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New to Forum (Diagnosed on 12/11/20)

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User
Posted 16 Dec 2020 at 16:02

Hello all

I stumbled upon this forum after I was diagnosed with prostate cancer on 12/11/20.  I have found it to be informative and at times, comforting.

I am 52 years old, after a PSA of 5 (increased from 2.3 in 2019), my Dr. recommended that we take some biopsies of my prostate.  Twelve biopsies were taken, 1 showed cancer, 1 showed pre cancerous cells.  My Gleason score is a 6 (3+3) and my Dr. said it's considered "low grade", not aggressive and the chances that it has spread are minimal.  

I have to go back on 1/19/21 to discussed options.  The Dr. briefly told me what the options were the day he told me I had cancer, but did not go into details (observation, surgery, radiation).  There are risks with any of those options, but I do know, given my personality, observation (wait and see approach) is not an option for me.  The weight of knowing I have cancer and doing nothing is just too heavy of a burden on me and I just can't live like that.  I'm leaning towards surgery, but will wait to see what the Dr says on 1/19.

Another thing that has me worried is, for a spell now, my groin area has been very tender, at times the soreness will be in my inner thighs.  Also, my lower back has been sore (when moving around, etc.).  My Dr. knows about this and said we could discuss on 1/19/21.  Of course, I am worried that the cancer is not isolated in the prostate and that is why I am having these other issues.  I assume an MRI would reveal any outside problems (outside the prostate).

Since I found out I have cancer, my energy level has just gone way down, I feel like I'm taking a step backwards every day and I don't know if that psychological or not.  I'm trying as hard as I can to stay positive, but it's tough when you have a million things (most of them negative) going through your mind.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and thank you for this forum

KW

 

User
Posted 16 Dec 2020 at 19:28
With one positive core and a G3+3 the chance of spread is vanishingly small. However, anxiety and mind games may mean that your sleep is disturbed and or that you are holding body tension that is causing aches and pains. It is also a fact that once you know you have cancer (no matter how tiny it is) every symptom or pain becomes a catastrophe.

The pain in groin area is not a symptom associated with prostate cancer but it is possible that the biopsy has left you with a bit of infection or inflammation. Tiredness / lack of energy is most likely an emotional response to diagnosis combined with poor sleep quality and / or infection.

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

User
Posted 16 Dec 2020 at 23:26
Thanks for clarifying that - it's helpful to know.

With low-grade G3+3 cancer one option chosen by many men is active surveillance. This isn't doing nothing, but rather keeping a close eye on what's going on. It's important to understand that prostate cancer doesn't change its nature. A G3 cancer doesn't turn into a G4 or 5, and G3 cancer does not metastasise. Given, though, that a biopsy by its very nature is a random sampling of cells, it's possible that there may be G4 or G5 cells which weren't detected. Regular PSA tests and scans would allow progress to be monitored.

However, I completely empathise with the desire to want to be rid of it - I felt the same way myself. A prostatectomy is life-changing, though, so make sure you're aware of the consequences of any treatment.

You're certainly in the right place for advice. We've all been through it. I went down the radiotherapy/hormone therapy route myself; others have had surgery, brachytherapy, etc, so you'll find people here with experience of most things.

Very best wishes,

Chris

User
Posted 17 Dec 2020 at 01:20

My friend who is G3+4=7, worse than you, has been on active surveillance for five years. He enjoys a normal sex life, and of course no side effects that any and all treatments would have caused him.

He has regular PSA tests and annual MRI scans to monitor his situation.

It may or not be of some comfort to you that if you had critical illness insurance, many companies would not pay out as a G3+3 diagnosis is not classed as ‘life-threatening’!

You have the lowest grade of what is probably the least worst ‘cancer’ you can get (there are hundreds of different ones, which unfortunately colloquially are all given the same name).

I would look into active surveillance, maybe for a year to start with, think about it over Christmas and discuss the matter with your specialist at the meeting in January.

Best of luck.

Cheers, John.

Edited by member 17 Dec 2020 at 13:21  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 17 Dec 2020 at 06:32

Hi, well for sure we are all different but I had similar results to you around 5 year ago and I am just about to start treatment.   To this day I still do not have any symptons and being under surviellance was no great hardship.   If anything it kept me reassured that everything was ok and not progressing to anywhere else.   I had great trust in the proffessionals I was dealing with.    If you read some of the stories on here from guys who have had treatment and some of the problems that have followed I still think for me it was much better to wait and continue having a normal life.   I'm the type of person though that my glass is always half full and my attitude it to cross all of the bridges as you come to them and not worry about what might happen but only deal with things if if they do.

Good luck and do some research on here but then you have to go with your own gut instinct

 

 

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User
Posted 16 Dec 2020 at 19:28
With one positive core and a G3+3 the chance of spread is vanishingly small. However, anxiety and mind games may mean that your sleep is disturbed and or that you are holding body tension that is causing aches and pains. It is also a fact that once you know you have cancer (no matter how tiny it is) every symptom or pain becomes a catastrophe.

The pain in groin area is not a symptom associated with prostate cancer but it is possible that the biopsy has left you with a bit of infection or inflammation. Tiredness / lack of energy is most likely an emotional response to diagnosis combined with poor sleep quality and / or infection.

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

User
Posted 16 Dec 2020 at 22:35
Are you in the UK, by the way? I see you're writing dates in an American format, which makes me suspect that you may not be. Most of us here have experience of the treatment offered in this country, and what's on offer may well be different if you live elsewhere.

Best wishes,

Chris

User
Posted 16 Dec 2020 at 23:10

No, I'm in the US, but I still welcome any support i can get.

User
Posted 16 Dec 2020 at 23:26
Thanks for clarifying that - it's helpful to know.

With low-grade G3+3 cancer one option chosen by many men is active surveillance. This isn't doing nothing, but rather keeping a close eye on what's going on. It's important to understand that prostate cancer doesn't change its nature. A G3 cancer doesn't turn into a G4 or 5, and G3 cancer does not metastasise. Given, though, that a biopsy by its very nature is a random sampling of cells, it's possible that there may be G4 or G5 cells which weren't detected. Regular PSA tests and scans would allow progress to be monitored.

However, I completely empathise with the desire to want to be rid of it - I felt the same way myself. A prostatectomy is life-changing, though, so make sure you're aware of the consequences of any treatment.

You're certainly in the right place for advice. We've all been through it. I went down the radiotherapy/hormone therapy route myself; others have had surgery, brachytherapy, etc, so you'll find people here with experience of most things.

Very best wishes,

Chris

User
Posted 17 Dec 2020 at 01:20

My friend who is G3+4=7, worse than you, has been on active surveillance for five years. He enjoys a normal sex life, and of course no side effects that any and all treatments would have caused him.

He has regular PSA tests and annual MRI scans to monitor his situation.

It may or not be of some comfort to you that if you had critical illness insurance, many companies would not pay out as a G3+3 diagnosis is not classed as ‘life-threatening’!

You have the lowest grade of what is probably the least worst ‘cancer’ you can get (there are hundreds of different ones, which unfortunately colloquially are all given the same name).

I would look into active surveillance, maybe for a year to start with, think about it over Christmas and discuss the matter with your specialist at the meeting in January.

Best of luck.

Cheers, John.

Edited by member 17 Dec 2020 at 13:21  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 17 Dec 2020 at 06:32

Hi, well for sure we are all different but I had similar results to you around 5 year ago and I am just about to start treatment.   To this day I still do not have any symptons and being under surviellance was no great hardship.   If anything it kept me reassured that everything was ok and not progressing to anywhere else.   I had great trust in the proffessionals I was dealing with.    If you read some of the stories on here from guys who have had treatment and some of the problems that have followed I still think for me it was much better to wait and continue having a normal life.   I'm the type of person though that my glass is always half full and my attitude it to cross all of the bridges as you come to them and not worry about what might happen but only deal with things if if they do.

Good luck and do some research on here but then you have to go with your own gut instinct

 

 

 
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