Hi Tony bear I've one for you 24 th Feb psa 1500, 17th March psa 1581 would you say fast growing,

Billy 

Hi [@Prosixty]‍  thanks for your response.

A lot of people talk about feeling more tired after the op, has there been any change?

i know it is early days but do you feel the pelvic exercises are helping?

How many pads are you using and any advise in this area?

are you managing to get out and about?

it looks like my op will be in about 4 weeks and then we go on holiday 4 weeks later, I am just worried about coping so soon after the op. Are you feeling like progress?

thanks steve

Hi prosuxty, sorry forgot to ask what stage were you diagnosed at? I'm at T3B with quite a bit of Growth  going along my seminal vesicle. Did they take your lymph nodes out?

seve

Hi Steve

Regarding your questions. Yes I was tired after the Op but really only for the 1st week to a noticeable degree. Yes I still have a sleep in the afternoon for an hour as well.

Pelvic Floor. Your waterworks are going to be cut. You will have to learn again and PF exercises are essential. Do as much as you can now.

Pads. Currently I average 5 - 6 per 24 hr period. Also I have had 2 or 3 accidents in bed at night. I suggest some sort of waterproof mattress cover - get 2 or 3 from Age UK.They take ages to dry after washing !!!!!

Yes I am Out and about. I spent week 1 naked apart from a dressing gown to give the catheter area an airing. I am now back to 10000 steps a day. You have a holiday booked 4 weeks after the Op - I would pack plenty of pads just in case. Your Speciality Nurse should be 1st port of call, if not you may need to buy from Age UK or LLoyds Chemists.

Progress. Take every day as it comes. Yes there is progress.

My Diagnosis. (3+4) 7. My biopsy results said "No extra prostatic extension" so I assume I am Localised T1 or T2. My surgeon said no cutting of Lymph Nodes however I did have nerve removal on one side. Ask about this if you are not aware.

As you will have already have read, every case is different. Wish you all the best

Hi Billy , high PSA results are largely ignored I have encountered a score of 3096 with no sign of cancer . There are 5 types of PSA tests just to make things even more complicated . PSA numbers however are very important to see if a cancer has returned , in actual fact these are cancers so small they could not be seen on inytial scans . generally the higher the psa used to indicate the size of the tumour but if you focus on just the psa then you are really causing yourself unecessary stress . The digital exam gives a bit more information but an MRI scan plus a biopsy will give you the real facts . Cancers have doubling rates and prostrate is low compared to most other cancers . You can confirm this if you get the weekends off from raditherapy because if the cancer had a high doubling rate then you would have to continue through weekends and bank holidays . Therefore I would say that witht the figures you have been given are misleading and do not indicate that the cancer is particularly fast growing . The psa is of course high but there could be other reasons . get the biopsy and give me the Gleason scores and stages for an accurate answer . Good luck Tonybear .

Hi tonybear, 

Gleason 8, stage 4 it's in lymph nodes, spine, ribs and pelvis,.

Billy 

Hi Billy , 

You must be having chemotherapy for this probably a cocktail of them . Perhaps also Hormone treatment all to shrink the tumours and keep them under control . I have heard of lots of people who have your condition and are still going strong after 20 years ! You may be able to have some limited radiotherapy . My latest research includes The Pulitzer Prize Book " The Emperor of ALL Maladies is well worth obtaining as it tells the history of treatments over the years up to 2008 . It details new interventions some have had tremendous results espeically those using a mixture of drugs . I have recently met a number of people with your type of cancer that have just started on immune system interventions  its a new trial of which there are several . Hope this helps as information gives you power over the illness . Very Best of Luck Tony

Hi

I was recently diagnosed with prostrate cancer with a Gleason score of (3+4) 7 and like yourself I am 60 and a fit healthy outdoor person.

I am trying to decide either to have surgery or radiation treatment and i am wondering  what made you decide to go for the surgery?

Also how are you getting on now?

Hi Ashworth. Welcome to the forum.

I am not a doctor, but I had surgery for prostate cancer back in 2010, and more recently I've had surgery for early bladder cancer.  I did some research in prostate cancer at the time, and I'm involved with a local prostate support group.

Both surgery and radiotherapy have an excellent chance of effecting a cure, particularly if the cancer is localised. It terms of cure rate, there's nothing to choose between them. So really, it boils down to other issues. 

I don't think either treatment can guarantee no ED afterwards. If you can have surgery with bilateral nerve sparing then the chances are good that you'll recover function afterwards. If nerve sparing isn't possible then you probably won't.  There is always a period of incontinence after surgery, but with modern techniques and an experienced surgeon, you will almost certainly recover full continence afterwards. I did. 

Radiotherapy isn't free from side effects, and you may suffer bowel problems, which may develop later.

Where I think surgery is worth considering is what happens after treatment. With surgery, the removed organ will be taken to the path lab and full examined. You'll know for certain whether or not the cancer was fully contained, whether the margins were clear, and what the Gleason was.  Also, within a few weeks of surgery, your PSA should drop to "undetectable" ("< 0.1") and stay there for life. If your PSA ever begins to rise, then you'll have a lot of early warning that you need more treatment and then you can have radiotherapy.

With radiotherapy, what's left of the organ remains in the body and makes varying amounts of PSA. Your PSA will drop, but the reading may vary from test to test, sometimes going up, sometimes down. If the treatment fails, then surgery probably isn't an option, because radiotherapy essentially bakes the prostate making it difficult to remove. 

It's not an easy decision to make. However, I suggest that once you've decided, you mentally commit yourself to the decision and promise that you won't say "if only" afterwards. 

Hi Ashworth

I pretty much knew that I would not be happy with Radiotherapy so it was surgery or watch & wail for me. Then, on having my meeting with the surgeon, she told me that if I was her father (with similar circumstances) she would not let him have radiotherapy so that confirmed it for me. She said she has dealt with several people who chose to wait & they are now at score 9. It is very complicated to have surgery after radio but not the other way round. I assume this is part of the reasoning for offering surgery to a 3+4 at our age.

I am 6 weeks post op today. My follow up meeting is in 2 weeks. I have been told verbally by my Nurse that the pathology results matched the biopsy ie Gleason 7 3+4 and no naughty cells having escaped. So this is 50% result for me and good news. I just have to have my PSA test next week and if that is near enough zero then I am clear and on regular check ups for the next few years.

I was told nerve sparing on one side. No sign of an erection for me yet. I will try the pills soon!!! However dry orgasms a plenty - very strange sensation, bit like being a teenager again !! I am getting drier and use fewer pads daily. However I have to be carefull not to drink too many fluids in the evening for fear of accidents whilst asleep. I am getting used to the situation mentally and physically I am pretty strong however no heavy lifting for me.

I have 6  small scars in my belly and they have healed nicely. I had considerable bruising but this was from injecting myself for 28 days, not the op. She told me that she had done over 700 RALP, another reason I opted for surgery.

As Telemando says, I think it is important to commit mentally to whatever decision you make

Wishing you all the best.