YANA - YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

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John P. and Janice live in California, USA. He was 62 when he was diagnosed on July 21, 2010. His initial PSA was 2.0 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 7 and it seems likely he was staged T2a. His choice of treatment was Da Vinci Robotic Prostatectomy. Here is his story.

I am a fit 62 year old who works out four times a week and who has always paid attention to health and nutrition. At 6'1, 190 lbs., I am in good shape for my age. During my last physical in March, my FP noticed hardness in a portion of my prostate during the rectal exam and referred me to a Urologist. He recommended a biopsy which returned a positive result as follows:

Left Prostate: Apex Lateral - Gleason grade 3+3, length 1mm, 5% of biopsy; Mid Medial - Gleason grade 3+3, length 1mm, 5% of biopsy

Right Prostate: Apex Medial - Gleason grade 4+3, length 3mm, 20% of biopsy; Apex Lateral - Gleason grade 3+3, length 1mm, 5% of biopsy; Mid Medial - Gleason grade 3+3, length 1.5mm, 10% of biopsy.

Initially, this was quite a shock to me, as I have always been healthy with no previous surgeries and am physically fit. After doing my initial research and talking to my wife's boss who was diagnosed three years ago, I am 99% decided on doing the Da Vinci Robotic Prostatectomy due to my relatively young age. My contact referred me to Dr. Mark Kawachi of the City of Hope who has performed many Robotic surgeries. My friend also had a very good experience with his surgery. I am meeting with Dr. Kawachi in a week and a half for consultation with my wife included, at which time I plan to make my final decision. That's it for now.

Later: This week, I consulted with a radiation specialist, a surgeon at the City of Hope and my friend who is a teacher of meditation and self hypnosis technique. My wife and I decided upon this plan of action:

Due to a Gleason score of 4+3 on one area of my biopsy which accounted for 20% of the right prostate plus the fact that two acquaintances have had robotic surgery and are doing well, we decided on this procedure as my method of treatment. All physicians I consulted with stated that at my age and given my biopsy results, this would be the recommended method of treatment. Even the radiation specialist stated that "he wouldn't have a problem" with me choosing the surgical route. He actually was recommending a combination of hormone therapy followed by IMRT radiation, a regimen that I felt might be a bit extreme. His office was near a major retirement community, and I felt that his experience might be with an older patient base.

I am scheduled for surgery with Dr. Mark Kawachi of the City of Hope on Thursday, September 23rd. Dr. Kawachi operated on my wife's boss's husband several years ago, and he is doing well. The doctor also has a very solid reputation and has been doing robotic proceedures since 2003 which makes him one of the most experienced physicians in the region with this proceedure.

Now that I have made this very important decision, I have to assure that I can maintain the most positive mental attitude possible leading up to the surgery and beyond. My friend Jennifer had a stroke in 2003 and credits meditation and spiritualism as playing a huge role in her complete recovery. She has been teaching individualized courses for the past five years. We met this morning and agreed to a personalized course of an hour or two per week during the period leading up to my surgery. She knows my "type A" tendencies, and I am very confident that she can help me immensely in the mental portion of this "battle." Living five minutes from the beach in Southern CA, I have the perfect setting for meditation and improving positive mental attitude, so I am excited about bringing in Jenn as my spiritual leader and advisor.

That's it for now! May God bless us all.

 

UPDATED

October 2010

 

I had my surgery on Thursday, September 23rd, and the surgery was deemed successful by my surgeon, Dr. Mark Kawachi. However, after surgery I developed some continual blood loss which was just over minimum transfusion status. After two days, the follow-up physician found a surface vein leak and stitched the area. My blood level stabilized and although at anemia level was high enough to discharge me after five days of hospitalization.

At the follow-up appointment which was yesterday, I was told that there appears to be no lymph node nor collateral cancer outside of the prostate. I am now on the recovery program. My biggest issue thus far has been mental, as I have been unable to sleep since surgery. I took a sleeping pill last night that helped but have been very groggy all day. My biggest positive has been that I have been able to control my bladder and have not experienced incontinence.

Let me add that my wife Janice has been wonderful in this entire ordeal sleeping on basically a chair in my hospital room for four days. She is the most wonderful woman on this planet.

Later: It has now been a little over three weeks since my surgery, and I finally feel like I am on my way to recovery. I wound up being treated by an acupuncturist who I knew from a business networking group for insomnia, and he has me back on a normal sleep regimen. I was treated with a combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbs which seem to be working well. My strength is coming back, and I feel better with more energy each day.

The most positive things that have happened are that I have had virtually no incontinence and today actually had an unstimulated erection. I'm sure some of this is probably due to being prescribed Viagra after my surgery, [see Use It Or Lose It] but it is very encouraging after only three weeks.

All in all, I am feeling very positive, as I was told that all signs point to the cancer being confined to the prostate. My followup appointment with my surgeon is in two weeks, so I'm hoping for good news on November 1st.

 

UPDATED

November 2010

 

 

Had my six week follow-up from surgery on November 1. PSA was non-detectable, and I have had no incontinence problems or erectile disfunction. My only issue is prolonged slight anemia from blood loss after surgery. My family physician just put me on Slow-Fe, a timed release iron supplement, and I actually feel stronger after one day.

With all the good news relative to my recent surgery, we are facing a new challenge, as my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer two weeks ago and started chemo last week. However, her prognosis is good, and she is being treated by a world class oncologist, Dr. John Link. He has projected a 90% chance of complete recovery.

So, in conclusion, I have gone from care taker to care giver in the space of a couple of weeks. We are as positive as can be given the situation and will fight the Big C with everything we've got.

 

UPDATED

January 2011

 

 

I had my 15 week checkup yesterday at City of Hope, and everything checked out well. My PSA was non-detectable, and my blood levels were back to normal. I had been battling anemia from excessive bleeding after surgery which resulted in ongoing colds and sinus infections. However, now I feel as close to normal as I have felt since my surgery in late September. I am back to my one hour beach power walk, and last week I walked five days. I am going to do a combination of power walks and gym workouts consistently four days a week.

My objective now turns toward providing total support for my wife who has hit a plateau in her breast cancer chemo treatments. I'm hoping that my significantly better positive mindset can rub off on her.

I am very fortunate in the fact that I have experienced no incontinence nor erectile disfunction since my surgery.

John's e-mail address is: calrep@cox.net