Gleason 8 PSA 5

My PSA had jumped from 3, then 4 then 7 over about a year. I had just about every possible scan and text there was and was clean as a whistle everywhere except the prostate. Lymph nodes, etc all clean. However, my Gleason was 4+5. I met with 4 doctors at Brigham & Women's over a period of 2 days, all pitching their "speciality".

I elected to have my prostate removed at Brigham & Women's via via robot... but had to start with Orgovyx hormonal therapy 2 months prior to the surgery.

After the surgery, the surgeon said there was "focal cancer" meaning he thought he "saw" that some cancer "could" have gotten out of the prostate and said "Let's wait and see. My PSA was .04 at that point.

Well, about 6 months later my prostate started to rise again (.09) even while still on Orgovyx, so the Doctors wanted to get a jump on treatment.

I just finished 2 months at Brigham & Women's for 40 treatments of radiation on both the spot where my prostate was removed and lymph nodes. My PSA is now <.02. Getting bloodwork every 3 months for the next year, followed by every 6 months for the 2nd year and finally annually for the next 3 years. I guess time will tell...

I was SO FORTUNATE to have been able to stay at the Hope Lodge which was only .5 miles from the hospital. I can not even THINK of going ANYWHERE ELSE for my treatment. Brigham & Women's Hospital and ALL of their Doctors and Techs are just OUTSTANDING! They were on top of EVERYTHING!

I don’t think PSA doesn’t mean too much in terms of stage or metastasis. It’s basically an indicator that something is probably going on. The 4+4 is of more concern but even that doesn’t tell you anything regarding leaving the prostate. An MRI will help but a PSMA scan is the one that highlights any metastasis. I have one core 4+3 with PSA 12. Doubled from 6 in past 11 months. One Lymph node also so mine has left the barn. I see oncologist this Wednesday.

One more thing … I asked why not surgery? They said first off my prostate is too large and when they remove prostate they need to also remove large portion of tissue which in my case would affect rectum area too much. If they removed prostate they would also remove lymph node which would make it even worse because of tissue loss. So much to learn. I am 73 yo but am a young 73. Was told by oncologist I would be treated as though I am a 53 yo… whatever that meant I dunno. They also did not recommend Space OAR for me due to complications it would pose for my situation. Remember no 2 people are perfectly alike. Just sayin

By the way my visit with doctors was extremely positive. I have a 20 yr history with my Urologist so I completely trust him. The oncologist was equally trustworthy we’ll see.

My plan was promoted as being very effective per my situation. They don’t expect heavy side affects but we’ll see.

Starts with ADT to shut down the cancer. 2 injections of FIRMAGON today and another in one month. My testosterone will drop 85% in 3 days and 95% in 30 days. The second shot will hopefully finish it off. Done with those. One month after that I get an injection of ELIGARD which does same thing but is like a gel and dispels slowly for 3 months. Doctor will reassess at that time. These meds stop the growth by eliminating testosterone. Also at same time lowers PSA and shrinks the prostate. My prostate is large but oncologist says it may shrink to half size, lowers PSA and makes radiation much more manageable. He said 8+ weeks on ADT is good starting point so March 18 is my radiation start date with IMRT. He DID NOT recommend Space OAR for me and his experience is in my case it would maybe help a little but more likely to cause worse issues. He was first doctor to place OAR in Ohio. He said if I want it ok but highly recommended against it. So regardless of what I read I will probably trust the doctor but that’s a ways off so I can research it more. I undergo radiation for 45 straight days no weekends. By mid May I could be done but we’ll see. I am always sceptical with all this crap but I’m no doctor so it’s his knowledge vs mine. By the end of the meeting I felt much better and more confident than ever that I trust the doctors and I /they will overcome this. It’s a bump in the road not a death sentence.

Hope this helps you but remember I’m no doctor and only offer opinions and not much advice. We got this

Keep me updated on yours as well. . Stay strong. Can’t shake a headache from today’s shots hopefully tomorrow a bit better. No other sides worth mentioning

Like you all, my mind is racing. Finally today my abdomen feels much better but still hard lumps. But that’s least of my worries. Yesterday was first time feeling odd, blurred vision and some anxiety but went away by PM. Began walking on treadmill but pretty out of shape lately so only 1 mile. Today I go for 2 if I can. I am determined to overcome obstacles as I like to stay busy but winters in Ohio tend to make us get lazy. I have been flooding my brain with information but need to back off at times. Just seems like too much all at once. Best time to learn is when you are on hold waiting for action because once action starts then it’s too late to change course so use that free time to your advantage. My headache lasted one day but today flirting with another. So this is something I’m learning is lots of ups and downs but I’m hoping over time I can figure out the patterns and then the solutions. So far besides all the mental stuff I am doing good. When I chatter please don’t take it as a negative only doing it for your sake but if something major changes I can let you know. Last thing I want to do is to bring you down you have enough on your plate I’m sure. I have begun reading up on alternative natural cancer fighting techniques and find it quite interesting but only just began so nothing to share yet. I appreciate hearing your experiences as well so feel free to share whenever. So how are you doing? Symptoms? Staying calm? Worries?

I do have my next Firmagon injection Jan 22. Hopefully these lumps I have now will disappear so I don’t keep adding on.

Is your wife following this discussion? I don’t mind I just like to know how to address you or both of you.

Doug