New diagnosis
Raku2day06-17-2005, 08:47 PMMy husband just had a biopsy and it came back positive. They took 26 samples and he had one with positive cancer. His gleason score is 6 . He is thinking of having the prostate removed at Johns Hopkins by Dr. Ballentine Carter. What are the chances that he will be incontenient after the surgery and what is the average time that this lasts if it happens ? I know that there is no way to really say whether this would be permanent but what are the chances? He is 58 and his PSA was 7.2.
ThanksItzMe206-17-2005, 11:58 PMWell if he does have the surgery, he has chosen the best place and one of the very best surgeons!
Dr. Carter keeps track of his patients after surgery. I just filled out my 36 month review for him. He will review these figures with you before surgery. I know it is somewhere in the 98% area. I had no problems with leakage after the catherder came out.
It sounds like your husband has a very small cancer and it is caught early. That's the good part. The bad part is that he has cancer. Bummer.
Please let us know how we can help you two as you move forward.
ItzMe2positive4u06-18-2005, 12:07 AMRaku2day-Do you know what percentage of cancer made up that positive sample?
Positive4u :)John in CA06-18-2005, 01:09 AMHi Raku2day,
It seems to me with 26 core samples being taken and only one being positive that your husband is certainly in a position to consider many options before he commits to something early on.
I, at 56, had two positive sections out of 12 taken, was a stage T1c and had plenty of time for research and to question lots of former PC patients and doctors. My surgeru was this past April and was very successful.
Is the surgery he's looking into the robotic laparoscopic type? I ask, because that's what I elected and I have nothing but positive comments regarding this state-of-the-art method to rid the prostate and have the best chance at saving both nerve bundles.
He will probably be incontinent after the surgery and the duration varies with everybody. My research indicated the more one did the Kegal exercises prior to surgery, the shorter the post operative incontinence. My robotic surgeon suggested starting these about five weeks prior to surgery, which I did religiously. There are numerous websites that also suggest doing these prior to surgery with various repetitions and times per day. Fortunately, I have been pretty lucky as far as battling this issue. I used pads for the first month or two, and get by now on one per day as a "preventative."
If you have any other questions, which you will, post away, as there are many veteran PC survivors who have been through every possible twist and turn associated with this particular cancer. Caught early, like your husband's, it is very beatable.
Good luck to you both!Raku2day06-18-2005, 12:53 PMNo, I do not know what percentage of cancer made up the positive sample. How do we find this out? What questions do we need to have for the urologists when we meet with him this week? What does"high grade" mean?
Thanks for any advice that you have for us.lookinfwd06-20-2005, 10:25 AMRaku2day, sorry about the cancer diagnosis. All of us here know what it is like for patients and their families. Deciding on treatment options, then waiting to go through them are very stressful. It is certain that your concern and involvement will make a huge difference to your husband. I had RPP last October at age 55, PSA was 4.1, Gleason 6 (revised upward to 7 in the surgical pathology report), 2 samples out of 12 were positive. I chose Johns Hopkins and Dr. Carter for my surgery, and have been very satisfied with the quality of treatment and care, as well as the follow-up. There have been a number of positive postings regarding the robotic and laparoscopic surgeries, but I have had no reason to question the "traditional" nerve-sparing surgery. The difficult truth is that there are a number of generally successful treatment options, so you have to weigh the various factors and choose what seems best for you. My reasoning was that Hopkins, and Dr. Carter, have been performing these surgeries very frequently for a number of years, and that gave me confidence in their expertise. I have been more fortunate than most in the matter of urinary control. Although I used precautionary pads for the first couple of days after catheter removal, I never had any significant leakage and have never used them again. I did leak a few drops when first attempting sexual activity, and still (rarely) leak very small amounts if I wait too long to urinate, especially if I am actively moving around, but never enough to show. I also did Kegel exercises pretty regularly for a month or so before surgery. It is hard to say how much difference that makes, but it certainly can't hurt. All of us here will do our best to provide information from the patient and family perspective. Good luck.
ThanksItzMe206-17-2005, 11:58 PMWell if he does have the surgery, he has chosen the best place and one of the very best surgeons!
Dr. Carter keeps track of his patients after surgery. I just filled out my 36 month review for him. He will review these figures with you before surgery. I know it is somewhere in the 98% area. I had no problems with leakage after the catherder came out.
It sounds like your husband has a very small cancer and it is caught early. That's the good part. The bad part is that he has cancer. Bummer.
Please let us know how we can help you two as you move forward.
ItzMe2positive4u06-18-2005, 12:07 AMRaku2day-Do you know what percentage of cancer made up that positive sample?
Positive4u :)John in CA06-18-2005, 01:09 AMHi Raku2day,
It seems to me with 26 core samples being taken and only one being positive that your husband is certainly in a position to consider many options before he commits to something early on.
I, at 56, had two positive sections out of 12 taken, was a stage T1c and had plenty of time for research and to question lots of former PC patients and doctors. My surgeru was this past April and was very successful.
Is the surgery he's looking into the robotic laparoscopic type? I ask, because that's what I elected and I have nothing but positive comments regarding this state-of-the-art method to rid the prostate and have the best chance at saving both nerve bundles.
He will probably be incontinent after the surgery and the duration varies with everybody. My research indicated the more one did the Kegal exercises prior to surgery, the shorter the post operative incontinence. My robotic surgeon suggested starting these about five weeks prior to surgery, which I did religiously. There are numerous websites that also suggest doing these prior to surgery with various repetitions and times per day. Fortunately, I have been pretty lucky as far as battling this issue. I used pads for the first month or two, and get by now on one per day as a "preventative."
If you have any other questions, which you will, post away, as there are many veteran PC survivors who have been through every possible twist and turn associated with this particular cancer. Caught early, like your husband's, it is very beatable.
Good luck to you both!Raku2day06-18-2005, 12:53 PMNo, I do not know what percentage of cancer made up the positive sample. How do we find this out? What questions do we need to have for the urologists when we meet with him this week? What does"high grade" mean?
Thanks for any advice that you have for us.lookinfwd06-20-2005, 10:25 AMRaku2day, sorry about the cancer diagnosis. All of us here know what it is like for patients and their families. Deciding on treatment options, then waiting to go through them are very stressful. It is certain that your concern and involvement will make a huge difference to your husband. I had RPP last October at age 55, PSA was 4.1, Gleason 6 (revised upward to 7 in the surgical pathology report), 2 samples out of 12 were positive. I chose Johns Hopkins and Dr. Carter for my surgery, and have been very satisfied with the quality of treatment and care, as well as the follow-up. There have been a number of positive postings regarding the robotic and laparoscopic surgeries, but I have had no reason to question the "traditional" nerve-sparing surgery. The difficult truth is that there are a number of generally successful treatment options, so you have to weigh the various factors and choose what seems best for you. My reasoning was that Hopkins, and Dr. Carter, have been performing these surgeries very frequently for a number of years, and that gave me confidence in their expertise. I have been more fortunate than most in the matter of urinary control. Although I used precautionary pads for the first couple of days after catheter removal, I never had any significant leakage and have never used them again. I did leak a few drops when first attempting sexual activity, and still (rarely) leak very small amounts if I wait too long to urinate, especially if I am actively moving around, but never enough to show. I also did Kegel exercises pretty regularly for a month or so before surgery. It is hard to say how much difference that makes, but it certainly can't hurt. All of us here will do our best to provide information from the patient and family perspective. Good luck.