RT in 2005

George,

Hope you celebrate many more anniversaries.  It gives me more confidence about my RT treatment.

Thanks for posting the link.  Just about to do a job but I'll be reading it this evening. I think writing about this in detail, helps those who are following us which is why I'm trying to post my experiences each day (just completed 13th treatment out of 19).  Hopefully it's not too boring, but then again, you don't have to read it if you're not interested. In a way, it's my diary on line showing the up's and down's of my experience. Hopefully, some people will find it of use.

Thanks for posting your experiences.

Steve

Edited by member 30 Oct 2014 at 18:41  | Reason: Not specified

Fantastic news story - thank you George.

Gives hope to us all.

Long may it continue for you.

Alison

Hi George,

Congratulations on your RT completion ninth anniversary, that's bloody marvelous mate here's to many more.

I have just completed my RT on 23rd Sept 2014, I hope I am still on here in nine years celebrating like you.

My RT was an absolute breeze, no problems at all and the staff the Beatson Cancer Centre in Glasgow were ALL excellent.

It's a bit of a bummer after all that effort not knowing for a while how successful the treatment has been. My follow up appointment is on Christmas Eve so I'm hoping for a good PSA result to set me up for the Christmas holidays.

Anyway best wishes George.

Gerry.

Congratulations to you as well then Stu - another man well on his way to the magical 10 year mark x

PCa may get some of us eventually, notwithstanding treatment but I am convinced major and where appropriate back up treatment has for many of us deferred the day. Well done George, hope you are here for many a year and others also will be able to celebrate many anniversaries

I had my 37 RT blasts in Jan / Feb 2008 . Seems a while ago now. I remember being told to have a full bladder but often appts were delayed - the queues for the one working toilet used to go round the block at times !!!

All the very best, as ever.

Pete

Thanks you guys and our lovely ladies for the kind comments.
I honestly don't rate nine years as an achievement of my own.

The post was really just to say how much has changed with RT since my own in 2005.
I was surprised to hear about those changes from the guys who have recently been through it.

PCa is such an individual cancer and these personal cancers react so differently to treatments.

It's true that I never expected to live beyond three or four years after diagnosis, but I think RT was delivered very accurately, and I'm one of the lucky ones who keep walking the tightrope of intermittent hormone therapy without falling off yet.

And I'm lucky too, that although my tumour was T4 with spread, it hadn't gone into the bones or lynph nodes. If it had, then I wouldn't have been offered the 37 x RT back then.

To hear about RT being successful can only bring real hope to those newly diagnosed and having to make decisions.

It's good to hear from Larry, two years ahead of me, and one of the first guys I got to know on these forums.
And then there's Stu,doing well 8 years after his, Barry and Peter on 6 years, and my good mate Alan (Art) -another Geordie (sorry folks) - at the marvellous 15yr mark.

Alan and I have the same oncologist at Newcastle Freeman, and he has served us exceptionally well.
He's the type of consultant everyone should have,

Mind you, while Alan has an excellent relationship with his urologist at the Freeman, my own Uro was based In South Shields, and my experience with him in 2005 instilled a phobia about urologists, which to this day means I'd rather have my eyes sewn shut and walk barefoot on broken glass for a mile rather than allow a uro anywhere within a 100yds of me.

Of course, I'm not daft (though some would dispute that), and one day I may need a good urologist, so my oncologist has kindly offered to have me seen only by one at the Freeman Hospital urology department should the need ever arise.

One last point.
I am still shocked that some of our PCa friends are only ever seen by a urologist for the whole of their treatment, specially when they are on hormone therapy only.

This has gone on for years, and not only in the UK, but in the USA too.
In my humble opinion, that can't be right.

You need a clinical oncologist to ensure your cancer is regularly monitored so that you can be on top of any changes (spread to lymph nodes or bones etc). Seeing a uro every three months after having a 3-monthly PSA test doesn't cut it for me.

PSA is a useful guide, but it shouldn't be relied on as an indication that all is well.
Surely only CT and MRI scans can give the clearest picture when you feel something isn't quite right.

Stay well my friends,

George

Edited by member 08 Nov 2014 at 13:25  | Reason: Not specified