Eight Weeks Post Surgery - PSA = Zero !!

LBlanks
LBlanks Member Posts: 44
edited March 2014 in Prostate Cancer #1
Well, got word from my Urologist/Surgeon that my post op PSA was "zero". Those are the words you want to hear after going through all of this.

I'm still at two pads a day, one at night before going to bed and one after my shower in the morning. I could probably do without the night pad, but it's just a safety measure for now.

Doc says I'm doing great in that area, but not so great in another.

Due to the Gleason score of 3+3, the lower left of my prostate was heavily populated with cancer. During the surgery, the doc removed the left nerves as a precaution and based on his experience. As it turned out, the lab report showed clear margins all around the prostate, so it probably was not necessary to do that after all. I sure don't fault him for this because if the cancer cells had leaked out, I would now be undergoing radiation.
He did what he thought was best based on his experience.

Because of this, I am not responding to the Viagra treatments (one every other day). We're looking into the drug "MUSE" which is like a suppository (better than the injection of the same drug). It's a very expensive treatment and not covered by insurance (6 @ $172)

Anyone out there tried the "MUSE" treatment?

Larry B

Comments

  • lewvino
    lewvino Member Posts: 1,010 Member
    #2
    Larry,
    Glad to hear you got
    Larry,
    Glad to hear you got a 0! That is great news. The doc does what they think is best and we have to go with their judgement calls. That is what we pay them for! The doc took about 20-40% of my one nerve bundle but I'm having good results with Levitra. Have to pre medicate for the headaches it causes though.

    You are only at 2 months post surgery so keep doing things to keep the penile tissue healthy.
    Have you tried the pump yet?

    Curious to read how the muse will work for you.

    Good luck,
    Larry up in Chattanooga Tn area.
  • jminnj
    jminnj Member Posts: 129 Member
    #3
    Larry, being I am only one
    Larry, being I am only one week post op, I can't comment on the problem you are having, but I would like to say Congrats on the PSA test. That is fantastic news! I hope that with your docs you can resolve the current issue. I continue to keep you and the rest of the gang on this board in my thoughts and prayers. I felt very thankful to be able to have folks to talk to who were going through the same thing.

    God Bless,
    Joe
  • Ocean-View
    Ocean-View Member Posts: 26
    #4
    Good for you Larry
    Hi Larry,

    You might check out the book "Saving your sex life" It will give you a lot of good info.

    I am 4 months since da Vinci and take the daily Cialis. Both sets of nerves were spared. No spontaneous erections. It takes a very long time for the nerves to heal after surgery. (many months) Run your finger across your scar and you will notice it is numb on one side. Those nerves haven't regenerated fully either. It just takes time.

    Christmas was three months for me and I stopped using the pads. I still had a little leak hear and there. Today, I can't remember when that last happened. Continence is something that also takes time. You have to heal and the internal swelling has to go down. If you are improving each week, you will get there also.

    My drivers license says that I'm 62, my brain says 36. Like it or not, prostate cancer is something that happens to older guys, and it takes us a lot longer to heal than it did when Elton John had his own hair.

    Tom D Orlando
    da Vinci September 24 2009
  • LBlanks
    LBlanks Member Posts: 44
    #5
    lewvino said:

    Larry,
    Glad to hear you got
    Larry,
    Glad to hear you got a 0! That is great news. The doc does what they think is best and we have to go with their judgement calls. That is what we pay them for! The doc took about 20-40% of my one nerve bundle but I'm having good results with Levitra. Have to pre medicate for the headaches it causes though.

    You are only at 2 months post surgery so keep doing things to keep the penile tissue healthy.
    Have you tried the pump yet?

    Curious to read how the muse will work for you.

    Good luck,
    Larry up in Chattanooga Tn area.

    Pump
    Yes, Insurance wouldn't cover the $500 cost for the pump, but after some internet research, I found the same one, made by the same company on-line for $88 plus shipping. It's have minimal effect but based on the Doc's explanation, it definitely necessary to keep the tissue healthy and to minimize the long term damage from internal scaring.

    If anyone is interested, if you'll do a search for "vitality augusta medical" you can find several places that sell it for a heck of a lot less than what they charge the insurance companies. $88 plus shipping for the manual pump and $134 with free shipping for the battery powered.

    Larry B

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