YANA - YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

BRONZE

Curtis Miller and Debra live in Indiana, USA. He was 58 when he was diagnosed on March 2, 2009. His initial PSA was 9.4 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 7 and although he does not say what his staging was, it seems from his narrative that he was staged T1c. His choice of treatment was Robotic Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy (Da Vinci). Here is his story:

At a routine Physical my PSA was found elevated. My Doctor recommended I take an antibiotic to rule out infection and retest my PSA. After the antibiotic the PSA was still elevated. He suggested I see a Urologist.

A biopsy was recommended and performed. Four of 12 samples were Gleason Score 6 and a fifth was scored 7.

I spoke with a radiation oncologist as well as a Surgeon. I opted for the Da Vinci radical Prostatectomy. My operation was June 23, 2009. I had the catheter removed one week later and was back to work a week after that. I played 18 holes of golf two weeks to the day of my surgery. I would recommend my surgeon Dr. David Hollensbe of Urology of Indiana to anyone considering this procedure. He did a fantastic job in keeping my aware of what was going to happen as well as the actual operation.

I am only a few days out but he has told me I am "cured". That was the best sentence I have ever heard. PCa is a scary thing to face but it can be beaten. Don't be afraid to make the hard decision. It may save your life!

 

UPDATED

November 2010

 

 

It has been 16 Months since my procedure. I have continued with quarterly appointments with my Urologist Dr. David Hollensbee of Urology of Indiana. MY treatment was a complete success. All PSA tests have come back at <0.01, which is considered to be an effective zero.

I have had only one incident that was disturbing. After about 3 months I developed what I thought was the 'flu. I vomited and had a fever. I noticed that my side hurt, I went home and went right to bed. The next day I saw my GP and he diagnosed an inflamed appendix. When I went to emergency they could find only a pocket of fluid in my abdoman. The blood tests showed no appendix issues. This fluid had buit up over the three months since my surgery. A tube was inserted and the pocket drained. I spent a few days in the hospital but all was corrected.

As for "other" issues. I still need to use a pad a day to trap incontinence issues. I do my Kegel exercises daily but I still find some leakage to be common.

On the ED front, I am starting to regain some erectile function. I have awoken a few days with a slight feeling of erection. It certainly is not anywhere near enough for effective intercourse. When speaking with my doctor about this he says I am experiencing a normal reponse in this area. He says medication is the only way to regain normal erectile function. Oh well maybe next year will bring about better results here.

Hang in there everyone, PCa can be beaten if you are willing to forgo a few normal bodily functions, At least we are still alive to see our families grow and hopefully prosper.

Curtis' e-mail address is: cmiller5050@msn.com