This is something mostly prostate cancer survivors and care givers understand, so I apologize for all the acronyms. Just thought I needed to document the journey so far by writing it down somewhere. And I know, "Too much information!"
April 2008 (Age 59 at diagnosis, discovered in UTI treatment)
Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test:
PSA 4.4 - (4.0 and below is "normal")
DRE palpable tumor
May 15, 2008 – Biopsy
Pathology: 10 of 15 cores had cancer.
Right lobe (2 of 5 cores 40%) Gleason 3+3
Left lobe (3 of 5 cores 10%) Gleason 3+3
Right lesion (5 of 5 cores 100%) Gleason 3+3
Right base lesion (100%) Gleason 3+3
Right seminal vesical (ambiguous results - possible nerve involvement "lesion too small for grading")
Composite Gleason score 3+3=6 (On a scale of 2 to 10)
Bone scan and pelvic/abdomen CT show no visible metastasis
Began weight loss program (lost 26 pounds between diagnosis and surgery)
June 15, 2008 – Began two months hormone therapy (Casodex 50 mg)
July 1, 2008 – Trelstar HT shot (3 month dose)
July 11, 2008 – EKG, OK
July 16, 2008 – Echo-cardiogram, OK
Aug 25, 2008 – Donated first unit of my own plasma for surgery
Sept 3, 2008 – Stress test OK, and donated second unit of plasma
Sept 5, 2008 – Pre-op visits with Urologist and GP,
Sept 10, 2008 - Hospital Pre-Op Visit chest X-ray, one more EKG
Sept 15, 2008 – Open Radical Prostatectomy (Non-laproscopic, non-robotic)
After surgery, the doctors will get a better diagnosis on the Gleason score (may go up or down) and cancer stage (probably stage II or III). Future treatments hinge on those findings.
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