<p>H was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago with prostate cancer. It is in very early stages, because he (61) has been diligent about getting the PSA screening every year. This year the PSA numbers were a little elevated, so he had a biopsy, which turned out positive. After some research and discussion with others who have been through this, he has elected to have the surgery (as opposed to radiation treatments). It is robotic surgery (very sophisticated) and he will only be in the hospital one night. We did not expect to have to deal with this on the heels of our move to a new city (and thanks to one of my CC friends for referring us to the urologist here), but we do have to deal with it. It is manageable and we will get through it, but I wanted to tell our story to alert others to the need to get the PSA screenings.
H had NO symptoms whatsover.</p>
<p>Oh, MOWC, {{{{{{{MAJOR HUGS}}}}}}} to you and your husband!!! I am <em>so</em> relieved to hear that this has been caught early and that it is treatable with the robotic surgery. This must be especially difficult for you both dealing with this right on the heels of a move such as the one you just made. My thoughts and prayers are with you both as you face this challenge, a challenge which I’m sure will be overcome. PLEASE keep us posted, and thanks, sweetie, for the heads up that you took the time and effort to give with everything else on your plate right now.</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>Same thoughts as berurah…I am glad your husband was diligent about the screening and in fact, his prognosis is very good because of that. I am sorry for this stress, on top of a move. You’ll get through it and it will all work out. My thoughts are with you guys. You are doing good by posting this so that others will take heed. My husband has never been screened, yet I do mammograms yearly. I am going to get after him. Thanks.</p>
<p>Good luck, MOWC! Since it was caught early, I’m sure the prognosis is favorable.</p>
<p>MOWC,
Thoughts and prayers are with you and your H as you face this challenge. Great that it was found early. This sparked me to ask my H whether he has been tested regularly and he looked at me rather indignantly and said, “Of course.” I liked the answer, so I ignored the look.</p>
<p>MOWC, our thoughts are with you and your H and we wish you the best. My H has been screened annually since my stepDad was diagnosed ten years ago. It was a wake up call to all the men in our family. My stepDad is doing well with no recurrence and no major side effects from the radiation which is the treatment he chose.</p>
<p>more good wishes. Fortunately we all hear great results with the various treatments. Dad had very invasive CA when it was discovered. He had been going in routinely to get his PSA checked. The result got lost in the urologist office, or maybe was filed by a clerk. Fortunately his dialysis doctor got the results and demanded dad get checked immediately. We just had free PSA’s at work-one nurse discovered he had CA and is being treated.</p>
<p>Good reminder.</p>
<p>Thanks, all. H seems to be taking it in stride. Being an engineer, he is fascinated by the robot. Some worries about the recovery, but health is the most important thing. We have a friend who didn’t even have to take an aspirin after he got home, and was back at yoga in 10 days.
I feel like the new home is a hospital ward- the big dog just got home from having knee surgery (NOT insured…) He has an Elizabethan Collar on which is literally 2 feet in diameter. It is hilarious watching this 120 pound dog walk around with a lamp shade framing his face. He bumps it into everything.<br>
S is sick at Penn- lots of colds and flu going around there. All I can do is nag him to go to the health center.</p>
<p>My best friend/college roommate had periodic physicals for his diabetes and other issues. His health insurance was awful because he was self-employed. So his doctor skipped doing most of the “optional” lab tests, including the PSA. Two or three years ago, they did do his PSA, at age 62-63. His PSA number was 77 - a VERY high number. He now has prostate cancer that has spread elsewhere, is doing chemo, just went through dialysis, is in and out of the hospital, has gone to some kind of artificial internal bladder that has to be surgically changed every three months, is pretty much dependent for errands and such on long time friends - basically is living an AWFUL life. The only good news is that he recently became eligible for Medicare, which is solving some of his terrible financial costs associated with this ordeal. His prognosis is lousy. So pay attention to this thread and have your PSA tested periodically and get a colonoscopy periodically.</p>
<p>I have a full physical scheduled for December 1. For many men, this is akin to asking for directions. My W had thyroid cancer a couple of years back, so I no longer feel we are invincible. </p>
<p>Must admit, this did make me smile:
</p>
<p>All the best to your husband.</p>
<p>Thank you for posting such a good reminder of the importance of this kind of regular checkup, and good luck to you and your husband.</p>
<p>MoWC - I’m so sorry to hear this, but I know you are grateful for the early catch. I understand completely what you are going through and I’ll be saying prayers for you and your family. My mom got confirmation that she does have breast cancer a few days ago, but she too is an early catch… so you kinda end up feeling like you got the best of the worst possible news and you thank God for that. One thing that I have learned is that there is a suspected link between prostate cancer and breast cancer…my grandfather (mom’s dad) had prostate cancer. So everyone please be aware of these family connections and keep on top of those screenings/mammograms.</p>
<p>Please keep us updated MoWC.</p>
<p>MWC, All my best wishes , first off for a complete cure for your hubby, which thankfully is what you can anticipate with an early detection, and secondly for an easy time with the surgery and recovery. There’s simply never a convenient or desirable time for anything like this, is there? Thank you, as well, for the important reminder. It’s such a timely one considering the ages of most of the people reading here. </p>
<p>Also, sorry to hear that WC is not feeling well. I hear that lots of kids have been sick there this week, mine included!</p>
<p>Thank you very much for that very important reminder. I wish you and your family all the best and a speedy recovery for your husband.</p>
<p>H said to remind everyone that it isn’t only the absolute number that is important on the PSA, but the delta from one test to the next. His number was still pretty low, but there was a delta that raised suspicion.
Thanks for all the good wishes. We appreciate them.</p>
<p>Sending my best wishes for an uneventful surgery and complete recovery for your H. Be sure to take care of yourself, it sounds like your nursing skills are needed all around.</p>
<p>MWC,</p>
<p>Your advice is actually not current recommended medical practice. Here’s why. There is no evidence that early diagnosis by elevated PSA actually leads anyone to live longer. It DOES lead to a lot of extra biopsies. It does find disease that might not have been detected for years, if ever. It does not increase survival.</p>
<p>It turns out that early diagnosis of cancers is not always a useful thing. Look at it this way:</p>
<ul>
<li> if you have a slow growing cancer, as many prostate cancers are (and quite a few breast, I might add), and you diagnose it two years earlier than you would otherwise, then the patient will survive two years longer FROM DIAGNOSIS but die at the same age he might have without early diagnosis.</li>
</ul>
<p>The more useful measure is whether more patients who die early survive. Here the evidence is inclusive.</p>
<p>Now, for monitoring therapy, and detecting recurrant disease, PSA levels are very useful. But that is completely different from screening of otherwise healthy folks. </p>
<p>Good luck, I know it will be challenging.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Moreover, if you diagnose it two years earlier and treat it, the patient will have to live with any lasting adverse effects that might occur as a result of treatment for two years longer. (Sometimes, treatment for prostate cancer can lead to lasting erectile dysfunction and/or urinary incontinence problems.) Also (regardless of whether you treat it), the patient loses two years of thinking “I’m a healthy person” and instead gets two years of thinking “I have cancer,” which can have a detrimental effect on the quality of life.</p>
<p>Counterintuitive as it may seem, sometimes it’s better not to know.</p>
<p>Marian, good points, especially when you think (from a male perspective, at least) about the most common side effect of prostate surgery.</p>
<p>Marian, good points, especially when you think (from a male perspective, at least) about the most common side effect of prostate surgery.</p>