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Kevin Collison and Teresa live in Florida, USA. He was 42 when he was diagnosed in March, 2008. His initial PSA was 2.50 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 6, and he was staged T2a. His initial treatment choice was Surgery (Robotic Laparoscopic Prostatectomy) and his current treatment choice is None. Here is his story.

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

I have an annual physical through the agency that I work for, and had the most recent one this past April. The physical is very detail oriented and includes a PSA test as well as an optional DRE (Digital Rectal Examination). I always declined the DRE because I was not comfortable with it.

I received a call from my doctor regarding my physical and he wanted to refer me to a Urologist because my PSA level was elevated a bit. He stated he was concerned about a 25% jump from the prior year.

I went to the Urologist and the first thing he wanted to do was a DRE. He told me that he felt a ridge on the prostate and indicated that a biopsy should be done. I thought about it and agreed- the biopsy would take place the next Monday. I went into an outpatient facility on the advice of my Urologist. He told me that it is typically a more painful procedure with younger patients, and that I would be more comfortable if I were under anaesthesia. I complied.

The doctor called me a few days later to give me the results. He told me there was cancer. Out of nine cores taken on both sides- 3 out of 6 on the side with the "ridge" were cancerous, and 1 out of 3 on the other were positive . I was in disbelief. I never thought that I would be dealing with cancer at 42 years old.

I have decided to have the Da Vinci radical prostatectomy done. I did some homework on the internet, and found a doctor who started the Global Robotics Institute in Kissimmee, Florida. I had a consult with him and was very impressed. I have read that the more experienced the physician- the better the outcome ( makes sense ). Dr Patel has performed over 2000 RP procedures.

I am scheduled at 745am Monday. I will follow with an update.

UPDATED

June 2008

Hello again. I had my robotic prostatectomy Monday morning.

The day prior I was on a liquid diet only, and I was to report at the hospital at 545 AM. I was prepped for surgery- the family came in to visit, and off I went. I was given Versed initially, then I was wheeled back to the Surgery suite. I remember looking up at the lights and seeing about a half dozen people in the room. The next thing I remember was being wheeled into my room where everyone was waiting - that was about noon. The staff tried to get me up walking about 2 pm. I stood up and the dizziness took over. I didn't end up walking until 9pm- still a little light headed, but I took a few laps. I had to have Zofran for nausea a couple times - probably a reaction from anesthesia, and pain meds every four hours but all in all it was not too bad. My doctor gave me a clean bill of health so I was able to bust out the next day.

On Tuesday I walked 2 miles on the treadmill, and 3 miles yesterday. If I feel a little bit of pain- I take a Percocet. Why be in any pain if you don't have to. Yesterday I took out my pain pump, and now I just have the Foley to deal with until Monday - hopefully. I have a cystogram initially ( dye injected through Foley- x-rays taken to ensure no leaks from bladder), then I see the doc to remove the Foley. I thought the aftermath would be a lot worse. Although it was no day at the beach, I got through it all just fine.

I should also find out the pathology report on Monday, but the doc says he is not worried - everything looked good.

Later:

I had my post-operative appointment this past Monday and received my pathology report.

I ended up 3 + 4= 7. 20-30% of the prostate was involved in tumor. My pathological staging was t2c. Margins were all clear. I also had perineural invasion which is common I understand. The cancer was confined to the prostate with no extension.

I also had my Foley removed, so now I just have to revert back to learning how to pee again. Just a few dribbles- the doc says probably 2 weeks.

UPDATED

July 2008

Hello again, all is going well six weeks following my prostatectomy. I am still having a little incontinence, but seems to improve following Kegels. I also just read that alcohol and caffeine can irritate the bladder and enhance incontinence- so I'll make attempts to cut back on the morning coffee, and occasional cold beer while grilling out.

Just received my 6 week PSA;- less than 0.1! Extremely happy to hear that news. I'll continue to maintain a healthy diet along with exercise and await my next PSA.

'Til' next time....... Kevin

UPDATED

October 2008

I recently had my 3 month follow up PSA and it was undetectable.

UPDATED

March 2009

Recently had bloodwork and my PSA was <0.01 or undetectable. All initial side effects have returned to near normal.

UPDATED

July 2009

I recently had my one year post-op and my PSA was undetectable.

UPDATED

June 2011

My current PSA is less than 0.1. I currently have no side effects as a result of a successful surgical outcome.

UPDATED

April 2014

It has been almost six years since surgery and all is well. Thanks to a great surgeon my surgery was a success and as a result I have no side effects. My last PSA was undetectable.

Kevin's e-mail address is: krcoll AT hotmail.com (replace "AT" with "@")

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


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