Wife of Newly Diagnosed PC patient needing advice support

Dalec · New User Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 3 Location: TN

I am currently on Lupron and I went thru 44 rounds of radiation. My PSA went from 16.13 to 1.064. For me so far this course of treatment is working. Please keep me updated as to how your husband is doing. Email me at dchildress@livinadream.com
What hospitals have you checked out so far?

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quote="Nena"]Dear Dale, thanks for the reply and the information. We are in the middle of trying to get rid of our urologist and find a doctor that is trained on the DaVinci. Our family physician is strongly recommending this surgery for my husband. I doubt very much that my husband and I will ever be copacetic with having those shots no matter what happens with the surgery. We have read too many controversies involved in that drug and the fact that there are at least a half dozen states involved in class action law suits against the pharmaceutical company that makes the drug, for fraud, kickback schemes and failure of this drug to do what the makers claim it does, is enough for us to steer clear. We are counting on computerized radiation as a backup plan in case the surgery fails. I wish you the best of luck and a successful recovery with whatever treatment you choose, and I hope that everything turns out well for you! God Bless![/quote]
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Dale Childress
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Nena · Regular Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Posts: 10

Dear DaleC: I think it's wonderful that the course of treatment that you chose is working so well for you! I think that anything that works is the right thing, as long as it gets rid of this horrible disease. I have done so much reading and research in the past few weeks, I don't think I have ever read so much in my life. I just got A Primer on Prostate Cancer, The Empowered Patient's Guide by Dr. Stephen Strum and I recommend this book to anyone fighting this disease. I can't believe how intricate this type of cancer is. I think that you all are very brave to go through your ordeals and fight this- this Prostate Cancer is a real challenge to say the least. I wish you guys all the luck and you will all be in my thoughts and prayers. I'm going to take a mental vacation for a while and just let my head unwind from all of this. I'll check back with you in a week or so let you know how my husband is doing and see how you are all too. Talk to you guys soon!

Nena · Regular Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Posts: 10

Dear DaleC: I think it's wonderful that the course of treatment that you chose is working so well for you! I think that anything that works is the right thing, as long as it gets rid of this horrible disease. I have done so much reading and research in the past few weeks, I don't think I have ever read so much in my life. I just got A Primer on Prostate Cancer, The Empowered Patient's Guide by Dr. Stephen Strum and I recommend this book to anyone fighting this disease. I can't believe how intricate this type of cancer is. I think that you all are very brave to go through your ordeals and fight this- this Prostate Cancer is a real challenge to say the least. I wish you guys all the luck and you will all be in my thoughts and prayers. I'm going to take a mental vacation for a while and just let my head unwind from all of this. I'll check back with you in a week or so let you know how my husband is doing and see how you are all too. Talk to you guys soon!

sequoiaranger · Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 2:34 pm Post subject: Something I Remembered

I had said previously that I did not know why I did not elect the DaVinci Robotic method at the time I had to choose the method of prostatectomy. Now I remember that the DaVinci method gives better results when the tumor has NOT pierced the prostate wall. By all indications, mine had, so a wider area needed to be excised. Also, the DaVinci method was more reliable to spare the "boner nerve", but again, in my case the nerves had to go lest they be "infected" by the tumor up against it.

BTW, when I looked up the Lupron lawsuits on the Web, they were related to WOMEN (obviously without a prostate), and recovering the "exorbitant" price of the shot; the effectiveness against prostate cancer was not in question. Lupron is used by women for some other reasons than prostate cancer, obviously, and there have been problems. I saw no indication of lawsuits by men, or lawsuits concerning the effectiveness of Lupron in reducing testosterone production (but of course I may still be ignorant of lawsuits with which I am not familiar).

Hope this adds to "our" knowledge.

sanjis · Regular Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 35

Hi Nena.

I know the panic, my husband was diagnosed 2 months ago, after all the research and then the urologists recommendation the divinci is the choice we both made together. The first available surgery they had was in december, so december 13th is the day for us. I know you are both scarred to death, I am, my hubby well he doesn't show it, but as it gets closer he is hesitant. He is a gleason 6. It is supposedly slow growing and non agressive, as far as they know. They do not know if it has spread or not. His PSA was 10.49. And 3 samples came back positive for cancer. You and I are going through the same thing.

Sandy

Nena · Regular Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Posts: 10

I just sent you a p.m. with my email address. Glad to meet you and looking forward to hearing from you! -- Nena.

sanjis · Regular Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 35

Sent you and email. Oh my husband is 55 with a 10.4 PSA.
I wanted him to have a MRI and a Bone scan but the doctors didn't think it was necessary, they did say with that high of a PSA they could justify doing it, but since they said it wasn't necessary my husband opted not to do it. Me of course on the other hand wanted him to have it done.

sequoiaranger · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:42 am Post subject: Sanjis--Why Wait?

I would assume that your doctors have diagnosed the prostate tumor as "small" and therefore unlikely to have pierced the wall and spread. They MAY be right. If you have decent health insurance, a bone scan won't set you back too much, and you may have the "relief" of knowing the cancer has not moved into your bones, or the reality that it HAS, and then ramp up the treatment.

In my case my bone scan came out negative, but my cancer had metastasized anyway. At least I was pretty well assured that the cancer had not "settled in" somewhere else for the time being.

Cancer is scary and unpredictable enough, but "knowledge" is still the key to strategize early treatment for maximum longevity. Why wait?
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T-3, Gleason 9+
RRP 2-26-07
Using Eligard Hormone Therapy--
working Sometimes!!

Replicant · Moderator Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Posts: 251

I had a Da Vinci robotic assisted prostatectomy, and I saw there was some question about the procedure.

A month or so before my surgery, the hospital had one on display for the public, so I went to see it (and try it out!) with my wife and 11 year old son. It was quite impressive.

I had already decided I wanted to try Da Vinci, but the whiz-bang impact of putting my hands on the demonstration model really sealed the deal in my mind.

The Da Vinci procedure involves the surgeon operating finger controls at a console several feet away from the patient. The surgeon looks into a pair of polarized glasses built into the console. These glasses give him an amazing 3D view inside the body. The patient has instruments inserted through several small openings (this is laparoscopic "keyhole" surgery). The surgeon has a very clear, well-lighted, and greatly magnified view of the surgical field. What he doesn't have is tactile (touch) feedback--the normal feeling he would have if he were poking around in the body. But the ability to operate very precisely and to make very intricate sutures is a big benefit.

At any time, the surgical team can convert to open surgery if they feel it would benefit the patient.

The Da Vinci robot assisted procedure has been reported to result in less pain, a speedier recovery, and fewer side effects.

As far as cancer removal goes, the surgeon needs to be experienced with the machine, or else the rate of positive margins (cancerous cells found at the very cut edge of the removed tissue) is higher than normal. I've seen several studies on this. It would appear that the learning curve is at least 30 procedures and perhaps 70 or more before proficiency is achieved.

In my case, the surgeon was at the beginning of the learning curve, although he was accompanied in the O.R. by a representative from the company that makes the Da Vinci machine, and he was proctored by a surgeon who was very experienced with the robot. Still, I had positive margins and although my PSA quickly dropped below 0.1 after surgery, by 3 months later it was climbing again. I had radiation treatments early this year--so far, it looks like a success. But in retrospect, I kind of wish I had had a traditional RP. Who knows--maybe I would have had positive margins that way, too--it's impossible to say.

I guess my point is--Da Vinci is great, but it's new to many surgeons. I would advise not doing it unless the surgeon has done a LOT of them. I know someone has to go first, but as one of those pioneers, I would say, you have a right to know how many procedures the doc has done, and then base your action on that information.

I was 43 at diagnosis, 44 when surgery was done, and 45 when I underwent salvage radiation. My Gleason was 3+4, and the stage was T3a. No seminal vesicle involvement.

My PSA is currently less than 0.1

I hope this helps anyone considering robot-assisted surgery.

sanjis · Regular Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 35

Nena,

How is your husband doing, I know today was his surgery schedule date.
Please post an update.

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