THERE WAS NO RESPONSE TO AN UPDATE REMINDER IN 2016 SO THERE IS NO UPDATE.

My adventure started when I had my yearly physical and blood test, and a PSA reading that was over 4.0 for the first time, which caused my family doctor to recommend a biopsy. (He had not felt anything with the digital exam.) Then the results of that biopsy, prostate cancer, was given to me by my urologist on my March birthday in 2007. (Not a happy birthday thing.) I have never liked my urologist because he is getting on up in years and is pretty gruff, and he lived up to my low expectations with the way he gave me this bad news - the staging was T2a from the biopsy report. So even though I let him make me a follow-up appointment, I started doing some investigation on my own about treatment options.

Then, through a mutual friend, I heard about this fellow in our area that had just gotten back from being treated for prostate cancer at The Loma Linda Proton Treatment Center in CA. When I called him, he couldn't say enough positive things about that mode of treatment and how few side effects there were from it. Then I got a recommended book: "You Can Beat Prostate Cancer, And You Don't Need Surgery To Do It." By Robert Marckini. This guy was a PC survivor and had researched all of the options thoroughly before choosing the proton beam radiation treatment.

Well, after all that, I had pretty much decided that I was going the proton beam treatment route also, so I applied at the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville, FL. , because it is only a little over 2 hour drive from my house in central FL.

After two visits there, a one day and a three day, for exhaustive tests, they confirmed my cancer was in the early stages and I did qualify for the proton radiation treatment, without chemo.

I started my 40 treatments the first of July, 2007 and finished the end of Aug., 2007 and have nothing but good things to say about the whole experience and my PSA readings have been steadily decreasing. They were 1.3 at 3 months and 1.0 at 6 months.

One other thing, while I was undergoing my treatments, I was able to exercise daily and pretty much live my life as before. The treatments only took about an hour and a half to 2 hours, 5 days a week.

On reviewing my original posting, I felt I should clarify and add a few things, in the interest of full disclosure.

Where I had stated treatment times of a couple of hours a day, actually the treatments themselves only lasted a few minutes and the rest of the time was for travel and waiting my turn after I got to the treatment center and drank the prescribed amount of water to expand my bladder.

Then I should state that I have had issues with urinary urgency, stop & starting, and burning along the way. That has pretty much resolved itself down to some burning occasionally, which I can control by drinking cranberry juice. As for ED, that had already manifested itself before the proton treatments so no change there.

I will be going to Jacksonville for my 12 month check in Oct. It should be in Aug., but is being delayed because of scheduling problems with my doctor. So, I will be adding another update after that.

Wish all who come down with this common male disease well, and low PSAs.

Well, it has been 13 months since my final proton radiation treatment and I just got the results back from my latest blood test. Previously my PSA had been running 1.0 or slightly higher but this time it was 0.5 so I am encouraged that it is on the way down to a nadir. My only remaining problem has been some burning while urinating.

I have my 12 month follow up appointment with my Jacksonville proton center doctor next week, (10/14) and intend to bring that up to him. More to come.

I just this week got the results of my latest blood test and my PSA reading had dropped from 1.0 to 0.3 since Oct., 2008. It has been a year and five months since my last radiation treatment and I feel very good about how it is going.

I am approaching the 3 year mark since I was treated for prostate cancer.

I have had no known lasting effects from the radiation treatments and am in relative good health for someone 75 years old. My proton treatments began in July of 2007 and ended in August of that year. My PSA readings started declining after that until they reached the present 0.1 which may well be my nadir. My urologist doctor at the UFPTI where I got my treatments recently changed my scheduled checkup appointments there from every 6 months to yearly and my PSA tests from every 3 months to every 6 months.

So I am very thankful for the results I have had and feel confident that by the grace of God, my prostate cancer is no longer a threat to my life. I strongly recommend proton beam treatments as the option of choice for prostate cancer.

All is going well. My blood tests (latest result 0.10 ng/ml) have been changed from every 3 months to every 6 months and my every 6 months visits back to my UFPTI urologist has been changed to once a year.

My general health is still good for a 76 year old man. I try and walk 2 miles most every day in my neighborhood and get regular checkups from my family doctor. I do take the usual blood pressure and cholesterol lowering meds but have no known effects from the prostate cancer or the proton treatments and am going on 4 years from the July 2007 completion of those treatments.

My next PSA blood test is scheduled for next month (Feb. 2012) and my next trip to my UFPT doctor is scheduled for this coming Aug, I am still most happy with the treatment choice I made and highly recommend that way to go for those who can meet the physical & financial requirements.

I will be glad to answer any questions you might have.

It will be 6 years in July of this year since the end of my proton treatments. Now I am just going back to Jacksonville (Proton Center) once a year in Aug. for a checkup after getting a blood test locally. My last checkup last Aug. 2012 was normal. I have never had any regrets about choosing proton radiation for my treatment option.

I get checked once a year now in Jacksonville, and my PSA continues to be less than 1. I am in my 7th year since being treated with proton radiation.

I have had some health issues this past year but none I can tie to my prostate cancer. I recently had my 80th birthday so I consider myself blessed. I can get out of bed every morning and I still go for walks and mow our small front yard.

Tom's e-mail address is: borals5580 AT mypacks.net (replace "AT" with "@")

NOTE: Tom has not updated his story for more than 15 months, so you may not receive any response from him.