three year anniversary
chasjac
University by Christian Pavlovich. Clear margins, one nerve spared.
PSAs have been pretty much undetectable since. Some stress
incontinence, nothing that Tena can't handle. Erections are about
80%. Most of the time, we need nothing, but once in awhile, a dose of
Levitra, and my lovely wife and I are in business.
Life at the college has never been better: I've taken students to
Australia twice since the surgery and will do so again next spring;
I've mentored students who have published papers on research I've
guided them in; I'm running one of the major components of our
freshman year program. I hope that I've made the extra time count for
something. I feel very lucky and blessed.
I want to thank the members of a.s.c.p for all the support and good
advice you provided when I was going through the decisions, the
surgery, and the recovery. It made all the difference. Thanks.
--charlie
jloomis
come.
Wonderful to work with students who appreciate the Professor.
john
"chasjac" <cha...@live.com> wrote in message
news:d6ce9031-ad56-42af...@f16g2000yqm.googlegroups.com...
Steve Kramer
news:20091114-1...@Gogarty.news.bway.net...
: In article
: <d6ce9031-ad56-42af...@f16g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>,
: cha...@live.com says...
: >Three years ago today, I had my prostate removed at Johns Hopkins
: >University by Christian Pavlovich. Clear margins, one nerve spared.
: >
: >PSAs have been pretty much undetectable since. Some stress
: >incontinence, nothing that Tena can't handle. Erections are about
: >80%. Most of the time, we need nothing, but once in awhile, a dose of
: >Levitra, and my lovely wife and I are in business.
: (Snip)
:
: Congratulations. May it long remain that way. It has been ten years this
: month since I had radical prostatectomy at Lenox Hill Hospital in New
: York. PSA essentially zero ever since. Continent from the beginning and
: some sexual function. But how much of that is age? I am 78 now and wife
: is 62. Peace and quiet not sturm und drang suit us.
:
: But one little disturbing thing in the New York Times of Nov. 13 -- the
: obituary of David Lloyd who died at 74 of prostate cancer that had been
: diagnosed 21 years ago. That's disturbing. One wonders what treatment he
: got when diagnosed and over the years.
:
Good to hear from you again, Peter. It's been more than two years. Great
to hear of your continued undetectable assays.
--
PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46
Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c
RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins
PSA <.1 <.1 <.1 .27 .37 .75 PSAD 0.19 years
EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47
PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 PSAD .056 years
Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 and every 4 months there after
PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145 PSAD 1.4 years
Casodex added daily 07/06
PSA undetectable since; last checked on 06/04/09
Illegitimati non carborundum
Steve Kramer
: In article <hdnhfn$u1j$1...@news.eternal-september.org>, skr...@cinci.rr.com
: says...
: >"Gogarty" <Gog...@Clongowes.edu.ie> wrote in message
: I am confused about the continuing controversy about early testing and
: detection. A large school seems to think that prostate cancer should be
left
: alone. Who knows? Maybe mine would never have progressed. But I would
rather
: not take that chance and have not had a moment's regret about opting for
: surgery and the sooner the better -- ten years ago. Yet every day I read
: another obituary based on prostate cancer. This latest one where the man
had
: it for 21 years really bothers me. Did he opt for watch and wait?
I think the confusion comes from the reporting of statistical studies and
maybe scientific studies without comment on how the advancement of knowledge
fits into the chronological development of detection and treatments of PCa
and potential outcomes.
At one time all, or almost all, diagnoses of prostate cancer were incurable.
We all know that asymptomatic disease is almost a prerequisite for a cure,
but back then all prostate cancer was diagnosed with symptoms. I don't know
when and in what order treatments became available, but surgery, radiation,
chemo, and ADT were never cures because the diseases were almost always
systemic. All of these people died of cancer unless they were so old that
something else killed them first or the body was so wracked with the
treatment something else killed them. For example, my father nearly died of
a heart attack; his organs made weak by his treatment.
In the 90s suddenly there was this wide availability of an assay for PSA and
asymptomatic victims were being dx'd with PSAs in the single digits. This
dreadful, alway fatal disease was apparently curable if caught early enough.
Everybody flocked to PSA testing and immediate treatment. Duh!
Then, in the later 90s, doctors started realizing that the cancer can be
found even with tenths of PSA if one watched the trends! Well, if you can
kill it at 4.0 half the time, then maybe you can kill it at 2.0 75% of the
time and 1.0 90% of the time....
While there has been no great progress in detection (made available to the
public), there has been a great surge in treatment. Of course, some of this
treatment is incredibly costly. But, sme of those early diagnosed men in
the late 80s and early 90s are having recurrences. What? How can that be?
Well, maybe no one is ever cured from prostate cancer.
And, at the same time, especially with PSA, studies are now possible that
show other victims are living with low amounts of non-aggressive cancer
cells regardless of treatment. So now the medical community is trying to
see if PSA somehow tells us a story about these. Or maybe fPSA. Or maybe
their are other ways to find microscopic PCa cells; maybe PCA-3.
It all boils down to the fact that as our knowledge increases, we are
capable of much better assessment and customizing of treatment to the man
and his cancer. If people understand that, then they would realize there
have been no mistakes in the past, just wiser decisions able to be made in
the future.
:
: Well, now wife has bladder cancer. Caught early at T1 stage and removed.
: Same urologist as did my surgery. She will be fine. Hell of a way to be
: persuaded to stop smoking.
:
I am sorry to hear that. There was a recent, very short thread with regard
to the trials and tribulations of PCa patients that have nothing to do with
their own cancer and a spouses cancer or other debilitating disease is some
of the worst.
Tom Cular
> In article <hdnhfn$u1j$1...@news.eternal-september.org>, skr...@cinci.rr.com
> says...
>>
>>Good to hear from you again, Peter. It's been more than two years. Great
>>to hear of your continued undetectable assays.
>>
> here
> if only to let others know they have a future.
>
> I am confused about the continuing controversy about early testing and
> detection. A large school seems to think that prostate cancer should be
> left
> alone. Who knows? Maybe mine would never have progressed. But I would
> rather
> not take that chance and have not had a moment's regret about opting for
> surgery and the sooner the better -- ten years ago. Yet every day I read
> another obituary based on prostate cancer. This latest one where the man
> had
> it for 21 years really bothers me. Did he opt for watch and wait?
>
> Same urologist as did my surgery. She will be fine. Hell of a way to be
> persuaded to stop smoking.
It's interesting that you mentioned smoking and bladder cancer, I quit
cigarettes years ago but my Dr. recently jumped on my butt for the
occasional cigar, citing bladder cancer.
As old folks, what can we enjoy, beside windsurfing and wet diapers?
>