Prostate removal...Update post 60.

[jeffrefrig]

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!

 

[AugieTN]

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...

 

[Barbarian-CBX]

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!

PM sent.

SWCA# 3713

 

[Fredo Batali]

PM sent.

De Oppresso Liber

 

[Baxter6551]

Prostate

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

 

[oink]

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.

 

[antiques24]

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.

 

[rwsmith]

Whatever you decide......

...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.........

 

[jeffrefrig]

...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.........

My thoughts exactly.

 

[ameridaddy]

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.

 

[Marine Corps Air]

Prostate removal

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

 

[46er]

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!

 

[SMSgt]

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."

 

[shell627]

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

 

[Onomea]

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.

 

[max]

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

 

[taz666]

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

 

[AugieTN]

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?

 

[Doug M.]

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.

 

[oink]

... I dislike the collateral effects of Oxy (weird dreams and the like).

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.