't think falling and banging my head and breaking bones would be a good idea, didn't actually happen, always a wall to catch me. After the 3 mo. shot I said no more!

My dad had the prostate radiation treatment. Didn't work. Tried some other treatments. Didn't work. As Doc Holiday said, "There's no normal life, Wyatt. There's just life. Get on with it."

I went thru prostate cancer and treatment in 2023. Pm me if you would like to.

Jeff, my experience is radiation and chemo for Stage IV, Gleason 10 prostate cancer. Inoperable. Miraculously, I recovered.

Nobody cares about this as much as you do. It's worth researching thoroughly. (In my case I consulted several doctors. First two guys told me I was a goner.)

With the surgical removal option, it is important to find a highly skilled surgeon, one who has done the procedure successfully many times. (With the success being defined as full recovery.)

Good luck to you.

I had it done 19 years ago by the arguably best prostate surgeon in the US. He is in Chicago and I was able to get in quickly. He has now done or supervised over 6,000 procedures.

There wasn't a lot of post operative pain as I remember. I have a drawer full of pain pills I never used. I was off work for a couple of months. I could have gone back sooner, but was planning on retiring soon and wanted to practice. I admit I was tired, most any surgery takes a lot out of you, no pun intended.

Find a doctor that does the surgery primarily and does it often. Talk to former patients about their experiences.

Best of luck

I opted for the radiation and follow-up hormone shots. Didn't want to risk the surgery (bad experience with a dbl bi-pass) and was told that even with removal, radiation might still be required. Made sense to me to just go with the "green". The hormone shots just plain sucked. I find out in March how all of this worked out.


GL brother

Can't a person first try a no cut chemo/radiation treatment, and if that doesn't work go with a surgical treatment?

Is that not possible? or would the insurance company only pay for one treatment, not two if necessary?

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Retired IBEW, Local 134

Pain stuff: I don't come out of anesthesia smoothly. Oh well. Did not need much pain medication after my CABG, but I was out for two days. Did need pain meds after the abdominal surgery for the dialysis catheter and belly button fix. I got behind in the meds that time and it sucked to an extreme. Coming out after the shoulder fix last week I was a babbling wreck AND very uncomfortable. I had learned the hard way to not understate the paid; Oxycodone did not cut it; 4 IV doses of Diluadid were needed in the first 14 hours. After discharge, just oxycodone every 4 hours, with some Tylenol and another prescribed non-narcotic. Last oxy about 5AM. I dislike the collateral effects of Oxy (weird dreams and the like).

Talk to your surgeon up front and plan as best you can. I had a hard time speaking well enough to get more pain meds. Once that was overcome, I tolerated the babbling better than the misery. A day or so of tripping on my lips is better, even for a control freak.

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NHI, 10-8.

I detest Oxys. I don't sleep well on them. I can go to sleep on them but then wake up and then can't sleep. Yeah, some weird dreams. Then there's constipation and itchy skin.

I did take a few after my prostectomy, but not enough. We drove home the day after my surgery and they most definately did not give me enough drugs for the ride home, about 250 miles. The first part was ok but the last 1/3 was brutal.

I took a fair number of them when I had my year of kidney stone issues. They were better than nothing for that but not really all that effective. They gave me IV Percocet in the ER one time after the Oxys failed to work. That worked but I could hardly talk or feel my face. I really don't get why some people take that stuff for fun.

I had DaVinci robotic prostate removal surgery in 2018 for a 1.5cm stage 4 tumor. All margins clear and it hadn't escaped the prostate.
5 years worth of "clean" PSA's since then, so I'm considered cured.
I'll be getting my annual (6-year) PSA blood draw tomorrow.
Regaining 100% continence took about 4 months or so.
All functions normal, but the reduction in bladder capacity means I have to "go" more often. Not so often that it is a big deal.
Full recovery from the surgery took about 6 weeks. One incision up near the ribcage was pretty painful and sore - kind of like a burning sensation - right up to the 6-week mark, and then one day I woke up and the pain was gone.
All good ever since.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

There is a Prostate Cancer group on facebook,

The biopsy isn't fun, but I watched my first wife's grandfather die of undetected cancer. In maybe 9 months time he went from NFL lineman size picture of health to King Tuts mummy.

There's more than one type of prostate cancer. Some are relatively benign, others more aggressive. I had a couple of types, one more aggressive. There was some delay deciding that I wasn't a good candidate for radiation. When they did the surgery, there was initial concern that the more aggressive type might have escaped the prostate and spread to the bladder/bowel. Turned out to be unfounded. Reminds me, need to call the oncologist and schedule a PSA. I'm at 5-6 years post op.

Radiation first is not a good idea. Per the consultations, there's some residual tissue changes/damage that makes surgery after radiation rather chancy. IIRC, tissue loses some elasticity.

A long time friend(now deceased) was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Went the removal route. Was almost normal after 6 weeks and was active sexually with His Wife and Cialis. Went 12 or so years until an anurism got Him. Another friend took the radiation/chemo route. Was sorry He didn't doo the removal instead. Said He hurt every hour of every day and still hurt months after. Had a high school friend got the radiation implants. Burned Him up from the inside and killed Him in three months. The implanters made a mistake of some sort.

Jeff, I'm hoping for the best possible outcome for you.

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The best I can with what I got

There is no "right" way to go with prostate cancer. It depends on each individual case and your overall heath situation. If your Doc said removal is the way to go then that is what you should do.

I had the radical surgery 22 years ago.
You’ll get a lot of advice.
If you need more, PM me.

I really appreciate all the kind words, thoughts, & prayers. I'm still a little apprehensive (scared) but there are folks here that are or have had worse than me. I can feel the collective power of prayers and well-wishers soaking in. I thank you all.

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Waiting For The Sun.

I had mine removed in 2018. It wasn't cancer, per se, but benign hyperplasia. The doc took 85% of it though, and did a transurethral procedure, no incision. I was back to normal in about 3-4 weeks, the postoperative catheter was the worst part.

I've seen the prostate seeding procedures for cancer and they brought tears to my eyes. Of course the patient is under anesthesia so it doesn't hurt, but boy howdy did it look like it would.

Had the robotic prostatectomy in 2022. PM if you want to ‘talk’.
Take comfort in what my doctor told me; it’s the best cancer to have (all things considered). Not a difficult procedure, and good survival rate.

God be with you sir and a quick recovery.

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age is just a number

The best to you tomorrow on your surgery. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

Like one of the other members I had a robotic prostatectomy in October 24. I am 62 years old and was diagnosed with cancer in
July 24. Doctors gave me options to do radiation or prostate removal. I chose the removal method because of my age and it went very well. My doctors had me do biopsies to see what we were up against. The biopsy procedure is uncomfortable but is necessary to see what your up against. Today thanks to my awesome doctor and his team, i am doing great knowing that I am cancer free. If you want to talk about it please feel free to let me know. God Bless!

Wish you the very best amigo-Prostate surgery of any kind is a scary proposition. Best you can do is do your research and put your faith in your doctor and God.

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Forum consigliere

I will pray your surgery goes well, is a complete cure and causes little secondary damage. You will have some recovery issues. Just remember it gets better with time. I still offer to share my experiences by phone, text or PM. You may have issues to discuss you prefer to talk about in privacy. Not all doctors that are excellent surgeons are any good at all with recovery or possible long term consequences of the procedure, often to a surprising degree.

"Was almost normal after 6 weeks and was active sexually with His Wife and Cialis."

I had to read this sentence a couple times before I realized his wife did not have a friend named Cialis.

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Waiting For The Sun.

Still a threesome ... no?

Jeff, good luck with your surgery. I was diagnosed 3 years ago after my PSA numbers started to go up. Yea, the biopsy is a little uncomfortable, but not really bad. Rather embarrassing though, especially when a half dozen doctors in training are present.

In my case, it was considered mid-grade, and a complete PET scan showed no spread anywhere else.

My Dr. said long term positive results for my type and severity were about equal between surgery and radiation. I was going to go with the surgery, but the Dr. recommended radiation instead due to a prior heart injury / surgery. You are basically upside down on the operating table, which can be an issue for some under anesthesia who have heart issues.

So I went with the radiation. Painless, no real recovery period, maybe a little fatigue. Any of these procedures can cause incontinence and erection issues. Some get it worse than others. I lucked out with only increased bathroom breaks, that has slowly gone back to normal. Since completing treatment, my PSA has fallen to .02, and stayed there.

Each person, and type of cancer differs, and in the end I would follow my Dr.'s advice. He is the ultimate subject matter expert.

Larry

Yeah, we’re all different and all of the bad stuff inside is different in all of us. Same goes with the drugs, too. Percocet has no ill side effects on me like many have described. They make my back pain bearable; that’s the best I can get I suppose.
Ya know, being 67 kinda makes me feel old, but I have seen many guys/gals that seem to be in pretty bad condition for their age so I don’t really feel all that bad.

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Waiting For The Sun.

My best to you on the surgery tomorrow. Stay focused on healing, I believe attitude is 90% of the healing process.

My Dad had the seeding thing done. He passed in 2010, so I don't get to ask him how well it worked now that I'm 66 & may be faced with this down the road.

I read a statistic that something like 60% of men have some sort of prostate cancer in their lifetime. Ouch!!!!

I bet it was mis-spelled. It might've been "See Alice" across town............

Hoping for good news.

My father was a surgeon for 50 years and told me that 90% of men will die WITH prostate problems, or FROM prostate problems. If you are over 40 years old, GET CHECKED!!!

Well, re 90% of men dying with prostate problems I am sure is true, but that is not to say they die of prostate cancer.

Most of us die from other causes prior to prostate cancer becoming deadly. Hence, the typical advice to monitor when first detected.

Big +1 on getting checked. As unpleasant as an annual DRE is, it is worth doing. PSA monitoring as well.

Any updates on this?

Oink, I just got home today (Sunday). I hurt like all heck. Doc sent in a script for me for 600 mg Ibuprofen. Worthless for this but it works a little on my back issues. So now I'm home with percosets that I will end up running out of too early. It's been about 4-5 hrs. since I got home and I've only taken one, so not bad. Mr. doctor gets ticked off when other doctors rely on the pills I get from her. I'll have to give her a call or something. It's only been a couple days so I'll give this a chance to run its course. I'll probably go back to the surgeon next week to get this catheter removed. Oh, joy!

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Waiting For The Sun.

Here's my comment from the other thread:

https://smith-wessonforum.com/142153107-post7.html

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What, me worry?

I went with the pin point (Stereo Tactic) radiation of 45 treatments 8 years ago at age 65. My PSA was 276 which he felt would be better treated with the radiation at that age. Was also put on long term med's. Brought my PSA to undetectable level for six years. Doctor ask if I wanted to take a break and I went a year and a half before a slow rise in PSA. Back on the med's and back to undetectable. I don't recall the biopsy or the implanted seeds or the radiation as being painful but everyone is different. The last two weeks of the radiation were kind of tuff and do have a few side affects from it but nothing I can't live with...

As others have offered I would be more than willing to correspond with you in detail if desired, just message me.
Best to you sir!

I'm glad you're doing well but I'm sorry you're in pain. My doctor didn't even give me enough pain pills to make it home. My pain level wasn't too bad by the 3rd day. I believe I had the catheter for close to 2 weeks. They pressure tested my plumbing before removing it. The first week was pretty miserable in general but it doesn't last forever even if it seems so. I'll pray for a quick recovery.