Prostate cancer

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Alpena Jeff said:
OP here with an update
Radiation therapy has begun and will continue until late January. So far all is well.
We will head to the desert once I am cleared to travel.
Thanks to all for the support. We got this! ;)
Jeff
How many treatments do they have you scheduled for? I did 48. Not bad but like working again. Get up go to work 5 days a week ;).
Bill
 
"Oh no, you may lose your hair!" I never had any real adverse side effects.
Jeff, It's not that bad of adeal. I had about the same drive in DFW traffic. ;D
The treatments only took about 10-15 min.
Bill
 
Also had prostate cancer.  There are several treatment options.  My condition was right for brachytherapy.  Two treatments two weeks apart as an outpatient and I was done.  Cancer free for 8 years now.  Prostate cancer is in most cases very slow growing and very treatable.

 
Alpena Jeff said:
Agreed. The majority of men that are fortunate to live long enough are at risk. The odds of full recovery are excellent. Get screened!
One problem that many may not realize is that some doctors no longer even automatically offer the PSA as a matter of a normal yearly exam despite the fact that Medicare approves of it.  I asked my doc and he willingly gave me the test but says they have been told that beyond a certain age they should just let the person ask for the PSA first.  He would not say what that age was but I was 77 at the time and he was not doing it automatically.  He would not say who was telling the doctors of his medical system this information.  I suspect it may have been Medicare because he did say it started during the Obama Admininstration and came in along with all the questioning you now get about whether you have ever fallen or feel faint or several other areas that may indicate physical infirmities.

Bill
 
As a medical technologist for over 30 years and as a core lab supervisor for 26, I can tell you that a man's PSA (prostatic specific antigen) will rise (somewhat) as he ages. Slightly elevated values for men over the age of 70 (ish), may be perfectly normal and not indicative of any disease state. When this test is used as the sole indicator of disease state (and unfortunately it often is due to the publicity it has received), many men undergo unnecessary invasive procedures, entailing additional risk and emotional duress. The PSA assay was developed only as a screening tool, to be used in conjunction with a physical exam and other clinical indications. if malignancy is suspected in an older man, much more specific testing is available for help with the diagnosis. (Of course it is also more expensive and must be indicated for insurance reimbursement). Any lab value should ALWAYS be interpreted as part of the entire clinical picture.
The same scenario has occurred recently concerning the use of mammograms for older women. False positives have led to many many unnecessary invasive procedures and mental anguish.
Also always remember that a biopsy (of anything) is only diagnostic if it is positive; there is always the possibility that of biopsy missed the malignant portion of whatever was being biopsied... Medical science is far from perfect, and "standard of practice" is not always the appropriate course of action. For me personally, I've found a doc I trust, stay as informed as I can, and am not at all afraid to ask questions and to ask to see the medical literature his decisions are based upon.

Best wishes for a speedy course of treatment and recovery Jeff.
 
Some new technology. They did more than 25 biopsies and found only 4 positive. if they had used older methods they may have missed it. The ultrasound mapping let them know exactly where it was.
https://www.insideradiology.com.au/ultrasound-guided-prostate-biopsy/
From my doctors website. IMRT/IGRT External Beam Radiation & Stereotactic Radiosurgery utilizing a Varian iX Linear Accelerator equipped with RapidArc and incorporated with our on-site PET/CT Scanner for increased accuracy. My new friend. :))
If you need the best I highly recommend Doctor G.A Echt at Choice Cancer Center.
https://choicecancercare.com/our-centers/las-colinas-irving-tx/
Bill

 
CMS said:
As a medical technologist for over 30 years and as a core lab supervisor for 26, I can tell you that a man's PSA (prostatic specific antigen) will rise (somewhat) as he ages. Slightly elevated values for men over the age of 70 (ish), may be perfectly normal and not indicative of any disease state. When this test is used as the sole indicator of disease state (and unfortunately it often is due to the publicity it has received), many men undergo unnecessary invasive procedures, entailing additional risk and emotional duress. The PSA assay was developed only as a screening tool, to be used in conjunction with a physical exam and other clinical indications. if malignancy is suspected in an older man, much more specific testing is available for help with the diagnosis. (Of course it is also more expensive and must be indicated for insurance reimbursement). Any lab value should ALWAYS be interpreted as part of the entire clinical picture.
The same scenario has occurred recently concerning the use of mammograms for older women. False positives have led to many many unnecessary invasive procedures and mental anguish.
Also always remember that a biopsy (of anything) is only diagnostic if it is positive; there is always the possibility that of biopsy missed the malignant portion of whatever was being biopsied... Medical science is far from perfect, and "standard of practice" is not always the appropriate course of action. For me personally, I've found a doc I trust, stay as informed as I can, and am not at all afraid to ask questions and to ask to see the medical literature his decisions are based upon..

Thanks for that great answer.  It really put my mind to rest as to why the PSA may not be indicative of a major problem in older people.  Had never seen that before.

Bill
 
It's too bad doctors don't take the time to explain that to people. I always appreciate when a doctor spends the extra time to give information above and beyond.
 
I  was 67 and in very good health at the time the prostate cancer was detected.  Had a good PSA base line over several years with GP and "sudden" jump in PSA level.  GP sent me to a urologist.  A biopsy of the prostate confirmed the cancer.  Now if I was in poor health he would recommend no action since I would probably die of old age before the prostate cancer killed me.  But since I was 68 and in very good health the recommendation was that action be taken.  Removal, external radiation or internal radiation or because it was caught very early  brachytherapy.  Choice was mine and each procedure type has its own plus and minus.  Good reason to go to your GP on a regular bases so that he/she can get a good baseline on you.
 
OP here.
Last treatment was Jan 21. It was really nothing more than an inconvenience. Nothing fell off, everything still works. God is good! We will monitor closely.
Thank you all for caring!
Jeff and Judy
 
Alpena Jeff said:
OP here.
Last treatment was Jan 21. It was really nothing more than an inconvenience. Nothing fell off, everything still works. God is good! We will monitor closely.
Thank you all for caring!
Jeff and Judy


:)) :))
 
I found out last week my Brother was in hospital haveing 3 stents installed.. Now some history

I'm 68
My mother died at 64
My Not-so-little brother ix 62 (he's also 6'6" hence the no so little)
He had a heart attack back about 2008.. Pacemker and such installed
triple bypass surgery I do not know when.. it clogged up so they just did another triple bypassing the original bypasses.

I'm still factory original.

Actually it is kind of scary.
 
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