Hello Katey and welcome
My own husband's cancer was discovered because of a bad back and his cancer came out of the blue for us too. We did have extensive experience of close family cancers in the previous 5 years of so so not a massive shock, although unsettling to say the least.
When it really does come out of the blue, such as in your case, then the shock is massive and all encompassing.
Having said that, you've come to the right place.
10 and 15 for PSA isn't massive as you say but the Gleasons do seem high. However, I am no expert and there are many on here who will be able to give you diffinitive answers regarding those scores.
If you download (or request) the TOOLKIT from this site, it will help you come to terms with what is happening to your dad. Lots of helpful information regarding treatments, diagnosis, emotions, erectile disfunction, incontinence etc.
This information is great for helping your dad make a list of questions he needs answers to before committing himself to treatment.
It may be that h is only eligible for certain treatments but even so, the Toolkit is very helpful.
When he is next due to see anyone at the hospital. Perhaps he has already seen somebody. If he hasn't then it is helpful if he has company in order to take in all that is being said. In the same vein, it's helpful to take a notebook and pen and write don questions to ask and the replies.
Hang in there and somebody else with more experience than me will be along to offer their advice
All the best
Sandra
Edited by member 15 May 2015 at 20:26
| Reason: Not specified
We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails |
User
Sorry I messed that up. What I meant to say was:-
Hi KateyTatey,
Sorry to hear about your Dad, but he's not alone, we've all got PC. We are with you.
I was diagnosed in 2008 with a PSA of 60 and have been on hormone Therapy since then. My Psa went as low as 0.86 at one time but has now begun to go up a bit. This is causing some concern and I go for another check-up in July.
I'm not expecting a cure but I'm grateful for the last seven years of good health.
I am now eighty eight and the end is not yet in sight. As for me the outlook is still good - though my typing skills are poor. That's why I lost most of my previous message.
Ray.
User
Hi Katey,
The time waiting for results is horrendous , I have got everything crossed that things go well for you. The tool kit is really good advice it will give a heads up on treatment . Having a list of questions and a note pad ready for the Oncologist is also very helpful. So many things get said that it is hard to stay focused.
Please also keep in mind that there are many of us on here that have had pretty dire diagnosis and are still here several YEARS on so stay optimistic. We will all be thinking of you.
BFN
Julie X
NEVER LAUGH AT A LIVE DRAGON |
User
Hello Katy
I cannot add to what the others have said at the moment, the waiting for results is the worst part.
Once you have all of the results you will have to decide upon a plan of action, a big issue will be as to whether it is contained in the gland or has spread. The scores cannot tell you that as yet, hence the MRI and bone scans scheduled.
A word of warning about the bone scan, you must not go near your dad if you are pregnant as he will have some radioactivity in him. No one told me this and I was 8 months pregnant and went with my hubby only to be thankfully sent away.
Our diagnosis was out of the blue too and such a shock that it left us numb for months. my OH PSA was 3.6 as unfortunately it is not always a reliable indicator.
Stay strong for your dad, it is great that he has your support at this time.
All the best
Alison
User
hi katy
mine was found when I went to a wellman clinic, click on my profile it tells all about me, it is not meant to scare you of what lays ahead as everybodies journey is different, its only 7 days from my results of mri and bone scan.
the waiting for anything seems endless, but I dont think you will hear anything until they have results of both scans, I am now waiting for an oncologist appointment, every time the letterbox rattles I am like a kid going after my birthday cards hoping it will be today.
my wife is also finding it hard to be posative, when we talk she says its the first time we heard the news keeps coming into her head, am taking her away for a few days it may or may not help but we can get out and walk and talk some more, do what we enjoy wildlife watching take some photos and have a laugh
I have told my family to tell me how they feel as none of them want to give me more worry than I have, but if they dont I will worry about how they are.
please DO NOT KEEP GOOGLING for info, this is the best place you will find all you need to know, call the specalist nurses they are not just their for anyone with PCa, they have a wealth of knowledge
keep your chin up, cry when you want be their for your dad you cannot do anymore than this
run long and prosper
'pooh how do you spell love'
'piglet you dont spell love -you just feel it' |
User
Katy
The waiting and uncertainty is the worst part of this. My dad (86) has been on HT for nearly 2 years, PSA is still decreasing and outwardly, he is as well as you could expect any 86 yo to be. Hopefully, once treatment is sorted, you will positive results.
Paul
Stay Calm And Carry On. |
User
Hi Katey,
The MRI scan will provide the "last piece of the jigsaw", the very important staging, i.e. whether or not the cancer has spread beyond the prostate.
So at the moment, it is a bit of a waiting game unfortunately, but there is plenty of material you can read up on, as others have pointed to.
In terms of aggressiveness, the Gleason scores and the PSA would suggest that your father's cancer is moderately aggressive, i.e. has the potential to spread (within a few years) and so will be taken seriously by the medical team.
So take heart, there are penty of treatments available and time is very much on your side.
Flexi
Edited by member 16 May 2015 at 11:44
| Reason: Not specified
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User
I am now eighty eight. But thERe are no quick answers. It's very much a waiting game.
We are with you.
Ray.
User
Hello Katey and welcome
My own husband's cancer was discovered because of a bad back and his cancer came out of the blue for us too. We did have extensive experience of close family cancers in the previous 5 years of so so not a massive shock, although unsettling to say the least.
When it really does come out of the blue, such as in your case, then the shock is massive and all encompassing.
Having said that, you've come to the right place.
10 and 15 for PSA isn't massive as you say but the Gleasons do seem high. However, I am no expert and there are many on here who will be able to give you diffinitive answers regarding those scores.
If you download (or request) the TOOLKIT from this site, it will help you come to terms with what is happening to your dad. Lots of helpful information regarding treatments, diagnosis, emotions, erectile disfunction, incontinence etc.
This information is great for helping your dad make a list of questions he needs answers to before committing himself to treatment.
It may be that h is only eligible for certain treatments but even so, the Toolkit is very helpful.
When he is next due to see anyone at the hospital. Perhaps he has already seen somebody. If he hasn't then it is helpful if he has company in order to take in all that is being said. In the same vein, it's helpful to take a notebook and pen and write don questions to ask and the replies.
Hang in there and somebody else with more experience than me will be along to offer their advice
All the best
Sandra
Edited by member 15 May 2015 at 20:26
| Reason: Not specified
We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails |
User
Sorry I messed that up. What I meant to say was:-
Hi KateyTatey,
Sorry to hear about your Dad, but he's not alone, we've all got PC. We are with you.
I was diagnosed in 2008 with a PSA of 60 and have been on hormone Therapy since then. My Psa went as low as 0.86 at one time but has now begun to go up a bit. This is causing some concern and I go for another check-up in July.
I'm not expecting a cure but I'm grateful for the last seven years of good health.
I am now eighty eight and the end is not yet in sight. As for me the outlook is still good - though my typing skills are poor. That's why I lost most of my previous message.
Ray.
User
Thank you so much for replying, it means so much knowing there are others out there that have been here and can offer support and advice.
He is waiting for his date for the bone scan, consultant said it should be next week and then the week after it's the MRI. How long do the results usually take? I'm hopefully going to the scans/results with my mum too, in some ways it's easier for me to not fall apart. My mum is finding it really hard as she's usually the strong one but she can't believe all this is happening so fast and her head is spinning. Her biggest worry is that his Gleason is so high it could have spread to bones....I guess everyone at this early stage of their journey feared the worst? Human nature eh. Early days I know, we only had the diagnosis yesterday. It's just a waiting game.
Thank you sandra, your story is much like ours with the 'out of the blue' diagnosis. It's such a common cancer with hardly any symptoms isn't it. It's hard not to be angry at the cancer too...ior is that just me?? I like the idea of notes and a notebook and I'll try to find the toolkit too.
Ray - that's really positive what you have been through since 2008. Well done and I hope it continues for you.
This site is a real help with practical advice and I'm really grateful x
User
Hi Katey,
The time waiting for results is horrendous , I have got everything crossed that things go well for you. The tool kit is really good advice it will give a heads up on treatment . Having a list of questions and a note pad ready for the Oncologist is also very helpful. So many things get said that it is hard to stay focused.
Please also keep in mind that there are many of us on here that have had pretty dire diagnosis and are still here several YEARS on so stay optimistic. We will all be thinking of you.
BFN
Julie X
NEVER LAUGH AT A LIVE DRAGON |
User
Hello Katy
I cannot add to what the others have said at the moment, the waiting for results is the worst part.
Once you have all of the results you will have to decide upon a plan of action, a big issue will be as to whether it is contained in the gland or has spread. The scores cannot tell you that as yet, hence the MRI and bone scans scheduled.
A word of warning about the bone scan, you must not go near your dad if you are pregnant as he will have some radioactivity in him. No one told me this and I was 8 months pregnant and went with my hubby only to be thankfully sent away.
Our diagnosis was out of the blue too and such a shock that it left us numb for months. my OH PSA was 3.6 as unfortunately it is not always a reliable indicator.
Stay strong for your dad, it is great that he has your support at this time.
All the best
Alison
User
hi katy
mine was found when I went to a wellman clinic, click on my profile it tells all about me, it is not meant to scare you of what lays ahead as everybodies journey is different, its only 7 days from my results of mri and bone scan.
the waiting for anything seems endless, but I dont think you will hear anything until they have results of both scans, I am now waiting for an oncologist appointment, every time the letterbox rattles I am like a kid going after my birthday cards hoping it will be today.
my wife is also finding it hard to be posative, when we talk she says its the first time we heard the news keeps coming into her head, am taking her away for a few days it may or may not help but we can get out and walk and talk some more, do what we enjoy wildlife watching take some photos and have a laugh
I have told my family to tell me how they feel as none of them want to give me more worry than I have, but if they dont I will worry about how they are.
please DO NOT KEEP GOOGLING for info, this is the best place you will find all you need to know, call the specalist nurses they are not just their for anyone with PCa, they have a wealth of knowledge
keep your chin up, cry when you want be their for your dad you cannot do anymore than this
run long and prosper
'pooh how do you spell love'
'piglet you dont spell love -you just feel it' |
User
Katy
The waiting and uncertainty is the worst part of this. My dad (86) has been on HT for nearly 2 years, PSA is still decreasing and outwardly, he is as well as you could expect any 86 yo to be. Hopefully, once treatment is sorted, you will positive results.
Paul
Stay Calm And Carry On. |
User
Hi Katey,
The MRI scan will provide the "last piece of the jigsaw", the very important staging, i.e. whether or not the cancer has spread beyond the prostate.
So at the moment, it is a bit of a waiting game unfortunately, but there is plenty of material you can read up on, as others have pointed to.
In terms of aggressiveness, the Gleason scores and the PSA would suggest that your father's cancer is moderately aggressive, i.e. has the potential to spread (within a few years) and so will be taken seriously by the medical team.
So take heart, there are penty of treatments available and time is very much on your side.
Flexi
Edited by member 16 May 2015 at 11:44
| Reason: Not specified