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BRONZE

Bill Schmid and Joan live in Massachusets, USA. He was 53 when he was diagnosed on October 1, 2009. His initial PSA was 4.2 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 3+3=6 and he was staged T1c. He is undecided as to his choice of treatment. Here is his story.


Given all the recent publications of medical "over treatment " of diseases like Prostate Cancer I find myself hesitant to move forward with the (any) operation.

I have my third interview with a different team of doctors this Wednesday with the idea of trying to decide between open, laparoscopic or the robotic laparoscopic procedure.

I understand that at my age and early stage that watchful waiting is a viable option but my initial reaction is things are certainly not going to be much better down the line.

In order to gain (my)the full picture and have some truth in reporting I have a BMI (Body Mass Index) over 30 so I will be working on that prior to anything.

I have been devouring website material for over two weeks now but this is my first post.

I appreciate the forum and the help.

Thanks

Bill

 

UPDATED

January 2010

 

 

For several months now I have been looking in to other options then RALP (Robotic Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery) - currently scheduled for February 17, 2009.

Upon the recommendation of my doctor I went to Dana Farber to consult a medical oncologist. He would like be to consider "seeds", I will follow up with them on January 22, but will likely stay with the surgery. Meanwhile my current PSA has gone from 2.6 to 4.13 in 4 months.

Thanks to all of you who contribute to this forum. It has been a great source of information and comfort

Bill

 

UPDATED

March 2011

 

 

My year anniversary of RALP surgery will be March 31,2011.

Mine is a fortunate tale of success and I am happy to share if it can give some hope or guidance to anyone who is dealing with this difficult issue. Although my Gleason was upgraded at the time of surgery (3+4), post RALP PSA have been taken quarterly and each continues to be undetectable (.001)

There has been no incontinence issues after the first couple weeks post surgery.

The erection status is still in flux and we have increased the meds to see how effective that will be.

Surgery was a difficult decision at the time and there were some heated debates (on this and other forums) of the pro and cons. Looking back from this point it would seem I made the right decision at the right time and have little regrets. My surgeon Dr Ingolf Tuerk is a brilliant star on the Da Vinci Robot and continues to be very supportive after one year of surgery.

I know each circumstance when dealing with PCA is unique and it is still very early to give the all clear signal but for now I remain thankful of the results and support. If I can help or answer any question let me know

Thanks to all those on this and the other forums for the immeasurable help they bring.

Bill Schmid.

Bill's e-mail address is: joanzen@comcast.net