Somewhat depressed right now

Good morning Mike23 and welcome.

I am sorry that you are feeling depressed and can understand your anxiety. Your PSA has more than doubled in the last 2 years which is the trigger for more investigation and the bone scan is standard procedure for checking that there are no bone mets so nothing unusual there. As for speed, some health authorities are trying to improve waiting times by adding in extra clinics and maybe yours is one of them.

I don't know which particular health authority you are under in the NE but I did do a search for DaVinci robotic surgery and came up with this for Newcastle which gives contact details and the names of the specialist where you could ask questions. The extent of the surgery will be determined once all the information has been gathered from your biopsy and scans but the obvious ones are whether it is nerve and Retzius sparing.

https://www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/services/urology/our-services/davinci-robot-surgery/

Hi Mike23 and welcome to the ever expanding club.

Always hope,

Thank you.

I think I'm overwhelmed by the speed everything is moving at, but I guess I should be thankful in reality.

Thanks for the link. I managed to find details on Sunderland Royal as that's where my prostatectomy will take place. The articles I found were reassuring. I'm guessing I may meet the surgeon prior to my procedure? 

Can I ask you - Once I have the dye injection at 9.20  will I be allowed to leave hospital and come back for my scan at 11.40? ( I have friends who live five minutes from the hospital so it'd be nice to grab a coffee and sympathy )

 Thank you again.

Amnesiac,

Thank you. It's reassuring to read your summary of the initial process and through to where you are today. 

It's like a mirror image of my situation and I take comfort from your post.

It's just everything was a whirlwind over a couple of days and stressed me. 

With the help and advice on the forum, plus the reading and research I've done ( and continue to do ) I'm sure I'll be calmer and better equipped to ask questions going forward.

Thank you again.

Hi Mike23 sorry you have joined the club but at least you now have a plan now for a cure.  As others have said, having a bone scan is very normal so don’t worry about it, chances are with your stats it will be clear.  Please feel free to ask any questions as you progress. Best wishes, David

I would have thought it was OK to visit your friends provided they are not pregnant and there are no children around as you will be injected with a radioactive tracer for the bone scan. It is always best to check with the radiographers though so follow their instructions, particularly about getting back on time as the tracer does get flushed out of the body.

I cannot give you an answer about meeting with the surgeon as I have no experience but I am sure that someone else will be along to tell you their story so I have tagged in  JohnyBoy who might be able to help.

Hi Mike23

sorry you’ve had to find your way here but there’s no better anonymous support group around than this with the guys & & wives you’ll bump into on here.

Alwayshope tagged me below so …

I became aware in February this year that I may have an issue with my prostate, in April it was confirmed that it was cancer. I chose the op path and I knew the risk of ED problems long term but I just wanted the cancer out to carry on enjoying my life rather than the 18 months of hormone therapy & radiation therapy that lay on a possible other path. My diagnosis was 2c Gleeson 7 (3+4) with a PSA of just 3.8 and not a single symptom & on July 5th it was duly removed, I was one night in hospital and home the next day with a catheter in for a total of 11 days.

The catheter was removed on the 16th and I wore the thickest of man pads as I had no indication of how bad the incontinence would be, but I quickly found that having started the pelvic before I went into hospital helped me regain control of my bladder in that first week of post catheter so I quickly changed to the thinnest pads and by week 12 post surgery I was pad free.

In September they had the results back from the lab and I was informed that I was cancer free.

My only hang over from all this is ED, but as the saying goes, that’s a work in progress, but, I’m here, I’m away fishing with my friends this weekend, I live with the people that I love most in this world and that right there is what it’s all about…life. Cancer for me, was only a blip to be got past and move back into my life seamlessly and I believe I’ve done just that, cancer does not get define who I am and nor should it anyone else, I was not Ill, I just had cancer.

Positivity in life and about this condition goes a long way to helping move on past this, luckily for me that’s part of who I am, if you can find a way to look at this from a slightly different point of view, the world will seem like a better place.

If you have any questions no matter how small, large or personal, feel free to ask away and I’ll be happy to help with an answer if it’s within my field to do so, or there will be someone on here that can.

Best wishes & good luck

John

Morning John. Mike23 was asking if you saw the surgeon to discuss the procedure before deciding to have surgery and also was it the same person who carried it out? Hope you can help.

Hi Alwayshope. 
I had a meeting with both a surgeon and an oncologist to help me decide which treatment path to choose. It was the same surgeon who performed my biopsy which was painless.

Although I was put on his list for my op,  for whatever reason this was changed at the last minute to a surgeon I hadn’t met. Although I was bit concerned about this, both he and his team who I met briefly on ‘the day’ were excellent.

These guys carry out this procedure hundreds of times and I’m not convinced that picking a specific surgeon is worth the added pressure.

Yes I had complete continuity, I saw Mr Smith at Castle Hill in East Yorkshire a) when I went in to be given my options, b) when I went in to give him my decision c) he was my surgeon d) when I got my results and beyond that, his secretary has always been available on the phone to answer pre & post op questions 

I hope this helps

Best wishes

John