Magicsparkes,

You are blessed man. God gave you a wisdom to choose something else then RP.  God saved you from terrible SE that  surgery carries with. I was terribly wrong going with surgery.  I worked whole my life in Health care and always trusted doctors thinking they have always best patients interest on their mind. Ohh God! I was terribly wrong. I totaly last my trust in docs. What they have on their mind is their profit, not what is best for the patient.

How much I could profit from  going to Dr. K? I lieve in Houston. I could save myself from endless suffering.

Paying out of pocket for FLA or penile implant, it comes to the same expenses.

I had surgery at 51 and I do not think I can wait for Medicare to pay for penile implant?

My Insurance pays for nothing.

MK

Dave, 

Instead of attacking MK1965, saying that he needs a phychiatrist, because he is doing his best to alert men to bad outcomes of surgery that he suffered as well as many other men, YOU need to look at yourself, inferring that surgery side effects is no worse than any other treatment choice, without out research supported facts, maybe because because you want to rationalize that surgery is so great, because you suffered through it...

It is very nice of you to attack others at this board...me thinks that you are the one who needs a phychiatrist

Here are some facts that thinking men will consider in their treatment choice.....basically radiation has improved significantly in the last few years so that there is comparable cure rate to surgery with out the signicant side effects that the vast majority of men who receive surgery experience on a short term basis, and many long term.

Clevelandguy said:

Surgery Does work

Hi Doug,

Glad your other treament has gone well so far, hopefully future PSA reading will be undetecable.  Sounds like you did your homework and picked your method to hopefully cure your cancer.  I had surgery almost four years ago with minor side effects and undetectable PSA readings so far.  For many others on this board surgery has been a God send and hopefully a cure without any latent side effects from radiation.  It's all up to studing the facts and side effects and making a choice, then deciding that you made the choice and have to recover from the side effects no matter what they are, and move on in life. Surgery, Radiation,Ablation, ect, are all tools in curing or slowing down Pca.  For MK his surgery did not go well and he will continue to bash RP for probably the rest of his life. The statement made by MK "God saved you from terrible SE that  surgery carries with it", really MK!  I did not have any of those terrible SE.  Saying surgery is horrible just cause it went bad for you would be like condeming using a car for transportation just because you were in a serious car wreck.  Need to let go MK and move on, a phychiatrist might help. I don't mean that last sentence in a nasty way but I do feel that some mental health consulting could maybe help you move on and into a better more at peace place in life.  What do they say, if you get lemons, make lemonaide.  Look forward, not back............

Dave 3+4

I notice that you changed, and toned down your statement about the phychiatrist in response to my post. Unless you are a Medical Professional it is not for you to recommend to others. Also the rules of this board are to respect others. Please do so in the future

Not only do you exhibit aggressive behavior, but you really don't know what you are talking about. 

You simply give your opinion, but do not back it up with speciific research. .....the research that I am talking about is based on research studies, not statements by individuals. 

Too be honest, since you are aggressive and I do not believe you are capable of providing this type informaton, I do not wish to go back and forth with you.

But I will make comments  at the times that you decide to insult others at this board, as you did and continue to do with MK. 

Magicsparkes said:

Understood Caution is Called For

Thanks Hopeful,

A couple of things ... everyone is different and so is every cancer. The article you shared is ripe with caution (possibly a good thing - time will tell). With regards to the MRI, my doctor insisted the laser ablation was to be performed live while using a high resolution MRI (if MRI is a DVD then his machine is Blu-Ray). Additionally, I saw the images of my MRI pre and post treatment. I saw the cancer pre and post treatment. He burned it all out. So, am I cured? There is no cure for cancer. Okay, was I successfully treated? We'll see. I have a follow up in Sept (MRI / PSA) and another a year from now, and then again every year for the rest of my life. Let's be pessimistic and say it fails and cancer comes back with a vengence ... I may opt for a second ablation or I may have a prostatectomy. If it comes back in 20 years maybe I'll have brachytherapy. The point being maybe laser ablation is the future, but then again, maybe its not ... Explorers do not know what the mysteries of the new world will reveal ... this is why they are explorers. Some are bound to run aground, get lost at sea or fail completely, but we don't remember any of those people do we? If the new world holds the promise of a better life, then I have to at least try and find it.

Peace,

Doug

I'm doing acgive surveillance, and looked into focal. By the way about a year ago, there was a major discussion at the ustoo discussion site among those who were interested in this treatment. A couple of docs who practice this procedure also posted. The thread was very long, and must be very very long now, but there are probably some tibits of information.

If I understand right, you had your procedure in bore, that is, I guess a computer program attached to the MRI machine...in real time, as opposed to MRI, then locking the results into a three dimension machine such as an Artemes (it is done both ways).

Although there are more powerful MRI's, the MRI with the T3 magnet is the most powerful in clinical use. I had several with the T3 magnet, and to be honest, sometimes nothing is found and other times the cancer is found in different spots.

Doug, I do think that focal is the treatment of the future as technology advances . I really do not know if it has or has not come of age yet. I understand that one can redo the procedure, or chose another active treatment without prejudice if things go south.

At any rate, I wish you the best

Hey Cleveland Guy...

I will follow forum protocol by complimenting you rather than attacking others.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with robotic nerve sparing surgery.

Several times I have mentioned a friend who shared his experience with me after his robotic surgery, including the side effects and his progressive recovery. He knew the problems I was dealing with and highly recommended robotic surgery with his expert surgeon, warning me of the importance of having the best available.

I took his advice, but his surgeon had a six to eight month waiting list... the best ones do. So my GP started a search for the next best in the area, who turned out to have only a three month waiting list. The surgery was a great success removing my massive prostate, with minimal side effects that are still improving. My side effect recovery was a bit behind average schedule, but I would not change a thing.

I am grateful to my friend, and I am grateful to you, Cleveland Guy, for sharing your experience with those that might be reluctant to weigh robotic surgery as a treatment alternative. Please don't be intimidated into silence about your success, and hang in there, my friend. 

I notice a few more guys have posted lately, relating their successful experiences with robotic surgery. Its thanks to you that guys will look at all the treatments,  read far into these archives for the varied successes and failures, and determine WHY some were successful and some were not, and how to minimize their risk and maximize their chance for success, like you did and I did and my friend did and several new members did and countless others did. 

 We may never know why some guys have botched surgeries,  if they won't consider why some surgeries are successful and some are not. It doesnt help anyone when the cause is not considered so that future patients can avoid the pitfall that caused the unsuccessful surgery.

But at least you are here, Cleveland Guy, to help point them toward successful outcomes that will  maximize their chances of success.

Kudos to you.

Magicsparkes said:

Cheers & Wishing You the Best Too!

Aloha Hopeful,

You've certainly done your homework. Yes, the T3 was the MRI used and I believe your description, (procedure in bore) is accurate. My doctor described my cancer condition as "ideal" for laser ablation. This too needs to be pointed out and factored into the equation, but if we're factoring, then Dr. Karamanian must also be included. I would bet if laser ablation were an Olympic event, Dr. K would win gold.

By the way, early last year I was accepted by Memorial Sloan-Kettering for a trial study using laser and a drug, TooKad. I was all set for a January treatment, but at the last moment MSK announced, without any formal explanation, the study was on hold. I was then told, were I so inclined, that MSK offered other treatments such as HIFU and cryroblation. Coincidentally and around the same time a high school chum from 40 years ago informed me he had prostate cancer and was signed up for laser ablation in Houston.

Regarding the TooKad, just yesteday I was approached by another prostate cancer victim at another web site. Apparently, he's traveling next month to NYC to see if he qualifies for the TooKad trial study. Go figure! And just so you know, my MSK doc said TooKad was approved in Europe just last November. He's hoping for FDA approval with men having less than 10 PSA and a Gleason 3+4. The TooKad procedure was loosely explained to me. It seems to be laser ablation combined with a light sensitive drug (chlorophyll). Recovery is similar to the treatment I underwent in Houston, but with TooKad one must first recover for about 24 to 36 hours in the dark, (covered head to toe) lest the rays of light burn you up like Dracula at dawn's first light! Kind of cool, don't you think?

Peace,

Doug

Thanks for letting us know about the TooKad trial. Hopefully this drug, devloped at tbe Weizman Institute in Israel can be the basis of a new treatment for low aggressive cancers, without the side effects of surgery or radaiation.

https://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/life-sciences/weizmann-institute-drug-tookad®-soluble-approved-prostate-cancer-therapy-mexico

https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=AHXDWuaxMYmI0wLK6K-4BQ&q=tookad+prostate&oq=&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.35i39k1l6.0.0.0.5636.2.1.0.0.0.0.0.0..1.0....0...1..64.psy-ab..1.1.88.6...89.3iiT225f7t4

MK1965 said:

Insult

In this forum, if your not for surgery or you were not poster boy of surgical experience, you will be stoned.

it is not allowed to write about not so good experience. Every time I post something, my post get chocked.

Every time I post something I am insulted by 3 guys on this forum.

For those who are interested to learn about people’s with not so good experience after surgery, should read HW, Frank Talk and search for stories about bad experiences in regards to surgical removal of prostate. Internet is full of this stories.

i Ned psychiatrist as much as clevelandguy guy needs gynecologist. My condition is iatrogenic caused and that is what hurts the most.

i have hard time to accept the change from being 99.99% usable to being 100% broken. ( unusable).

I do not need help from psych Dr. I will figure it out on my own. I totaly lost trust in medical profession.

Hypocrat oat said: Do no harm! Where we are in 21st century?

Go get me stoned again.

MK

In doing nine years of active surveillance, particpating in five internet PCa forums, and attending local support groups, I've developed a negative impression of surgery. That is based on reading many thousands of these types of threads and hundreds of research studies. Most of my reaction has been to hearing tales of men with low risk cancer being rushed into surgery without truthful (if any) discussions of AS or radiation, and having strong "treatment regret".

At this point, my preference would be for SBRT or HDR-BT if I were to need treatment,

And, sometimes I post advice that radiation has great recent study results, and that guys considering surgery should also consult with radiologists.

 But, nobody has ever attacked me here, and rarely elsewhere, for suggesting that men explore their options. I think that many people are just into "decision bias" and don't want to hear that what they chose might not have been as optimal as something else that they didn't choose. So, it's often just a matter of being careful how we word our advice.