My husband and his diagnosis

Hi Goggie

Sorry to hear about your situation.

If you had been aware that it was in the vesicles before the op then RT may have been better. However they didn't know until afterwards, good that not in the bones though.

I think salvage RT is your next best option, potentially still curable .

I hope that it all goes well,  keep us posted.

Please ask if u have any more questions.

All the best

Steve 

Hello Goggie, oh, I so understand your fears!  My husband was diagnosed last autumn T3a no mo Gleason 4+3. He went down the radiotherapy and hormone therapy route. We were never offered a ct scan but the bone scan was clear. Like you, I looked at all the ‘what ifs’ - what if they had missed any mets, what if he had had surgery, what if the rt had missed cancer cells, what if the cancer returned….on and on and on all sorts of these what ifs teemed through my mind. Then I realised that worrying about them was stopping us getting on with enjoying the life we have now, having quality time together while we can and making some nice memories. These what ifs might not happen after all! Yes, those doubts lurk and our lives have been forever changed but we are learning to live with this altered ‘way of being’.

cancer is scary and nobody wants to hear the diagnosis. The important thing to remember is that there is a whole armoury of treatment out there for prostate cancer and this makes it most often a long term condition , like say, diabetes, which can be managed even if not cured. 

I was scared silly about the radiotherapy but that went smoothly. 

I really hope that things turn out well for you and your husband and that you will soon be telling us some good news!

Hi Goggie,

I'm new to this as well as my partner was diagnosed in October but I may be able to offer something. 

First reading your PSA of 7.4 and then finding your Gleason score of 9 and end result of T3b is quite eyebrow raising and unusual,? I can understand your shock at adjusting to one course of treatment and then suddenly being in the next level. Also, I want to say if you read my bio take onboard that my partner is also T3b and even though his scores are different with a high PSA and a lower Gleason I feel he maybe further on in the T3b as he has a slightly wider spread. Now, taking that onboard, his treatment is pitched at "cure" he is boarderline but as he is having a very aggressive line of treatment there is a possibility of a cure, for him this all hinges on the radiotherapy that he will be starting next week.

It's good your husband has started the hormone treatment as that will start to shrink the remaining cancer cells back and the Radiotherapy will then kill or disable them and in theory stop them from dividing. That will be it - that will be your cure all being well.

Personally I have to say that even though you've had the prostate removed only to find out that in a way it wasn't needed as such, I don't see that as a big negative. I know your husband is probably working through the aftermath of that, but I think having that "mothership" of cancer cells removed has to be a good thing. 

You've had a whirlwind of trauma in the last few months and no wonder you are on edge, hopefully you can relax more now. There is the possibility of a cure still, and you are having the right treatment to get you to that point. 

Best wishes to you and your husband

L

Thank you so much for your reply Steve … Panic and timescales possibly led us towards Surgery.. my husband had the operation before oncology actually contacted us via a telephone appointment 

the surgeon was really nice but possibly over confident 

I think in turn made us the same so when we found all wasn’t great it’s feeling more of a shock ..Just lost a bit of trust and not sleeping 

Everything you say is right and my sensible self thinks the same but the feeling of panic is keeping me awake and the Gleason score is terrifying me  However thank you so much for your kind and understanding reply x

Thank you for your reply and glad your husband is good and you have jumped that hurdle … I think my husbands diagnosis wasn’t so aggressive I may find it easier so now just hope the hormone therapy works x 

I also want to say I hope your husbands treatment works well for him and wish him good luck when he starts treatment x

Good Morning Goggie

Yes a cancer diagnosis is not what you need but it starts you off on a journey, which goes down a different route for everyone but it ends at a destination with a positive result.

My diagnosis started as a Gleason 7 but down the line I had an "upgrade" and joined the Gleason 9 club (you can see my entire journey by clicking on the icon of the beach - I hope this helps).

Barry W (above) is spot on - the Hormone treatment will shrink the cancer and the Radiotherapy will kill them off.

I must admit I wasn't offered surgery so I cant comment on that and we had differing opinions as to had my cancer spread between urology and oncology and in the end it was decided to "zap" my lymph nodes just to be sure. I am positive before radiotherapy your husband will be checked to find out just where it needs to be directed.

I arrived on this community full of doom and gloom however the good people here assured me that all was not lost and 18 months down the line I am fine - so please don't ever give up hope - an as a community we are here for you.

I hope my story helps and keep us posted with your progress.

Kind Regards

Brian.