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| Each man's Journey is listed under his BASIC treatment. When you click on one of the names to read a particular Journey, you may see one or more different treatments in bold lettering immediately above the Journey text. You will see (Recurrence) if they are due to a recurrence. Otherwise, they will be treatments used in conjunction with the basic treatment, i.e. Lupron with External Beam Radiation or External Beam Radiation with HDRT/Brachytherapy, etc. | |
Active Surveillance Alternative (Natural) Therapy Cryoablation - Freezing Hormone Therapy Radiation - Brachytherapy Radiation - External Beam Radiation - HDRT Surgery - Open Surgery - Robotic |
I was still working when my first PSA was taken. Each following yearly medical exam included a PSA blood test. During those days, and up through retirement and later, the PSA values were in the 4.0 to 6.0 range with little rising. In May of 2008, I was 86 years old, and my PSA jumped to 11.4. One month later it was 12.5. This highly suggested a need for a DRE exam and a biopsy. The biopsy was performed at the Oregon Urology Institute in Eugene. Twelve samples from areas of the prostate gland were taken. Six were benign, four were cancerous, and two were suspicious. The Gleason Score was 8 (4+4). A bone scan was clear, and a CAT scan showed two suspicious lymph nodes. The Gleason Score of 8 meant it was an aggressive cancer and suspicious lymph nodes meant it may have already escaped from the prostate. Neither of those conditions was good news. My first thought was to get the cancerous prostate gland removed. However, my urologist, Dr. Bryan Mehlhaff, did not recommend that drastic action because of my age, and the possible side effect that could develop. He and I discussed several possible options and finally settled on a hormone treatment plan. In August of 2008, a shot of Lupron was administered. This was to reduce the testosterone since it feeds the cancer. Anything that stops it from continuing to grow or even slows it down is much appreciated at this point. The side effects of that shot were typical but new to me. It surprised me with both hot and cold flashes. I can now sympathize with women on that. There was some mental concern I felt, but not enough to call for treatment. I found valuable help and guidance from information shared at the Man To Man meetings. It seems like there are always several men at the meetings who are on hormone therapy. Also, close contact with my family was a very large factor in my coming face to face with the fact I had cancer. It's not an easy fact to accept. Without all the above support, I expect I would have been very lost. We have heard over and over that prostate cancer is not just a man's disease and how true that is! Not only does it affect everyone around us, but those very same people are our source of strength to get through it. On Dec. 9, 2008, three months after that initial shot of Lupron, my PSA had dropped to 0.77. Another shot of Lupron was administered, and on March 3, 2009, my PSA was 0.54. With no additional treatments at that point, my PSA readings continued to be taken on a three- or four-month schedule. My PSA at those times was 0.73, 1.8, 2.1, and 2.1. This last measurement was taken on June 2, 2010. Since the last two PSA tests have remained the same, we decided no additional Lupron shot was necessary at this time and my next PSA is now scheduled for six months instead of the previous three to four months. That is very good news. I feel very fortunate with my journey so far, and highly recommend that all men get an early PSA reading to set a baseline for future reference. Arthur Case, two-year prostate cancer survivor. |
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