YANA - YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

EXPERIENCES : DONOR BOOKS :DISCUSSION FORUM : FOR THE WOMENFOLK : ABOUT US : UPDATE YOUR STORY : MAIL US : DONATIONS

YANANOW HOME PAGE : DON'T PANIC : GOOD NEWS! : DIAGNOSIS : SURVIVING : TREATMENT CHOICES : RESOURCES

BRONZE

Joseph Kury and Lisa live in Pennsylvania USA. He was 48 when he was diagnosed on December 23, 2008. His initial PSA was 2.7 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 8 and he was staged T1c. His choice of treatment was robotic surgery - RALP (Robotic Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery). Here is his story.

My prostate cancer diagnosis was totally happenstance as I was having some other issues which prompted a PSA test by a very intuitive and proactive female urology physicians assistant! She suggested I have a PSA test as a precaution after learning my genetic background which included PCa diagnoses in my father and two of my uncles though at later stages in their lives.

My PSA was 2.3 in August of 2008 and after 3 months it had risen to 2.7 which prompted a biopsy of my prostrate. I was certain that it was just a routine test and everything would turn out just fine. Unfortunately the results proved to show a high grade cancer and the doctor presented the news to me two days before Christmas! I was taken completely by surprise to say the least, though my wife of 29 years seemed much more devastated than I.

I opted for robotic surgery which was performed on January 31 2009. I had a rough 3 days following and returned home very optimistic and unconcerned about how this whole episode would affect my life.

I was incontinent for what I thought was a much longer time period than what I had learned through reading of other PC surgery patients and right about the time I was getting completed fed up with the whole wetting thing ,about six months, it all came to an abrupt stop as if someone had turned off a spigot!

ED presented another issue completely which I still suffer from after 1 year and 2 months. I use a pump which produces better results than expected. my wife and I enjoy a great sex life though a little more comical and light hearted than in the past.

I think my wife took the whole experience harder than I did but was my inspiration and support.

I thank God for the early detection which has left me cancer free so far. I thank the physicians assistant for her thorough and proactive approach which saved my life. And I thank my wife for being there for me for everything.

 

UPDATED

March 2011

 

 

Hello! I am now two years post op and have no side effect besides ED for which am currently using vacuum therapy to help the situation.

Other than that I am leading a normal life free from cancer. I hope to continue with the undetectable PSA tests though I am certain they will be just that since the cancer was limited to the prostate only.

Good luck to all and never give up the fight!

Joseph's e-mail address is: jpkbrew@yahoo.com