I figured I should give a follow up since I posted it in the open forum (prostate biopsy)
- Thread starter DougE
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They didn't put y'all out for the biopsies? They did me and took 13 biopsies... 3 of em being positive... He told me if I were his dad he would suggest radiation... Which I did...this was 3 years ago... I was 60,,. Been undetectable since...
For my treatments they inserted 3 gold seeds and some gel... Then they inserted a balloon in my rectum for every beam treatment... 32 times ... They also had me on hormones.... Glad my little titties didn't start growing...
Anyways... Good luck with your choices
For my treatments they inserted 3 gold seeds and some gel... Then they inserted a balloon in my rectum for every beam treatment... 32 times ... They also had me on hormones.... Glad my little titties didn't start growing...
Anyways... Good luck with your choices
They took 10 cores from me right in the doctor's office with me completely awake and aware ........ It was not an experience I wish to repeat.
First off, I think I will be around quite awhile yet. I would like to thank each and every one of y'all especially for the prayers on my behalf, wishes for a good outcome, and advice from those of you who have been there, done that.
It's gonna be a fun ride, but I think I'll beat this!
It's gonna be a fun ride, but I think I'll beat this!
A friend of mine had the gold seeds and gel inserted on Tuesday and will start radiation treatments next week. I'm putting hay out for is cows since they said he can't be bouncing around on a tractor because it might cause the seeds to be displaced from the target area they were placed in.
tridiot
Fire Starter
- Aug 15, 2014
- 69
- 64
Lots to unpack here. First of all, good luck to
DougE
in pursuit of treatment for this. I know it's got to be scary and frustrating and all those kinds of things. Definitely saying a prayer for you and ALL the survivors in this thread. When you bring up something like it, you begin to see how common it is.
Prostate cancer is the 2nd most commonly-diagnosed cancer among men, and most common among males in the United States.
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends screening for prostate cancer in men ages 55-70, usually with a blood test every 1 to 2 years. Many physicians strongly disagree with this recommendation and feel it is not aggressive enough. In general, most physicians I know seem to begin with blood tests annually at 50 years of age, although in men with a family history of prostate cancer or men of certain ethnic groups, (i.e., black males) with high instances of prostate cancer, screening at 45 or even 40 is not unheard of. Most physicians stop screening for prostate cancer sometime in the 70s or by 80 or so - depending on the individual health of the patient and their likelihood of surviving at least another 10 years.
Just as an aside, the DRE - or digital rectal examination - is no longer considered a particularly useful routine screening tool and is not generally recommended strictly for screening. At least not with your regular Family Medicine physician. I can attest to this - I haven't done one of these in years, and have no intention of doing so for prostate cancer screening. I can expound further on this if anyone wishes. Leave this to the Urologists, in my opinion.
So, just throwing it out there - I've had lots of friends who were diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer. I highly recommend having the PSA test done as part of an annual general physical. Interpretation of elevated numbers AND the rate of increase year over year is a little complex - it's not just "is it over the reference range or not?" As someone mentioned above, the RATE of increase can be an early warning sign, even before it gets "out of range".
So... hope this helps. Any questions, feel free.
Signed,
Your friendly neighborhood Family Medicine doc
In other words - get screened, guys! Both for prostate AND for colon cancer! Easy screenings, and generally pretty easily treatable if caught early - colon is actually PREVENTABLE with proper screening.
DougE
in pursuit of treatment for this. I know it's got to be scary and frustrating and all those kinds of things. Definitely saying a prayer for you and ALL the survivors in this thread. When you bring up something like it, you begin to see how common it is.Prostate cancer is the 2nd most commonly-diagnosed cancer among men, and most common among males in the United States.
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends screening for prostate cancer in men ages 55-70, usually with a blood test every 1 to 2 years. Many physicians strongly disagree with this recommendation and feel it is not aggressive enough. In general, most physicians I know seem to begin with blood tests annually at 50 years of age, although in men with a family history of prostate cancer or men of certain ethnic groups, (i.e., black males) with high instances of prostate cancer, screening at 45 or even 40 is not unheard of. Most physicians stop screening for prostate cancer sometime in the 70s or by 80 or so - depending on the individual health of the patient and their likelihood of surviving at least another 10 years.
Just as an aside, the DRE - or digital rectal examination - is no longer considered a particularly useful routine screening tool and is not generally recommended strictly for screening. At least not with your regular Family Medicine physician. I can attest to this - I haven't done one of these in years, and have no intention of doing so for prostate cancer screening. I can expound further on this if anyone wishes. Leave this to the Urologists, in my opinion.
So, just throwing it out there - I've had lots of friends who were diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer. I highly recommend having the PSA test done as part of an annual general physical. Interpretation of elevated numbers AND the rate of increase year over year is a little complex - it's not just "is it over the reference range or not?" As someone mentioned above, the RATE of increase can be an early warning sign, even before it gets "out of range".
So... hope this helps. Any questions, feel free.
Signed,
Your friendly neighborhood Family Medicine doc
In other words - get screened, guys! Both for prostate AND for colon cancer! Easy screenings, and generally pretty easily treatable if caught early - colon is actually PREVENTABLE with proper screening.
Best one luck, Doug and you have my prayers. I was a radiation therapist and medical Dosimetrist for ~7 years. I have been on the commercial side the last, well, couple of decades.
PSA tests are easy to do, and does not require anything special. The same blood they draw for all the other tests can easily render a PSA sample.
Radiation Oncology is of orders of magnitude more precise and accurate as in my clinical time. I am up on the latest stuff since I sell it now, and it is amazing how effective and with extremely low toxicity...ummmm....very few side effects, for prostate treatment anyway. Things like the gel injected (to separate the prostate from the rectum more) and the marker "gold" seeds (used to localize the prostate very precisely prior to each treatment delivery) are the up to date standard of care. As is the fractionation scheme, aka, how much radiation you receive and over how many days. The technology today allows for more radiation to be delivered to the target per treatment resulting in fewer treatments needed. The standard 15 years ago was 45 treatments. Much fewer today.
Sorry to ramble. Just know that prostate cancer is very, very treatable and manageable.
PSA tests are easy to do, and does not require anything special. The same blood they draw for all the other tests can easily render a PSA sample.
Radiation Oncology is of orders of magnitude more precise and accurate as in my clinical time. I am up on the latest stuff since I sell it now, and it is amazing how effective and with extremely low toxicity...ummmm....very few side effects, for prostate treatment anyway. Things like the gel injected (to separate the prostate from the rectum more) and the marker "gold" seeds (used to localize the prostate very precisely prior to each treatment delivery) are the up to date standard of care. As is the fractionation scheme, aka, how much radiation you receive and over how many days. The technology today allows for more radiation to be delivered to the target per treatment resulting in fewer treatments needed. The standard 15 years ago was 45 treatments. Much fewer today.
Sorry to ramble. Just know that prostate cancer is very, very treatable and manageable.
Really glad I started this thread. It brought an awareness for men to have their PSA level checked yearly and gave a place for both men who have beat prostate cancer and medical professionals to weigh in with their thoughts and experiences.
pineywoods
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My friend had the gel and gold seeds installed Tuesday for his treatments. This coming week, an MRI or CAT scan of where the markers are so they can feed that into the gamma knife to set up his targeted treatment. He says they will only need to do 5 radiation treatments with this setup.
Appreciate it. It helps that my best friend ahead of me in his treatment for the same thing. He will be done about the same time they start my treatments. For the time being, I take care of his cattle and he will keep my yard mowed and such when I take my turn at the radiation ride.Hoping for the very best Doug, we are all in your corner.
Like the others all I understood was the C word. that scares the stuffing out of me. We wish you the best and can't wait to see you in December
I-am-Chorizo
Smoke Blower
I know I am new to the forum, but would like to express my solidarity and emphaty towards the situation that you are experiencing. My mom was diagnosed with an agressive lung tumor in 2018 and we closed ranks around her and put up the fight. Fortunately, after a couple of years of struggle She was able to beat the diagnosis and today enjoys good health!Pfefferbeisser/Pepper Stix
Almost frozen cubed pork ready for some old school grinding. Here is my mix for Pfefferbeisser. 44.5g non iodized salt 5.04g cure 1 6.05g white pepper 6.05g black pepper (I used ground long black pepper) 4.04g course ground black pepper (added in after the grind) 4.04g paprika 2.05g garlic...www.smokingmeatforums.com
I had a follow-up appointment with my urologist this afternoon. Out of the 10 biopsy cores taken, one showed cancer cells. They seem to be localized, slow growing, so likely it has not spread to anywhere else. Next up, a consult with a radiological oncologist.
Wish you the best!
Albert
Yeah, well, it scares the crap outta me too!!!
Maybe the treatment options scare the crap outta me even more. All options have downsides.
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