Prayer Request - Continued Good News UPDATE Post 75

Well, I really like the urologist/surgeon I saw on Thursday. He trained at Vanderbuilt, and at the University of Washington Medical Center. UW recommends him highly and says he is one of the best in the region for this particular operation.

He was very easy to talk with and knew his patient statistics right off the top of his head. He has been doing one to two of HUNDRED of these surgeries every year and has done a total of over two THOUSAND of them. He also happened to have an opening in his schedule this next week.

So, I'm scheduled for robotic surgery on Tuesday morning at 10:30, and I'm comfortable and at peace with it. I'm in good hands, both physically and spiritually.

Thanks for all the encouragement and prayers folks.
 
It sound's great that you have confident in your surgeon, i went in for surgery to my elbow
the surgeon said that he had made this type of operation.... "Some time i should get it right" he said :eek:
 
Well, I'm home. Got discharged at the end of the day yesterday.

Doc seems very confident that it was all contained and he got it all.

The catheter comes out next Wednesday and he'll review the post-operative pathology report with me. Right now I'm stuck hanging out at home for a week watching some daytime TV (bleh) reading, and cruising the 'net.

I'm a bit stiff & sore, but I'm getting around OK. I'm really thankful for the minimally invasive robotic surgery techniques. If it weren't for that I could be pretty much completely laid up instead of being able to take showers and walk around.
 
Last edited:
Well guys, God willing, it looks like this may be one of my last updates to this thread. I want to say first and foremost a huge THANK YOU to all of you for your prayers and words of encouragement. There is no doubt in my mind that God is listening.

I saw the doc for my post surgical follow up this morning and the news is all good.

They removed my catheter and right out of the gate I have about 95% bladder control. Probably be back to 100% in a month or less. Good news #1.

The pathology report showed NO cancer outside the prostate or at the outer edges of the prostate tissue the surgeon removed. This is called "negative margins" and it means that there was no spread of cancer cells through the walls of the prostate itself into neighboring tissues. Good news #2

The pathology report also found no cancer cells in the seminal vesicles. These are set of a tubular structures that pass through the wall of the prostate and they are one of the possible routes for cancer cells to escape the prostate. No cancer cells in the vesicles means no spread through that pathway either. Good news #3.

Lastly the surgeon also removed my pelvic lymph nodes during the surgery. These pelvic lymph nodes are part of the body's drainage/filtration system to remove all the "bad stuff" from that area of the body. If cancer cells escape the prostate one of the first places they will show up is in these lymph nodes. The pathology report found no cancer cells in any of the lymph nodes either. Good news #4

So combined with the clean bone scans and MRI, we are as close to 100% sure as it is possible to be that there was no spread of the cancer and ALL of it was removed by the surgery. Praise God!

This one was a really close thing guys. 90% of the prostate tissue in the samples taken from the right side contained cancer cells. 10%-50% of the tissue samples removed on the other side contained cancer cells - but all the evidence points to NONE of it having spread outside the prostate. If I hadn't retired, and applied for the life insurance, who knows how long it would have been before the cancer was discovered. One thing that is virtually certain is that within a year or two, if it hadn't been discovered and treated, it would have escaped the prostate and spread throughout my system.

When it is found early enough to be treated before it spreads the cure rate is something like 97%. If isn't discovered and it spreads through your system, that can be a death sentence and the beginning of a slow and painful fight to the death. I thank God that He saw fit to spare me that.

All of this is to say, if you're over 40 and haven't been checked for prostate cancer, DO IT. DON'T PUT IT OFF. DO IT NOW.

Early detection is key and waiting just a few months or a year too long can make the difference between being cured of it and being eventually killed by it.

Once again, thank you all for your prayers and good thoughts. I'm here to testify that our God is merciful and good.
 
BC38 said:
Once again, thank you all for your prayers and good thoughts. I'm here to testify that our God is merciful and good.
Click to expand...

A great post about 1st hand experiencing God's grace and healing power. Thanks for posting!

Have a blessed day,

Leon
 
Great news! Be sure your doctor checks your PSA in about six weeks. A reading of .2 or less should confirm the post-surgical diagnosis. If higher, another PSA in six more weeks would be indicated.
 
Just another couple of updates. Both my September (4 month) and December (7 month) follow up PSA tests were below the detection threshold (.02 ng/ml). So all evidence continues to be that the surgery removed all of the cancer. They won't consider me "cured" until I make it past 7 years with no recurrence, but I'm believing that God has answered my prayers and I am indeed cured.
Thanks again for all who prayed for me and/or sent good thoughts my way.
 
BC38 said:
....

All of this is to say, if you're over 40 and haven't been checked for prostate cancer, DO IT. DON'T PUT IT OFF. DO IT NOW.

Early detection is key and waiting just a few months or a year too long can make the difference between being cured of it and being eventually killed by it.
Click to expand...

You just told my story from nine and one half years ago and are singing my song. GET CHECKED!

Your outcome is great news. I had the same diagnosis, the same fears, the same procedures and tests, got the same results. I felt like I'd been given a new life when the pathology report came back. How about you?
And, the better news for you is yet to come: from now on, each time that PSA test is "undetectable", the more likely it is that it will stay that way forever.
PS - a bonus - enjoy sleeping through the night without having to get up for nature's call.
Congratulations.
 
ameridaddy said:
You just told my story from nine and one half years ago and are singing my song. GET CHECKED!

Your outcome is great news. I had the same diagnosis, the same fears, the same procedures and tests, got the same results. I felt like I'd been given a new life when the pathology report came back. How about you?
And, the better news for you is yet to come: from now on, each time that PSA test is "undetectable", the more likely it is that it will stay that way forever.
PS - a bonus - enjoy sleeping through the night without having to get up for nature's call.
Congratulations.
Click to expand...

Thanks man. Unfortunately I don't make it through the night without a bathroom break. I didn't before either, but surgery has actually given me a touch of overactive bladder so I actually get up a couple of times a night now.

Not a big deal at all - especially compared to the alternative! It hasn't been enough of an issue to cause me to curtail my evening coffee consumption. So I guess that's a pretty good indication of how minor the issue is.
 
Congrats!
FWIW my Dad was diagnosed in the dark ages of 1986-87. Had surgery, and radiation. He passed away last March from what I guess would be considered heart failure at 87. He had a good run.
I hope all goes well for You!
 
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