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maknbear
maknbear Member Posts: 1
in Prostate Cancer #1

New to site.  Recently had radical prostate surgery.  Post surgery gleason was 9.  I must admitt that I'm frieghten yet hopeful I can slow the spread of cancer for the forseeable future.  The cancer has not spread as tests show no cancer found in other parts of my body and none in my bones.  I've done a psa test that showed my total psa .2% and my psa/free was unable to calculate.  The test was done 26 days after surgery.  One of my oncologist said that some of the total psa some could be micro bits/cells of the prostate left after surgery.  I'm currently in a wait time for 3 months before my next appointment with my oncologist.  Just before the appointment I'm to get a 2nd psa test.  It's that psa test that will be the important one.  During my wait, I'm getting a second opinion at John Hopkins Medical Center.  I'm going to do everything I can to fight this thing.  Anyone have diet suggestions, i.e.: where to get good recipes, foods to eat, snacks, beverages besides water, etc.  Right now I'm feeling good, I'm able to exercise to include playing golf.  I'm sorry about rambling but I guess it's my way of saying hello.

Comments

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,701 Member
    edited May 2020 #2
    Rambling to say hello

    Mak

    Welcome to the board. I couldn’t understand well your story apart from the finding of the Gleason 9 by the pathologist that analyzed your gland specimen (after RP) and the negative scans. You have not indicated a PSA value proper to judge any success or failure of the surgery but, independently of the Gleason rate, at 26 days post RP the PSA should be lower than 0.06 (ng/ml) for us to think that the outcome was very good. The free-PSA is usefulness for testing a guy without the gland in place. You may have misunderstood your oncologist’s comment because the total PSA is the marker to follow after surgery. In your shoes I would call the hospital/clinic where the PSA was done to get the real value. They surely will have the total PSA result. How old are you?

    I believe that the upgrade of the Gleason rate is the cause for your apprehension. However, you are not alone. Several guys get it up rated and many get it down rated. The important is that surgery has free you from the cancer. I wonder what the initial diagnosis was. Can you tell us your PSA histology and the biopsy findings? What’s the pathological stage post RP suggested by the surgeon?

    Unfortunately you cannot improve the results of the outcome of the surgery via a particular diet. Diets after RP can help in the fight of the symptoms from the side effects of the treatment but not to avoid you from having it back. However it will surely improve many of your other health issues. Being active is known to be very good and golfing will make you to walk 6 Km (10 Km for me for my hooks and slides) which is very good if you do it two or three times a week.
    UCSF got a publication on Nutrition & Prostate Cancer, which copy I highly recommend you to get in this link;

    http://cancer.ucsf.edu/_docs/crc/nutrition_prostate.pdf

    You can also find many books on diets or miraculous pills and drinks claiming to cure the cancer but none of them have proven anything. We cancer patients become easy targets to those holistic therapies of which I hope you do not become an easy prey. In the following link you can read about “Anticancer Diets” for prevention on cancer before they strike us;

    https://integrativeoncology-essentials.com/?s=anticancer+diet

    I cannot see the point in getting a second opinion from JH without proper data in hand. I think that you should have/wait for the PSA results and the surgeon’ report (pathological stage) in hand firstly, and then request the second opinion. You will need to bring along all copies of scans and tests done since diagnosis.

    Let us know more details about your story.

    Best wishes,

    VGama

  • Josephg
    Josephg Member Posts: 455 Member
    edited May 2020 #3
    Welcome

    Welcome to the Forum that nobody wants to join.  You've come to a good place, however.  There are lots of prostate cancer (PCa) survivors here who have gone through just about every available treatment option, and who have experienced just about every known side effect.  We have treatment success stories, as well as treatment failure stories, related to to our own PCa journeys.  It is important to note that while we are all in the same boat at PCa survivors, with many similarities, every person's PCa case details and experience are unique, and specific outcomes are not guaranteed.

    Please note that we are not medical professionals, so the opinions expressed here are layperson opinions, and nobody on this forum should or will give you specific medical advice on treatment options.  We are all, however, experts on patient experiences related to PCa, and we will freely share our experience, both good and bad.  One of the few items that we cancer survivors do have is the capability to control, is to expand our personal and collective knowledge base related to PCa.  Knowledge is power, and it helps us make the most informed decisions related to our own current and future PCa treatment options, as well as side effects mitigation strategies.

    You have already met Vasco, one of our longtime and most knowledgeable PCa survivor gurus here on this Forum.  He has given you an initial few articles to review to continue the expansion of your own PCa knowledge base.  If you are comfortable with it, I suggest that you provide some of the additional PCa-related details that he suggested related to your case, so that we may better understand your PCa case and status.  In this manner, we will collectively be able to provide you with the PCa patient experiences and perspective that will most likely be helpful to you in your evolving PCa journey.

    I wish you the best of outcomes on your PCa journey.

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