Prostate Cancer

[Gordon Serpis 1]

Hi Andy

arriving a tad late to this discussion but i had a radical prostate radical prostatectomy via robot assisted surgery back in April 2018. In truth this process is actually key hole surgery so not very invasive - having said that it did involve 5 punctures to my stomach area as the surgeon uses a system of rods, cameras etc to do the work of removing the prostate. For me the surgery was of no consequence but the challenge was the "collateral damage" that is involved in such procedures.

I would ask your consultant about "nerve sparing" as well as brachytherapy as an option. Ref incontinence, most chaps recover full control in time with only 5% of men needing further help to achieve a level of control- i am one of the 5% so have undergone further treatment. I am sure your consultant has emphasised the importance of carrying out pelvic floor exercises well before any surgery? Take this advice and you will be fine should you progress to any form of surgery.

Each case is different so if you want to discuss further then please PM me and i'll be happy to discuss further but bear in mind it will only be my own perspective so may not be appropriate for this public forum.

Whatever, i wish you well in the future, your chances of recovery are extremely high.

My local health authority did actually have a DaVinci machine but i believe was returned as it was a high cost process! But there are so many options now so not really an issue.

Gordon

[Plummet]

Another vote for encouraging the tests and exams. Both my Father and Grandfather had bad problems from the prostate. I was tested over the winter and was all clear.

However, this afternoon we came back from the hospital after getting the results of another operation. All was as good as it could be.

A few weeks ago my wife, aka Flappit, had a mammogram and they found a couple of tiny tumours. The good old NHS has been marvellous, she had the op, and today she had the dressings off and got the pathology results. The op had gone well and everything is as good as it can be.

So, get your prostate exams and encourage folk to go for their mammograms.

I will start another thread so that Ms. Aeromodelers might be encouraged.

Plummet

[Martian]

Thanks for sharing Plummet hope your wife makes a full recovery

[Andy J]

Now been on my hormone treatment for 1 month so interested to know how all others are doing who are going down the radio therapy route. No side effects with the treatment so far, but don't know quite what to expect.

[fly-navy]

Had my first injection in July plus tablets and second one in Aug Andy, last one was a three month one because of holidays. Saw consultant after bone scan and she said no sign of any spread so booked me ctrl scan before we came away, got another app with her end of Oct so don't know if there will be a letter when we get back for radio therapy dates. Side effects, none, only the hot flushes. I honestly feel great.

John

[Martian]

I hope it goes well Andy and thumbs up John. Just had my latest blood test results show a PSA of 5.7 which is an increase from last one but nothing to be concerned about apparently 😱

[Andy J]

That's good to hear Martian, hope it stays around that value. My count was 16 which dictated further investigation.

[Glyn44]

Hi Andy,

I've been on hormone treatment for months. I found they completely destroy your mojo. Make you tired, and give you hot flushes. As of today I have 5 radiotherapy sessions to complete (finish next Wednesday) I was only prescribed 20 doses, many guys there are having many more. This therapy is painless, problem being you have to attend daily (not weekends) I had to arrive 1 hour before treatment, a self administered enema is employed, that’s obviously great fun!

30 mins before appointment hopefully you will have cleared your bowel and bladder, now you cannot use the loo again, but have to drink 2 cups of water. Object here is to get your bladder and bowel into similar position every time.

The radiology is a breeze lay on a table, X-ray machine does an imaging scan, then after a final table adjustment a clockwise and a counterclockwise rotation irradiating the cancer. All in all the scan time is less than 10 mins.

jump off the table, repeat next day.

There can be side effects of course, they will be explained to you day one. Different for each patient. Mine not too bad. What happens next for me I’ve not been told yet.

Chin up treatment is very successful. Best wishes, sure you’ll be fine.

[Andy J]

Thanks Glyn for the info. Believe I get 20 treatments, but sure I will find out when I next see the consultant. Interesting about the enema, was not aware of that. Had a similar experience for a colon examination. Thought it had not worked then boy or boy did it do its job. Worst was the taste of the liquid they gave me.

No hot flushes as yet but certainly the interest in ones manly duties has reduced, so the drug must be working.

[Glyn44]

You don’t get to taste this type! Enjoy.

[Andy J]

Spoke to soon about the hot flushes, on the positive side its the only thing that is heating up the bedroom.

[David Ovenden]

I know this thread has been running for a while as I’ve been following it. I’ve refrained from posting , even though I have prostate cancer, as I thought I needed to see how I progressed before saying too much. I think it might be good to post my experience now as we are not all the same and things seem to vary so much from person to person:

I went to the doc with peeing problems last summer. He told me “nothing to worry about” , its your age (63) - have some pills. They didn’t really help. So I went back to see him and he sent me for a blood test. Result a PSA of 9. I was worried when the results came through. The doctor said not to worry as it was highly unlikely I had cancer. I explained I was very worried as I had breast cancer in 2008 (Yes breast cancer -it happens to men too) I was told “not to worry, I very much doubt its cancer. I’ll send you to see a urologist” There was a 5 month wait for the appointment.

On seeing the specialist he did a rectal examination. Result - prostate enormous & v. hard. Bad news. 2 week wait for biopsy( which was excruciatingly painful). So this obviously varies enormously from person to person. Biopsy revealed Gleason 9 (5+4) and a rare high grade cancer. MRI tests showed the cancer had spread to my seminal vesicles (this was pretty bad news to receive )but thankfully no further. A bone scan showed no problems there, which was better news. Overall the conclusion was T3b prostate cancer.

[David Ovenden]

As far as treatment goes, I’ve had my prostate re-sectioned (TURP) so I can now pee normally again – hooray!. Plus I’ve had monthly hormone injections (Firmagon) since May. The result of the hormones is, as others have said, very frequent hot flushes but nothing worse in my case. (Even the manly function still mostly operates). 10 days after the first hormone injection had my PSA dropped from almost 10 to 0.17. After 3 month the consultant was amazed that my grossly enlarged prostate had almost “totally diminished” in size. (His words) He also wrote that it was “very encouraging”.

I am now 4 weeks into a 8 weeks course of daily radiotherapy. Thankfully the hospital has Rapid ARC machines which are very accurate and quick. Less than 2 minutes for the actual radiation part. Usually only 10 mins in total. As others have said, the hardest part is arriving ready with a full bladder and empty rectum after a one hour journey to the hospital. They did supply me with a jumbo pack of suppositories for daily use! So far after 4 weeks I have no real negative effects from the RT. There are till 4 weeks to go of course. I have stuck rigidly to the low-fibre diet that the consultant advises during the RT treatment. Sticking to the diet is much harder than having the treatment.

Currently the doctors are pretty positive and say my progress is good and are looking for a full cure. We will have to wait and see what the tests show after treatment is complete, and then what happens in the longer term. However, I am very positive that I will get through this and “see-off” this (2^nd) cancer. I am feeling well and doing just about everything like normal. Next moth I am having some genetic tests to see what makes me so popular with cancer cells. Hopefully this will help others in my family in avoiding what I’ve been through.

Why am I writing this? It is certainly not for sympathy or because it’s pleasant to talk about. However, my experience may be a little different to someone else’s. It’s important we know that we are all different and that things don’t always happen in the same way. What I have learnt is:

• Do insist on a second opinion if you are not happy with what the doctor says at first or, at least, insist on a referral sooner rather than later. Mine was classed as “non-urgent”.
• Biopsies can vary enormously. Many say its’ “nothing” mine was excruciating even after local anaesthetic and gas/air mix.
• In my case the hormone therapy was very effective in slowing down/reducing the cancer.
• A serious cancer can be treated and treated successfully. Modern procedures and treatments can have a dramatic positive impact even with serious cancers.
• Don’t despair. Stay positive and keep with the treatments.
• Keep flying!
• Oh! Did I mention? Get tested and don’t put off going to see the doctor if you have any concern about peeing or prostate. For most people it is not a problem. But you never know until you get it checked.

[BackinBlack]

David, Thank you for your story, so glad that things are going in the right direction for you.

It does highlight not only the different treatment experiences we have all had, but also the difference between medical professionals (and areas?) in assessing the need for and type of treatment offered.

Having related the usual pee symptoms to my GP, she immediately took a sample for PSA test. 2 days later I was recalled to the Surgery to be told they as I had a PSA of 8.5 I would be referred as urgent (to see a Consultant within 14 days). MRI and biopsies followed within a couple of weeks, treatment options offered, discussed and chosen with Radical Prostatectomy (DaVinci method) just 10 weeks after initial PSA results. Brilliant work by the Churchill Hospital, Oxford. Thankfully I now have over 12 months of PSA less than 0.01.

Ian

[Andy J]

Trust we are all still in the land of the living.

Still waiting to start my radio therapy 5 months after starting on the hormone treatment but think I should go for the initial scans sometime in January.

Night sweets and urgency to pee during the night have caused minor issues, but now on tamsulosin which seems to be doing its job.

Trust all keep well over Christmas!

[BackinBlack]

All is well with me Andy.

Hope all goes well with the Scans and Radio Therapy.

Seasons Greetings to All.

Ian

[fly-navy]

Yes still kicking on. I have been put on a course of IMRT, 20 sessions, which gives a higher dose over a shorter period. They say this is more beneficial to the lower end and non aggressive cancer as it protects the good surrounding tissue and cells in the prostrate area. I have had 12 sessions so far and finish on 4th Jan. The low fibre diet is a pain, and all the water you have to drink plus the constipation powders I have to take each night. Sometimes I am lucky and don't have to get up in the night, other times once or maybe twice. It's a month of inconvenience out of my life I'm sure I can cope with that,staff at Deansely Centre New Cross are bloody brilliant.

Having Xmas dinner in New Year with me sprouts cabbage and cauli, heaven. Merry Crimbo guys,say safe and healthy.

John

[Martian]

Yes Happy Christmas to you all and I hope you all keep in relative good health

[Glyn44]

Yep, still here! I am not receiving any sort of treatment now. I have refused any more hormone injections from the practice nurse. No doctor/consultant has ever told me how long I should suffer them. So I’ve stopped. Not as radical as it may sound. I see my oncologist for the results of all my treatments on 27 January.

Fingers crossed there. So Seasons greetings to all, the treatment is solid.

Happy New Year.

[David Ovenden]

Happy New Year to you all. I trust that all your treatments are going well or finished now.

Happily I'm doing well. After 8 weeks RT my PSA is stable and has been down to 0.14 for 3 months now.

After 9 months I'm off monthly hormone injections and changed to one every 6 months which will be much more convenient. Fortunately I have not had any real problems apart from the dreaded hot flushes. My oncologist is very pleased with progress and I will see him in 6 months time for my next check.

I'm greatful for the good medical treatment I've received. Hope you all our PSA results stay rock bottom and we can now get on with enjoying life and get some flying in!

Enjoy the new decade!

[Glyn44]

Wishing all of you best wishes for 2020. My date with the oncologist has been brought forward to the 20 January, so not not long now. I’ve had a blood sample taken so he has the results on hand. So I’ve fingers crossed fo good news.

Hot flushes have gone! Will update on my my results soonest.

[Martian]

Hoping for positive news Glyn wish you well

[Martian]

Had my fourth blood test on my wait and see year just have to wait for results

[Glyn44]

Well I went to my oncologist yesterday, full of trepidation, I needn’t have worried. My PSA is down from 13 to 0.2. He’s pleased I’m over the moon!

Can stop the dreaded hormone injections (already had done so) Have an appointment for blood test January 2021.

So I’m ok it seems. I wish all of undergoing treatment the very best wishes. It works. Mine was diagnosed early, so if been for test, please do soonest.

Regards.

[Martian]

Brilliant news  Glynn 👍 ,my latest PSA readings indicate my cancer is stable

Edited By Martian on 21/01/2020 14:40:01