My Dad was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer today. You guys seem to have great advice on all aspects of life and some info would be great.
IF anyone knows of a good forum or if you have been down this road some advice for us would be great.

You can e-mail at:
Ghostrider20@earthlink.net



[Modified by ghostrider20, 6:50 PM 8/2/2002]

 

I just had an older friend go though Prostate cancer last year and he was treated with the radio active pellets.... he decided to forgo the operation... and so far he has been extremely satified with the results.... There are several options that were given to him, but this is the one he chose to go with and he has no regrets. If caught in time the survival rate is in the high 90's.... I would be glad to give you his email address if that would help.... Best of luck to your dad... :cheers: and remember that you are in the high risk pool yourself so make sure you get a PSA test.... :yesnod:

 

Mark,
I don't have much to add of substance, except that I've heard this is one of the more curable varieties. My thoughts and prayers are with your dad.
-David

 

Hi Mark,

In 1995 my Dad was diagnosed with prostrate cancer as well. He is doing great today...when diagnosed early, this is a very curable thing. The check-ups are less frequent now that he is past the 5 year mark.

I know that this can be tough to deal with, but be positive and everything will work out.

What it means for us as SONS is we have to start the screenings earlier. No fun with that.

Good luck.

 

A friend of mine (work associate actually) had the surgery several years ago and is fine today. At the time of the operation he was about 53 or 55 years old. He opted for the surgery because of his age and the "type" of cancer he had. Not sure what " type " means other than the fact that there are different forms of cancer in a given organ. For example lung cancers are divided into two major categories called large and small cell and then sub divisions in each category. You need to understand if your dad has a fast growing form or a slow growing form. I THINK I recall my friend said that all prostate cancers do not grow at the same rate hence they are more or less life threatening depending on both the patients age and the type.

The older you are the less likely they are to do the surgery. You should consider his age as a factor in what treatment he undertakes. The older he is the more likely the doc's are to say "Well at age NN he is more likely to die of his heart condition or whatever than of this type of this prostate cancer. Radiation or the little pellets will slow it down so we advise against the surgery". Or the younger he is the more likely they will recommend surgery.

Of course the other issue is loss of function. The surgical procedure can potentially put him on the sideline in the bedroom for the duration or at minimum cause him to miss a season so to speak. Again not knowing his age.........well you get the idea. If he is young and goes for surgery get the best doc you can find NOT the first doc who says "I can cut that little donut out" Travel if you have to to get somebody who has lots of experience and who has patients that only miss a season in the bedroom not patients who have career enders. My friend went to some big deal hospital with the latest in techniques and most experienced docs. He ruturned to the "field" within about 6 months. One more thing: the surgery can end up leaving ya wearing a diaper for awhile. My buddy would get up in the middle of internal business meetings a say "Sorry but I gotta change my depends" I will be right back.

Hope this helps. Please understand this is all hear-say. I listened real close when he told us about the operation cause I might need the info some day. I am not a medical professional just a guy who figured "I might have this problem myself some day better listen up". Specifics may be incorrect but the general issues I outlined are the ones to consider, at least they are the ones I will consider if I have a problem some day.


Good Luck


[Modified by TheOman, 2:52 PM 8/2/2002]

 

I wish your father the best with his prostate cancer. If caught in its eary stages, the prognosis should be good.

 

Sorry about your dad. I think that most of us(older guys) have some sort of medical history in the family to deal with. GET A CHECK UP is the best thing for all of us to do ASAP if you have not had one in the last year or so. we will hold him in our thoughts and pray for a good out come.
:cheers: Joe

 

My Dad is 54 and his PSA is 6.3 and his Gleason score is a 6. I am not sure what all that means but the Doctor this morning said that we caught it early. He was adamant about removing the prostate. He was not a fan of the radioactive seed implants and stated that at his age (young) that it could pop up again latter in life. Although when we spoke with the place in Atlanta that does the seed treatment they were fairly positive about the treatment working well, especially in this early stage.

It's been a rather difficult day. I fly a Medical Airplane that transports patients all over the country and I am use to seeing sick people fighting for their life and making difficult decisions as well. It is just different being on the other side now.

Thanks Andy, his E-mail would be great.

Mark



[Modified by ghostrider20, 11:26 PM 8/2/2002]

 

Mark,

Our thoughts are with your father. I don't know of any specific forums, but I know that Johns Hopkins has an excellent reputation in medicine and that their Brady Urological Institute has a section specifically dealing with prostate cancer. See the tab located at the bottom of their website: http://urology.jhu.edu/

Good luck.