Mark
K and Tracey lives in Maryland USA. He was 46 when he was diagnosed in May, 2009.
His initial PSA was 13.0 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 6 (3+3) and he was staged
T1c. His choice of treatment was Retropubic Radical Prostatectomy. Here is his
story.
THERE
WAS NO RESPONSE TO AN UPDATE
REMINDER
IN 2010
SO THERE IS NO UPDATE.
Had
elevated PSA during January, 2009 annual physical (13); 3 week course of antibiotics
resulted in PSA of 12.0. Previous PSA 5 years earlier of 1.2 at age 41; father
died at age 66 of metastasis of prostate cancer. Biopsy early May 2009 resulted
in 5/12 cores positive with cancer.
Bethesda MD Urologist recommended
Da Vinci; I was not comfortable with his level of experience or his recommendation
for treatment based on my extensive research. Sent an email to the "Godfather
of Urology" Dr. Patrick Walsh at Hopkins explaining my situation and my uncertainty
between types of treatment, specifically robotic vs. open. Dr. Walsh called me
back personally the next morning and discussed my case comprehensively; what a
consummate professional! He recommended open surgery, and stated he would be happy
to do my operation, but suggested I speak to his protégé at Hopkins, Dr. Ted Schaeffer,
who does 150 prostatectomies annually, fairly equally split between robotic and
open, to help me make my decision. I agreed and met with Dr. Schaeffer on May
1.
Dr. Schaeffer was amazing, and the experience at Hopkins was unmatched
in my lifetime of medical encounters. After a lengthy discussion, I concurred
with Dr. Schaeffer that an RRP would be best for me; everything felt right. Further,
Dr. Schaeffer agreed to delay a rare vacation to do my surgery the following Saturday,
June 13.
I showed up at Hopkins at 5.30am the following Saturday and I
was in the recovery room awake by 9.30 or so, surgery complete. Everything went
well in surgery, including complete nerve sparing. I checked out of the hospital
the following day, Sunday, to begin my recovery. Yesterday, June 17th, I got the
call from Dr. Schaeffer regarding my pathology; YAHOOO... clear margins all around,
no lymph node involvement; the cancer was upgraded to Gleason 7 (3+4).
I
have to deal with this damn catheter for 5 more days, then out come the staples
and catheter, and life can go on. Recovery is going well, and the phone call regarding
pathology was a dream come true, validating my decision process. Again, I couldn't
be happier with Hopkins, and especially Dr. Schaeffer. Not sure what the future
holds, but I'm looking forward to dealing with it cancer free. As Dr. Walsh says,
"you can buy continence and sexual function, but clear margins are priceless."
Sorry if this sounds like an ad for Hopkins, but my experience has been that good,
especially considering an initial diagnosis less than 2 months ago.
