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User
Posted 05 Oct 2019 at 04:42

Hello all


I am 72 years old and yesterday my specialist confirmed that I have prostate cancer with a gleason score of 7 ...apparently I am in the moderate range  with a grade 3 rating..it has come totally unexpectedly as I have no symptoms...I had a routine psa blood test which came back as 11 .....after many worrying weeks of tests MRI etc I finally had a  biopsy which confirmed my worse fear....after only going into remission a year ago from bowel cancer (after 5 long years) where it left me with bowel incontinence which has improved but still not perfect I am now left with the difficult decision as to just do nothing but keep an eye on it or face surgery....I just dont think I could handle any more side effects ie incontinence  from having an operation and just want a quality of life for my wife and I.....obviously it is to early yet to make a decision and I will be seeing my Urologist in a few days....after experiencing cancer once its not easy....I guess my choice is risk maybe dying earlier or just getting on with my life and maybe hoping I live another 10 years or so...thoughts or experiences would be greatly appreciated

User
Posted 05 Oct 2019 at 19:43
Keith, I had radiotherapy for my prostate cancer which was didn't involve much in the way of side-effects at all. That would be an option worth exploring if you don't fancy surgery.

Best wishes,

Chris
User
Posted 05 Oct 2019 at 20:01
The previous bowel cancer may rule out RT to the prostate but it should be discussed with an oncologist.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 15:37

One further thought as you are in Australia where things may be done slightly differently. There is an excellent support site founded by the late Australian Terry Herbert who founded YANA (You Are Not Alone now). He was highly regarded as in this tribute to him which you may find interesting . He sometimes posted on our forum too but his own support group was (and undoubtedly still is) very well organized, is worth fully exploring and has a number of mentors :- https://prostatecancerinfolink.net/2014/08/06/death-of-terry-herbert-founder-of-yananow-com/


https://www.yananow.org/


 

Edited by member 06 Oct 2019 at 15:42  | Reason: To highlight links

Barry
User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 19:48

Hi Keith, 


Another way of looking at it is relief they found it.  I always felt that relief more than worrying about why me. 


 


One of the drivers for me was that I want to live longer than my wife.  Although she's 4 years younger than me and comes from a family of long livers so it's not likely, so 20 more years will do.  That being the case if they'd said they wanted to cut off anything I'd have likely done it.


My own opinion is that the op isn't so difficult, depending on your fitness.  My wife only came to the hospital twice, once to drop me off and second to pick me up.   Beyond getting a cup of tea on the first morning back, as I was wanting to lie in, it didn't cause her any work.  She did chauffer me round for a few weeks though as I wasn't driving till it healed.  Although it was stressful for her for the 3 months of diagnosis and operation.  No doubt your wife will have felt most of that by now anyway.


To be honest I can't see an option but to have treatment.  If you get to 75 they are reluctant to do the op as you need to be reasonably healthy.  The op slopes you head down which puts some strain on you.


Let us know how you get on.


All the best, Peter


 


 


 

User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 20:12

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member


To be honest I can't see an option but to have treatment.  If you get to 75 they are reluctant to do the op as you need to be reasonably healthy.  The op slopes you head down which puts some strain on you.



 


I don’t think it is as simple as ‘if you get to 75 they are reluctant to do the op’. I would expect any surgeon considers the health and fitness of his patient when deciding whether they are up to having a general anaesthetic,  regardless of their age. When my father in law was diagnosed at 79, RP was offered but he declined it due to the risk of ruining his sex life :-/ 


An older man may be more likely to have open RP. It means less time under GA, easier to deal with anything going wrong and less stress on the heart. Only keyhole / da Vinci RP involves being tipped head down. The previous bowel surgery may also rule out laparoscopic RP. 

Edited by member 06 Oct 2019 at 20:14  | Reason: Not specified

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
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User
Posted 05 Oct 2019 at 09:45
Sorry you join us due to your diagnosis Keith. Unfortunately, regardless of having symptoms or not more men of your age will have some Prostate Cancer than not. For most diagnosed at your age and stage, they will still have 'years' regardless of treatment or not. Accepting that you don't wish to have surgery, any treatment you now have may be restricted depending on what you had for bowel treatment (which we are not aware of) and also the extent and location of the cancer in your prostate. You really need to explore these aspects with your urologist. RT (further or initial may be ruled ruled out in your case but you could ask if a focal therapy such as HIFU which generally has less severe side effects is a possibility, assuming it is believed to be confined to your Prostate. In Australia you have the benefit of cheap (by European comparison) PSMA scan which can help establish, although not definitively, whether the PCa has spread outside the Prostate. Discussing options and likely implications with your Oncologist would seem to be the best basis on which to decide whether to have some form of treatment or leave things to take their course which only you can decide.
Barry
User
Posted 05 Oct 2019 at 11:42
Even if you decided not to have radical treatment, you could have hormone therapy which should control the cancer for many years. I think you need to see an oncologist rather than the urologist
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
User
Posted 05 Oct 2019 at 19:43
Keith, I had radiotherapy for my prostate cancer which was didn't involve much in the way of side-effects at all. That would be an option worth exploring if you don't fancy surgery.

Best wishes,

Chris
User
Posted 05 Oct 2019 at 20:01
The previous bowel cancer may rule out RT to the prostate but it should be discussed with an oncologist.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 00:47

Hello Barry


Many thanks for replying to me so soon, your comments have some what given me a lift in my spirits.From all reports MRI, biopsy and  ultra sound my cancer is still confined to the prostate. I had an ultra low cancer in my bowel 6 years ago which was successfully removed and prior to my op I received 5 small doses of radiation treatment, so that being the case I need to discuss with my urologist as to whether thats an option. Unfortunately retirement for my wife and I hasnt been to kind as she had to have a quadruple artery bi pass 8 years ago and thankfully shes going ok. So taking into account what we have and what weve had and my age thats why I am so reluctant to have surgery and have to once again deal with the side effects ie incontinence etc and put my wife through stress and duress and the ordeal again . My wife is a selfless person who will put my health issues before her own.Obviously I will have discussions with my specialist and as yet havnt firmly made a decision  as its only been a few days since diagonses,but Im thinking that I will just  forego an op and enjoy a quality of life with my wife. Its a difficult decision and one which Im agonising over.... .knowing specialists they will push for an operation...but Im faced with the dilema do I risk it and maybe the cancer grows or do I just get on with my life...I know only I can decide...thanks for listening


Keith

User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 00:48

Thanks Lyn...appreciate your thoughts

User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 00:51

Thank you Chris.....I had a small dose of radiation (5 visits) 6 years ago for my bowel cancer, so need to find out if I can have anymore....did you happen to have any side effects at all and was it successful..


Many thanks 


Keith

User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 00:56

Hi Lyn,


I did have an oncolgist do my bowel cancer and he was fantastic.....what  basically is the difference between them and an Urologist 


Thanks


Keith

User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 01:35
A urologist is a surgeon so would be the person who operates if you chose surgery. An oncologist is a cancer specialist who would deal with your radiotherapy, hormone treatment, etc. Some oncologists specialise in stomach, bowel, rectum, etc and some oncologists specialise in the bladder and prostate. Some men stay under the care of the urologist and the oncologist at the same time, even if they don’t have the operation, because the urologist will keep an eye on things like urinary function.

What should happen now is that you will be given an appointment with an oncologist to discuss treatment options that don’t involve surgery. The oncologist will be able to tell you what options are available and whether the previous radiotherapy to your bowel would affect your ability to have radiotherapy now. Please don’t assume that just because you don’t want an operation that means you can’t have any treatment; there are alternatives and I am sure your wife would like to keep you around for as many years as possible.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 03:07

Thanks Lyn for your inspirational thoughts....I guess Im really struggling to come to terms with this after having gone into remission with my bowel cancer....and tbh Im thinking why me again....especially in that I feel really healthy physically....the last thing I want to do is put stress on my wife who has her own battles with her quadruple bi pass...The news is only a few days old and atm I am feeling quite ashamed of myself for breaking down a few times in front of her and adding to her problems....sadly Im not very good at disguising  my emotions and its the reason I am talking to people like yourself on here instead of laying it all on her....well bowel cancer didnt get me and her heart problems didnt as well....life can be funny cant it one minute your bobbing along and just out of the blue after a routine psa blood test your picked up out of this world and placed in another....thanks for listening Lyn

User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 03:10

Sorry Lyn  I had a colorectal surgeon do my bowel cancer

User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 08:32

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member


Thank you Chris.....I had a small dose of radiation (5 visits) 6 years ago for my bowel cancer, so need to find out if I can have anymore....did you happen to have any side effects at all and was it successful..


Many thanks 


Keith



The only real side-effect I had was having to pee every 45m all night long for the last few weeks of my treatment, which was rather exhausting, but subsided within a couple of weeks of radiotherapy finishing. This is a common, although certainly not universal, side-effect.


It's early days for me still: 6 months since I finished RT. Things are looking pretty good so far. My PSA is falling at a rate my oncologist says he'd expect it to (32 at diagnosis, down to 11 prior to RT due to hormone treatment, 4.6 six weeks after RT ended, next PSA test due in a few weeks).


You need to see an oncologist to discuss all the available non-surgical treatment options. It's unlikely to be the case that surgery is the only possible treatment!


Beat wishes,


Chris


 


 


 


 

User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 12:07

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member


Sorry Lyn  I had a colorectal surgeon do my bowel cancer



but presumably, an oncologist did the radiotherapy and chemo? 


 


As as far as the ‘why me?’ question goes, about 70% of men your age have prostate cancer but many never know because it doesn’t cause them any problems; it is an occupational risk of a) being a man and b) surviving other medical conditions long enough for the prostate cancer to get noticed. 

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 12:37

Hi Chris,


Many thanks for your comments, which have given me food for thought....only issue I may have is that I had some radiation treatment (5 short hits )6 years ago with my bowel cancer and not sure if I can have more.......but as you point out will discuss these issues with my previous radiation oncologist....good luck with your treatment sounds like you are making great inroads....cheers


Keith

User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 12:53

Yes Lyn it was done by a radiation oncologist....I will be discussing my issues with him again....as I had some 6 years ago not sure if its an option or not....as for the why me I guess Im just feeling sorry for myself after only being in remission from bowel cancer I year ago....thanks again for your input


Keith

User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 15:37

One further thought as you are in Australia where things may be done slightly differently. There is an excellent support site founded by the late Australian Terry Herbert who founded YANA (You Are Not Alone now). He was highly regarded as in this tribute to him which you may find interesting . He sometimes posted on our forum too but his own support group was (and undoubtedly still is) very well organized, is worth fully exploring and has a number of mentors :- https://prostatecancerinfolink.net/2014/08/06/death-of-terry-herbert-founder-of-yananow-com/


https://www.yananow.org/


 

Edited by member 06 Oct 2019 at 15:42  | Reason: To highlight links

Barry
User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 19:48

Hi Keith, 


Another way of looking at it is relief they found it.  I always felt that relief more than worrying about why me. 


 


One of the drivers for me was that I want to live longer than my wife.  Although she's 4 years younger than me and comes from a family of long livers so it's not likely, so 20 more years will do.  That being the case if they'd said they wanted to cut off anything I'd have likely done it.


My own opinion is that the op isn't so difficult, depending on your fitness.  My wife only came to the hospital twice, once to drop me off and second to pick me up.   Beyond getting a cup of tea on the first morning back, as I was wanting to lie in, it didn't cause her any work.  She did chauffer me round for a few weeks though as I wasn't driving till it healed.  Although it was stressful for her for the 3 months of diagnosis and operation.  No doubt your wife will have felt most of that by now anyway.


To be honest I can't see an option but to have treatment.  If you get to 75 they are reluctant to do the op as you need to be reasonably healthy.  The op slopes you head down which puts some strain on you.


Let us know how you get on.


All the best, Peter


 


 


 

User
Posted 06 Oct 2019 at 20:12

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member


To be honest I can't see an option but to have treatment.  If you get to 75 they are reluctant to do the op as you need to be reasonably healthy.  The op slopes you head down which puts some strain on you.



 


I don’t think it is as simple as ‘if you get to 75 they are reluctant to do the op’. I would expect any surgeon considers the health and fitness of his patient when deciding whether they are up to having a general anaesthetic,  regardless of their age. When my father in law was diagnosed at 79, RP was offered but he declined it due to the risk of ruining his sex life :-/ 


An older man may be more likely to have open RP. It means less time under GA, easier to deal with anything going wrong and less stress on the heart. Only keyhole / da Vinci RP involves being tipped head down. The previous bowel surgery may also rule out laparoscopic RP. 

Edited by member 06 Oct 2019 at 20:14  | Reason: Not specified

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
 
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