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

Needle biopsy July 30, 2009. Right Prostate Biopsy: Benign tissue showing Adenomatous Hypertrophy. Left Prostate Biopsy: Prostatic Adenocarcinoma, Gleason score 5, involving 25%. Also numerous areas of high grade PIN and a focus of perineural invasion.

September 30, 2009 Da Vinci Procedure, Austin, Texas.

October 2, 2009. Post Biopsy Report: Histologic Type: Prostatic adenocarcinoma. Histologic Grade: Gleason grade 3+4=7.
Laterality: Bilateral, involving 35% of left and less than 5% of right.
Margins: Focal involvement of peripheral surgical margin measuring 3mm in greatest dimension.
Extraprostatic Extension: Focally present
Seminal Vesicle Invasion: Not identified
Perineural Invasion: Present
Angiolymphatic Invasion: Not identified
Lymph Nodes: Not identified Stage
(AJCC, 2002): pT3a, NX, MX

December 1, 2009 Follow up PSA 0.15

December 15, 2009 PSA 0.12 Doctor suggested radiation

December 28, 2009 Met with radiation oncologist, did ultra sensitive PSA 0.13. Suggested PET/CT scan. Results, clear.

February 11, 2010 To be in Loma Linda for consult followed by Proton salvage treatment.

It has been one year since my Proton Salvage treatment at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

Needless to say, my anxiety level ran high for the two months leading up to my first PSA check-up in June 2010 after therapy. My results were 0.10, which was down from 0.13. A step in the right direction. My eight month follow up in December 2010 revealed a less than 0.10, which they classified as non-detectable. I was overwhelmed at this reading. My next check-up will be in June 2011.

I feel great, no side effects, work 8-12 hours a day, rotating shifts for 3M Company. I'm a firm believer in the Proton Beam Therapy. Just wish I would have know this before the Da Vinci procedure. I will admit the sex life after the Da Vinci procedure is dead. I had to rely on shots, which are way to expensive, and the compound expires within 30 days. I now use a pump, which works fine for me.

I have spoken to other men I met at Loma Linda, with their prostate still intact, and they are reporting their PSA is 0.3 - 0.5, which I consider great considering their PSAs were 5.5 and up. For those of you considering Radical or Da Vinci for removal, I would look into the Proton Beam, if you happen to be a candidate, as the results are overwhelming. [There are no independent studies that demonstrate this to be a factual statement.] They have treated over 14,000 men with a 95% success rate. [This is the total number of people treated at Loma Linda, not the total number of men with prostate cancer treated there. That number is significantly lower.] Pretty goods odds, I think.

I will update the June results and feel free to contact me with any questions, just put PROSTATE in the subject line.

Regards, Rick Ferrell (Texas)

Went for my six month checkup in June and happy to say my reading was ZERO. I will go back in December of 2011.

I would like to request that everyone please keep my daughter, Rikki Tai, in your thoughts and prayers as she will be leaving the 31st of July 2011 to Kenya to do missionary work for one year at Naomi's Village. This is an orphanage that was set up by a couple of members of her church. Take care and God Bless all of you.

Two years and two months since Proton treatment at Loma Linda, and am happy to say Zero PSA. My only problem is ED. I feel this was due to the Robotic Procedure in September of 2009. Knowing what I know now I would have elected Proton first and surgery later if the cancer would have still been there. I have no options now. I have no side effects, no dribbling, pain, fatigue. Leading a normal life, and still working 40 hours a week, and talking with men I may encounter that there are other options beside being cut on. With the ED issue, my options are the pump, injections, or penile implant, injections are really expensive, the pump works okay, but seriously considering the implant, just to stay active when the desire does hit. Naturally the desire is gone because of the inability to, "Get it up" without the use of aids. But I'm happy to be free of the disease, and my wife still loves and understands. What else can a man ask for. I've still got my 3 wonderful girls and 4 great grandchildren. I'll keep everyone updated on the implant should I decide to take that route. I do know this is an issue for a lot of men who have had prostate cancer. I'm curious if their are those of you out there who have the implant, I'd like to hear from you.

Regards, Rick Ferrell (Prostate cancer survivor)

I've been cancer free for 4 years this coming May 2014. PSA has been at zero since I finished my treatments at Loma Linda. I'm a very blessed man.

In May of 2015 I will be cancer free for 5 years. I do regular PSA every six months and the Urologists once a year. I feel great and happy to be free of cancer. Still work for 3M Company. And maybe plan on retirement either this year or the next so the wife and I can enjoy a little travel. My PSA did go up from the zero to 0.01, which is still non-detectable. My next PSA will be on March 17th, 2015 and the Doctor visit with results on the 23rd of March. Hopefully nothing has changed. I will update.

Regards, Rick Ferrell

Rick's e-mail address is: orickster AT centex.net (replace "AT" with "@")

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