THERE WAS NO RESPONSE TO AN UPDATE REMINDER IN 2015 SO THERE IS NO UPDATE.

February 2011 I had my annual physical which I always look forward to, especially the DRE (Digital Rectal Examination) :) My DRE came back clean but my Dr. called me two days later and told me that my PSA was 12.0 and that he'd recommend me going to a Urologist. Of course this all scared me and I was in denial that I could actually have anything serious.

My first Urologist recommend a course of antibiotics and some anti-inflammatory meds, they thought there was a good chance of an infection, especially at my age. Three months later I got another PSA and it was at 5.9, I was encouraged and my Urologist said let's watch it. But a day or two later he told me to come back in and get a biopsy. I don't know, I just didn't feel comfortable with him so I contacted a friend of mine who is a GI / Proctologist doctor for a recommendation. He hooked me up with another Urologist who was a lot more pleasant to work with.

Long story short, after some other antibiotics he finally recommended a biopsy (PSA was 4.95). So, in December 2011 I had the biopsy and it was a lot of fun and I got to know my urologist even better:) I work for a healthcare organization, and was able to look up my MHR to find out the results of my pathology report before my doctor even called.

My heart sunk when I read the report and it said that 1 of 12 cores had 5% cancer and that my Gleason Score was 3+3=6. So, I wasn't caught of guard when my doctor called the next day to tell me the news. Since that time I've been doing a lot of research, and I've talked to at a minimum of 6 doctors, most of them urologists that recommended that I don't sit on this and wait it out. It's caused some anxiety and after much research I decided that I will have surgery to remove the prostate. Now, I'm just in the process of deciding who I want to do it. I've run into so many prostate cancer survivors that have been great for providing me with information and helping me make some tough decisions.

I think I will be having surgery sometime between April and May. My biggest fear is having to wear diapers for an extended amount of time, although every one of the personal contacts I've made were continent within weeks of the surgery - that's awesome, although I don't want to expect too high and be disappointed. I'm hoping I'm one of them. My next highest fear....you got it - ED problems.

I'll keep you up to date when I get closer or after my surgery. Best of luck to all who are going through the same thing!!

It's been two months since I had Davinci Robotic surgery. The surgeon (Urologist) said that everything went perfectly and that the pathology report was as good as it gets. They found two small tumors in my prostate that made up about 5% of it. All margins were really good and felt that there was a very good chance that nothing got out.

Recovery form me has been a bit humbling and frustrating. I had the cath in for 5 days and then they pulled it. The first four days post cath were very difficult. As much as I prepared myself I really thought that I was going to be dry from day one but that was not the case, in my opinion. I was leaking a bit here and there and it drove me nuts!! I was depressed. After a few weeks it lightened up. It almost seemed that every week I took a step forward with better bladder control.

At one month I met with my doctor and expressed my frustration. At this time I was no longer wearing any pads (those were gone after about 2 weeks) and was only wearing "tighty-whities" to give support and catch the dribbles. I told him that if I moved wrong, jumped, or farted I'd dribble in my pants. Occasionally it would just spontaneously squirt in my pants for no reason, but that wasn't as common. I think not being able to fart without wetting myself was the most diffult. Also, I seem to pee more often now, about every 3-4 hours. Anyway, I told my doctor all this and he asked how many pads I was going through. I said, I don't wear them, that I just dribble in my undies occasionally. His response was, "Well, that my friend is considered continent." From his perspective, if you aren't constantly dribbling or wearing pads that you're considered continent. That was my biggest ahhh haaa. I always thought continent was totally dry and in control. I hope that some day I can pass gas again without running to the toilet.

Just had my latest PSA and it came back at 0. That's a relief.

I currently have ED issues, in fact, at two months the best I've got is straight out with a little Levitra. Not enough to do anything, however. He said that may take 6-12 months to get back, so I'll be patient and work at it. It is frustrating.

Honestly, I'm not pleased with the side effects at all. They drive me nuts. I understand why they say quality of life takes a hit. But I do have to be patient. I'm hoping that things come around and I can get as close to normal as possible. On the bright side, no more DRE's at annual physicals. My PCP is going like that :)

It's been about 17 months since I chose to have the Davinci Robot prostatechtomy. My Dr. seems to think that I'm in the clear and that a PSA check at my annual physical should be sufficient. The last 3 PSA's have been 0.01 so I feel optimistic that the cancer is gone but, unfortunately I have to live with the aftermath and devistation of the surgery. I don't have too many gripes about my continence. Everything seems to be close to normal with the exception of an occasional unexpected dribble when I move wrong. I can live with a wet spot here and there. But other than that, it feels pretty normal.

My biggest problem is the ED piece. Yeh, part of me feels like Drs. just tell you what you want to hear. As a 45 year old I was seen as a candidate that would bounce right back and be in the saddle within weeks of surgery, that's what my Dr. would tell me. He was very convincing. Retrospectively, that's the part I kind of regret. I waited for about 18 months before opting for surgery but part of me feels that I still may have rushed it. I always ask, "Maybe, I didn't chose the right Dr" or "Maybe I should have persued active surveilance for a while longer." I've even questioned my method for curing my cancer. But, at the time I felt really good about the surgery. I know, it's easy to regret and question your path when things don't work out perfectly.

Of course the biggest driver of regret is my quality of life, from an intimacy standpoint. This has been very frustrating and has been a challenge to deal with, especially if I dwell on it too much.

But in the big picture, life throws us all curveballs. We all experience challenges in life that probably weren't something we really plan for. In the past year I've seen neighbors and friends pass through terminal illnesses and very difficult life changing events that makes me feel like my challenges have been relatively insignificant. I have had a blessed life, and it is good. I'm just happy to be here to share it with my young family, even with a few bumps in the road. Things could definitely be worse.

Voodohound's e-mail address is: jmslebaron AT gmail.com (replace "AT" with "@")

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