Radiation after Davinci

gkoper

Can anyone comment on their treatment after their prostatectomy proved unsuccessful?
If radiation...the side effects, hormone shots...side effects...prognosis. I'm exploring the options.
Thanks,George

wxman

george,
If you're young you
george,

If you're young you will probably find that rp is the best option. It is really tough to have radiation then do surgery as opposed to the other way around.

lewvino

George,
Is your PSA rising?
George,
Is your PSA rising? Just curious what makes you think you might need more treatments.

Larry

gkoper

lewvino said:

George,
Is your PSA rising?
George,
Is your PSA rising? Just curious what makes you think you might need more treatments.

Larry

Psa rising
Yes, PSA is rising after Davinci. Anybody in the same boat?

lewvino

gkoper said:

Psa rising
Yes, PSA is rising after Davinci. Anybody in the same boat?

Don't know yet. My first
Don't know yet. My first post davinci PSA is scheduled for Oct. 19th.
Also if you have not discovered it yet take a look at www.healingwell.com

There are numerous men on there that are having radiation after their PSA started rising again post surgery.

Larry

gkoper

lewvino said:

Don't know yet. My first
Don't know yet. My first post davinci PSA is scheduled for Oct. 19th.
Also if you have not discovered it yet take a look at www.healingwell.com

There are numerous men on there that are having radiation after their PSA started rising again post surgery.

Larry

PSA
When we find we have PC.....it seems our lives revolve around the next PSA result.
Good luck on yours and thanks for being the "host" of this fine network. Your response is appreciated.

George

NM

gkoper said:

PSA
When we find we have PC.....it seems our lives revolve around the next PSA result.
Good luck on yours and thanks for being the "host" of this fine network. Your response is appreciated.

George

George im in Larrys boat
Hi and first thing is Ill pray for you. I get to see my Psa report on Oct 12th. I think you are so right about living from 1 PSA test to another. We never know which boat we will end up in after diagnosis so I read all posts still and thank all who contribute here....Nick

Mark58

Radiation after surgery
George:
I had IMRT radiation treatments 18 months after my surgery. I have had no side affects from the radiation treatments, although I did fatigue easily for a year or so. There were 39 in all. I think it is important to see a reputable Radiation Oncologist that has lots of experience with this procedure. It's been 4 years now since my radiation treatments and my PSA is rising again. I'll be able to tell you about the side effects from the harmone treatments in a couple of months. Best of luck to you. Good luck with your decisions.
Mark

gkoper

Mark58 said:

Radiation after surgery
George:
I had IMRT radiation treatments 18 months after my surgery. I have had no side affects from the radiation treatments, although I did fatigue easily for a year or so. There were 39 in all. I think it is important to see a reputable Radiation Oncologist that has lots of experience with this procedure. It's been 4 years now since my radiation treatments and my PSA is rising again. I'll be able to tell you about the side effects from the harmone treatments in a couple of months. Best of luck to you. Good luck with your decisions.
Mark

Thanks for the reply Mark
My psa did not go undetectable after surgery in May. A pet scan showed a microscopic area that may be a problem. Just got a bone scan today. A friend just finished radiation when his psa started to rise after Davinci. He is having bowel problems now. Sure don't want radiation...but if thats what it takes to go on living, so be it. Hope the hormones work for you.
George

gator880

radiation, hormone treatments
Hi,
My husband has had both hormone treatments and radiation after his RP. (Gleason 9 w/positive margins.) He started taking the quarterly Zoladex injections about a month following surgery. He has definitely become sympathetic with menopausal females! Hot flashes, weight gain, breast enlargement, and reduced strength/stamina. The 37 radiation treatments began about 2 months after surgery. Very few side effects. He worked throughout, and drove himself the 75 mile round trip. The combination allowed his PSA to be virtually undetectable (0.04) while on hormones. Because of that, he was taken off hormones for about 10 months. His PSA started creeping up, so he went on Lupron, and Casodex has just been added, about 6 months later, because the cancer has spread. (A routine work chest x-ray revealed the problem.)
To summarize, there are definitely side effects, but they're a heck of a lot better than metastasis. We'll never know if continuing hormones without a break would have helped, but while on them, he had good results!

RRMCJIM

gkoper said:

Thanks for the reply Mark
My psa did not go undetectable after surgery in May. A pet scan showed a microscopic area that may be a problem. Just got a bone scan today. A friend just finished radiation when his psa started to rise after Davinci. He is having bowel problems now. Sure don't want radiation...but if thats what it takes to go on living, so be it. Hope the hormones work for you.
George

Thinking of you...
Hey george I was just thinking of you and how you were doing. Sorry to hear your numbers are still detectable....I just had my second PSA done and still less than 0.1....wish you had followed....sorry you will have to have more treatment... I have been struggling with incontinence since I went back to work....lifting heavy plays hell with my control....I end up over working the muscles , get pretty sore by the end of the day, and use about 4-5 pads per day...just an irritant more than anything else...but it does p i s s me off...get angry with myself..lol...while I am off work, thing go much better....off to Hawaii end of the month for another couple weeks...seems like my reason to go forward now...hoping to make it to Orlando Jan 2010 and hook up with this group at the gathering being put together by Sonny....maybe we will have a good turn out.. keeping you in my thoughts George.
Jim

gkoper

RRMCJIM said:

Thinking of you...
Hey george I was just thinking of you and how you were doing. Sorry to hear your numbers are still detectable....I just had my second PSA done and still less than 0.1....wish you had followed....sorry you will have to have more treatment... I have been struggling with incontinence since I went back to work....lifting heavy plays hell with my control....I end up over working the muscles , get pretty sore by the end of the day, and use about 4-5 pads per day...just an irritant more than anything else...but it does p i s s me off...get angry with myself..lol...while I am off work, thing go much better....off to Hawaii end of the month for another couple weeks...seems like my reason to go forward now...hoping to make it to Orlando Jan 2010 and hook up with this group at the gathering being put together by Sonny....maybe we will have a good turn out.. keeping you in my thoughts George.
Jim

Hey there Jim
Glad to hear your doing well.....except for the one little pesky problem.
I feel great....but the psa says something is going on. One good thing about cancer: it gives me a sense of urgency to live each day to the max. Going on my 3rd cruise of the year next month...then a dive trip to the Caymans in Dec. Hardly have time for my Dr. appt.
The Orlando gig sounds like fun. I live 2 hours NW of Orlando. Ahh....blue Hawaii...haven't been there since the 70s. Could be time for another visit.
Cheers,
George

pwiggins

gator880 said:

radiation, hormone treatments
Hi,
My husband has had both hormone treatments and radiation after his RP. (Gleason 9 w/positive margins.) He started taking the quarterly Zoladex injections about a month following surgery. He has definitely become sympathetic with menopausal females! Hot flashes, weight gain, breast enlargement, and reduced strength/stamina. The 37 radiation treatments began about 2 months after surgery. Very few side effects. He worked throughout, and drove himself the 75 mile round trip. The combination allowed his PSA to be virtually undetectable (0.04) while on hormones. Because of that, he was taken off hormones for about 10 months. His PSA started creeping up, so he went on Lupron, and Casodex has just been added, about 6 months later, because the cancer has spread. (A routine work chest x-ray revealed the problem.)
To summarize, there are definitely side effects, but they're a heck of a lot better than metastasis. We'll never know if continuing hormones without a break would have helped, but while on them, he had good results!

My Experience
Hello George -

I'm 47 and had the Divinci procedure done this past Feb after a PSA count of 4. Biopsy was 3+4 and elected to take it out. This past May my post op PSA was taken and it was 16. Not the news I wanted to hear. My surgeon basically said that "the smoker detector has sounded and there is a fire in the house we just need to find the fire". After CT scans, bone scans, bone denisty scans, MRI's and prostiscint scans it was determined that the cancer had metastaized in my pelvic region. I immediately went on Casodex in preperation for Lupron but then went and researched the hell out of this, got two and three other opinions before deciding my next step. My medical oncologist was telling me about a new clinical trial which I would be eligible for but decided on radiation and hormone therapy instead. I had three weeks of external radiation treatment and along with the Lurpon my PSA at the end of August dropped to 0.34.

If you elect to do radiation I too recommend getting a few opinions to make certain they completely understand your case and not compare you to other men. I experienced hot flashes from the Lurpon and fatigue towards the end of week two and week three of radiation.

I live in a suburb of Chicago and the care I have gotten the support my wife has received has truly made a big difference in my outlook.

I wish you well in this journey and will be happy to answer any questions you may have. God bless you and your family.

Peter -

cottontop56

gkoper said:

Hey there Jim
Glad to hear your doing well.....except for the one little pesky problem.
I feel great....but the psa says something is going on. One good thing about cancer: it gives me a sense of urgency to live each day to the max. Going on my 3rd cruise of the year next month...then a dive trip to the Caymans in Dec. Hardly have time for my Dr. appt.
The Orlando gig sounds like fun. I live 2 hours NW of Orlando. Ahh....blue Hawaii...haven't been there since the 70s. Could be time for another visit.
Cheers,
George

Radiation After DaVinci
George, Just came back on the site this afternoon. Sorry to hear about the higher PSA. I live jsut north of you in Sparr. Dr. King removed my cancerous prostate last Thursday. Finding out I had this in late June has changed my urgencies about life too. It sure makes us realize just how short it can be and how many things we really want to enjoy. Since we're in the same town with the same DR. I would like to meet up with you sometime. I hope to have my catheter removed and post operative biopsy report this Thursday. I will keep you in my prayers. John

gkoper

cottontop56 said:

Radiation After DaVinci
George, Just came back on the site this afternoon. Sorry to hear about the higher PSA. I live jsut north of you in Sparr. Dr. King removed my cancerous prostate last Thursday. Finding out I had this in late June has changed my urgencies about life too. It sure makes us realize just how short it can be and how many things we really want to enjoy. Since we're in the same town with the same DR. I would like to meet up with you sometime. I hope to have my catheter removed and post operative biopsy report this Thursday. I will keep you in my prayers. John

Hello cottontop
I consult with a radiation Dr. tomorrow in Ocala. A friend went to same Dr. after his psa went up after davinci. People tell me to go to Gainesville cancer center. Will possibly take further treatment there. Still have to know where the cancer is at.
You will feel much lighter without that bag on your leg. Walk as much as you can. It will speed your recovery. Yes I live nearby, Dunnellon. Lived in the Keys for years until the hurricanes drove me north. If I can help in any way, pls. let me know.
For now,
George

gkoper

pwiggins said:

My Experience
Hello George -

I'm 47 and had the Divinci procedure done this past Feb after a PSA count of 4. Biopsy was 3+4 and elected to take it out. This past May my post op PSA was taken and it was 16. Not the news I wanted to hear. My surgeon basically said that "the smoker detector has sounded and there is a fire in the house we just need to find the fire". After CT scans, bone scans, bone denisty scans, MRI's and prostiscint scans it was determined that the cancer had metastaized in my pelvic region. I immediately went on Casodex in preperation for Lupron but then went and researched the hell out of this, got two and three other opinions before deciding my next step. My medical oncologist was telling me about a new clinical trial which I would be eligible for but decided on radiation and hormone therapy instead. I had three weeks of external radiation treatment and along with the Lurpon my PSA at the end of August dropped to 0.34.

If you elect to do radiation I too recommend getting a few opinions to make certain they completely understand your case and not compare you to other men. I experienced hot flashes from the Lurpon and fatigue towards the end of week two and week three of radiation.

I live in a suburb of Chicago and the care I have gotten the support my wife has received has truly made a big difference in my outlook.

I wish you well in this journey and will be happy to answer any questions you may have. God bless you and your family.

Peter -

Thanks Gator&Peter
Thank you for the information and support. It all helps in making choices.
George