THERE WAS NO RESPONSE TO AN UPDATE REMINDER IN 2014 SO THERE IS NO UPDATE.
New member and I wish I didn't have to be here. I hope you all don't mind me asking for your experiences and/or advice. I've read several earlier stories herein, have gained a better understanding from your experiences, and will check some of the reference links suggested.
I've just been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, Gleason Score 7 (3+4 in 2 of 29 samples) and need to decide on a treatment option. The biopsy was done because PSA levels had been fluctuating over the past 4 years starting at 3.58, reaching a peak of 8.1 late last year, and falling to 5.4 by July of this year when the amount of T-gel had been reduced by one-half. DRE is OK with no sign of cancer.
First, a little background that may help to focus your advice. I'm 68 years old, have been a type 1 diabetic for 64 years, have had 5 umbilical hernia repairs with mesh implants, and am overweight/obese (5' 8" at 230 lbs). I was on 5 and later 7½ percent compounded T-gel for about 5 years (which, of course, has now been stopped). E2 has been controlled (somewhat) with DIM, but has always been what I consider too high (high 20's to low 30's) for all of the time I was on T-gel. For 30 or more years I've followed a vitamin and supplement regime for health preservation, anti-aging and frequent ejaculations that I thought would prevent PC. I guess the stars weren't in correct alignment for me, or perhaps this is just another, of many, challenges God has given me to test my beliefs.
I've discussed treatment options with several PC specialists and have been told, because of the umbilical surgeries, brachytherapy is not an option, even though that is what I would have preferred. Cryosurgery has also been ruled-out by the specialist I saw to review this option also because of the umbilical surgeries. I'm told chemotherapy is not appropriate for my stage, and High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is out of the question because it is not yet approved for use in the USA and we cannot afford the cost of travel to places where it is approved. Complete removal of my prostate is not something I'm willing to consider given all the potential problems / consequences I've read about; it seems like too much of a gamble. Hormone therapy is also out of the question from my perspective since I want to keep my testicles (even though I had a vasectomy 35 years ago), and watchful-waiting doesn't seem appropriate for a Gleason 7.
Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) is a direct acting agent to bring the body's PH balance to the right level to make the body not so friendly to cancer. Dr. Mercola has commented on an article by Mark Sircus Ac., OMD, Director International Medical, Veritas Association, (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/20/prostate-cancer-treatment-choices.aspx) supporting use of baking soda as a treatment. I've discussed this with the PC specialists I've talked with, and they all claim it to be untested, unproven theory and don't want to explore or discuss it further, Of course we have to expect that from MD's who have a vested financial interest in promoting the treatments they've invested in, and travel to Italy, where SBc treatment has been used for several years, is also out of the question. I could try it on my own, but since it's administered via an IV, that's a gamble and I'm not sure that's the wise course for me to follow.
That leaves me with Targeted Beam External Radiation as the most likely treatment for me to select, and it's on this treatment type that I'd really appreciate your thoughts and comments.
If you've had this type of therapy, what has your quality of life been since then? What complications / side-effects have you had to live with, like incontinence? Were they able to eliminate all of the cancer, or were further treatments required? Has the quality of your sex-life been impaired or diminished? Are you still able to ejaculate, and if no, how did that effected your relationship, etc.?
Any comments or suggestions on targeted beam external radiation therapy or other treatment options would be really appreciated.
Lee
Still living hot and dry out here in the AZ desert.
After evaluating all treatment options, we decided to pursue brachytherapy... But, an x-ray exam of my pelvis showed my pelvic bones were located in such a way that access to the full area of my prostate would not be possible, so brachy was not an option. That left external beam radiation therapy as the next best, considering the multiple mesh implants from my 5 umbilical surgeries precluded surgical options. After 39 EBRT treatments, we are now waiting for a PSA prognosis test later this spring (2013) and summer. Then we will know whether EBRT was successful. At that time, we will post the outcome.
Lee
Lee's e-mail address is: hdbtwnurlegs2001 AT yahoo.com (replace "AT" with "@")
NOTE: Lee has not updated his story for more than 15 months, so you may not receive any response from him.
