Hi the person you want to talk to is [@telemando]‍  he's had his out years ago and still pops on forum now and again.

I'm like you look after my wife she has Alzheimer's and Parkinson's plus other problems.   My prostate cancer has gone to lymph nodes spine ribs pelvis and a lung, PSA was 1580 Gleason 4+4   T3B N1 M1B I was diagnosed Feb 2016 ,i just have to live with my uninvited guest.

Hope things go well and [@telemando]‍  gets in touch soon.

Take care keep safe,watch out for rickety bridges.

Billy

Hi Billgoat. Thank you for the reply, much appreciated. I will indeed lookout for rickety bridges.

My PC has not spread beyon prostate, bone scan results good. Much relief all round.

Thanks for advice ... Will contact Telemando.

Take care.

Hi Properjob.

Telemando here.  Still here after 10 years.  I was diagnosed at age 56.  PSA 6.4,  Gleeson 3+4. So not too different from your situation.  I had a robotic radical prostatectomy in December 2010.  Back to work after three months, then retired at age 61. 

I see your MRI showed no evidence of spread and you're waiting for bone scan results. Best of luck with those - let's hope they're clear.

If you have any questions or want to talk, just post a followup reply to this thread.

Returning to work wasn't too bad. I was a university lecturer and the timing meant that I returned around Easter.  At that point, teaching had finished and we were in the exam season.  Marking is always a mad time, but it can be done at home, so there's no commuting.

I spent the summer as always - reworking my existiing courses and writing a new one ready for the students to return in October. By the time that came around, I was ready for the fray.

Thanks ... Again similar, I used to lecture on Law and manage a number of Business and Professional courses at a F&HE College. That was before we relocated to Wales for family and lifestyle reasons. For the last 10 years I have worked with offenders and the homeless.

Am going to have to check if 20 years teaching pension will fund early retirement with hopefully some part time work.

Also, this has given a certain clarity to things and I do not intend to work all the hours for another 8 years or so to have little time left to enjoy life.

Plan B etc.

Hi Telemando

Re: just diagnosed 

Apologies for adding my message on the back of someone else message, it was the only way I could find to get a message to you.

Can you please give me so advise?  My dad's psa is 9.23.  He were told yesterday that cancer Gleason scores were 4+4 8, and 4+3 7.  The consultant said that it looked to still be in the prostate from the mri scan.  My worry is that the mri scan was done a month ago and said we would have to wait around 2 weeks until he has a bone scan.  Just worried it could have gone to the bones in that time.  The waiting just never seems to end.  
The consultant said that if the bones come back fine it would be a t3c.

If you can please give me some advice on the above and how successful you think treatment will be for these scores?

many thanks

Jackie

Hi Finn1707.

Sorry to hear of your Dad's diagnosis.

Just to remind you, I'm not a doctor and I have no medical qualifications, but I was put through this mill 10 years ago and I'm still here to talk about it and help others in the same situation.

Prostate cancer is one of the few cancers where there is the luxury of time.  If it's still confined to the prostate then the signs are looking good. 

I'm confused by the mention of a T3c stage.  That means it's broken through the prostate and spread locally.  If it's still in the prostate I'd expect a T2c stage.   However, it's all very confusing and it's difficult to take in all the information that gets thrown at you.  Most people hear the word "cancer" and then zone out in shock.

If your dad is under 70 they may offer a radical prostatectomy, possibly followed by a course of "adjuvant" radiotherapy, depending upon what examination of the removed organ reveals.  Or else they may simply offer radiotherapy.  Or he may get a choice. Given his high Gleason, it's unlikely that he'll be offered HIFU or brachytherapy.

With treatment, 95% of men with T3 prostate cancer survive for at least 5 years (and usually a lot longer), and more than 99% of men with T2 cancer survive for at least 5 years (and usually much longer).  Of course, these statistics are always going to be out of date and treatments are improving all the time, so they should be regarded as "worst case". 

Surgery and/or radiotherapy frequently produce a complete cure, and even when a cure isn't possible, there are plenty of treatments that can keep you alive for many years.   The downside of prostate cancer being slow growing is that you may not know for many years whether you've been cured or not.  I'm still in this position after 10 years - still getting twice yearly PSA tests. Obviously, I'm hoping for the best but each test is somewhat anxiety inducing.

Thank you for replying.

Apologies, the consultant said that if the bone scan comes back fine it looks from mri as T2c.

my dad is 74 years old.

They are looking at starting him on tablets, then injections and radiotherapy and then injections again.

The consultant who phoned me yesterday was so cold and rude, he gave me 4 min of his time.  When I asked him to repeat the Gleason scores to make sure I had it correct.  He said I have told you once and it will be in my report in the post.

Just so worried and anxious about the up coming bone scan in the next couple of weeks and what that will bring with it.

Thank you again

Jackie

Consultants, eh?  They still sometimes act like they're gods! 

I can appreciate just how worrying this is, but it's really looking good, and this treatment is very effective and quite likely to be curative.

I expect the tablets will be aimed at suppressing testosterone.  I never needed them myself, and I know they often cause side effects, but they really do improve the outcome.

Anyway, let's hope the scans find nothing more wrong and your dad can plough on with his treatment.

Best of luck to you both.  Please post again to tell us of his progress.

Thank you, you have been so helpful!

Thank you, you have been so helpful!