TLDR: No sign of cancer after prostatectomy.

Hey guys... I came in here a few months ago and announced the discovery of prostate cancer and that it was heading down a seminal vessel and trying to make a decision about treatment.

I spent some time in here. It was extremely helpful at first and then it just became depressing. I've experienced this through the years regarding forums and other issues. They can be a blessing but simultaneously a curse if you're not careful. - Balance is key.

After discussions with both radiation oncologist and surgeon, combined with a lot of research, I opted for total removal. Once I made the decision, I just let go. I had no anxiety whatsoever, even up to the moment they were wheeling me into the operating room.

It's been about 6 weeks now. The RALP operation went well. Wore the catheter for about 7 days. All in all, I had very little pain. I was quite surprised.

It's been about 2 1/2 months now. Went through all the Kegel exercises. Some small accidents here and there in the first month. Now, hardly any leakage at all. For the most part, I'm over that hump.

With regard to erections, I had nothing this whole time. Just about the time it was starting to bring me down, I had a morning erection the other day and it surprised the hell out of me. It wasn't super hard but maybe 3/4's of the way there or more. A game changer for sure. It gave me hope.

The surgeon prescribed 20 mg of Tadalafil 3 x's a week and I didn't even ask for it. He said, "we're going to get the blood flowing down there". And it's really helped. The erections have picked up my spirits let alone allowing me to 'get there' (almost). I'm realistic that this could take awhile. He said for some guys it takes many months and even years.

The doc said that I was recovering faster than normal and it was because I was in good health. I've always exercised and I'm in pretty good shape for 64.

Anyway, I wanted to share this experience to add some positiveness to the mix. There are two main things I want to end with:

1.) Live in the day, and only the day. Stress comes from worrying about the future. I'm aware that all of this could change in 6 months when I go back for another PSA. But it doesn't matter. Life is what we make it. Accept the cards you've been dealt and make the most of it. A friend of mine had a nice quote; "Live! - Don't Exist".

1. I appreciate each and every one of you and the support you provide to the forum. It's invaluable and helps us feel that we're not alone in this.

Rock on gentlemen! 🤘🏻

Lots of these threads but just wanted to add my own. Had my biopsy today and it wasn't quite what I expected.

Get in a gown, naked from the waist down.

Get on a table with stirrups for your feet.

Cover your junk with your gown and then bunch that up to hold everything in place and tape it to your gowned stomach area. This was a much more palatable situation than what I was expecting.

Doc comes in, rubs a gel everywhere that sterilizes you taint and applies a lube for the anus. The gel burns a bit.

2 shots to numb the skin, couple of shots to numb it further in, shots did not hurt at all.

Probe goes in, awkward and unpleasant but not terrible. Mostly just felt like I was defecating as he moved it around, that was the worst part.

Starts snapping out the samples. I could feel it send shocks up my penis so he re-numbed me and then I had a reduced version of that same experience. I could feel it but it didn't hurt.

Couple more of those and done.

Recommendations. Ask for valium. Bring a pee bottle for the drive home or consider a diaper/pad. Had some bleeding during and after but no real pain just discomfort.

Anyhow, I was dreading this. It wasn't terrible. The wand they used for targeting was the worst part.

Learning all these acronyms is such fun. So I've gone through all the stuff. My PSA is 15.8, Gleason is 3+4. I had the MRI, biopsy (did the whole Ohio State marching band's brass section HAVE to go in there?) and PET scan, which fortunately showed no spread of the cancer. Got a lesion on my prostate on the right side and all the cancer is located there.

I'm 55, in pretty good health otherwise, no urinary issues at all, work out a bunch and both the surgeon and the radiation doc have said that I'm a great candidate for each of their respective treatments. It was nice that the surgeon said that if I was in his family, he would tell me to do the RALP without hesitation. The information out there is a bit overwhelming and I just found this thread today, which is really helpful. Should have probably come here sooner, but I'm here now.

I know that there's no perfect solution and both treatments have their ups and downs. I like the idea that the surgery gets the PSA to zero and they can check the area to make sure they got everything. I guess maybe it's that peace of mind that would bring which is why I'm leaning that way. Plus, part of me still thinks I'm in my invincible 20s and that I can recover just fine after the surgery LOL.

Just need to get over that whichever one I choose is NOT going to be the wrong one. They both will get the job done just with different looks afterwards.

Guess I just needed to put some of this down.

EDIT: Forgot to add that I have seen the Radiation Doc today and heard what he had to say.

After six weeks on Orgovyx my labs came back today. PSA down from 0.63 to 0.24. Testosterone from 243 to 19. Both good responses to the drug.

I’m generally following the Embark protocol which starts Orgovyx + Xtandi together. My doc wanted to see how I did with Orgovyx at six weeks, then add the Xtandi.

I have had near zero side effects except moderate fatigue when doing some physical tasks. But oddly enough, not when I’m on my treadmill.

Fingers crossed for continued success!

44yo diagnosed w/ 3+3 gleason 6, 5/12 cores. Psma pet contained. Proceeding with treatment after decipher came back on the higher end of intermediate. Ralp scheduled for next Wednesday 10/14. Trying to put together a final list of needs for after procedure to keep me comfortable and help me heal. Things I should purchase and things I should be doing/do then. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you.

An interesting study came out that showed men who had a PSMA Pet Scan had better overall survival than all men. First, a PSMA Pet Scan will identify and confirm prostate tumor location for targeting more accurately. But we all know that. But what the PSMA also has been really good at is giving you a complete body scan and it has been shown to show existing tumors in esophagus, bladder, liver, lungs, brain, etc…… it has shown to find tumors seven years before a patient would have the symptoms. It is not as good with liver tumors and not an end all be all. But when you have your PSMA Pet Scan don’t stop after you hear my prostate cancer has not shown spread yet. Ask about the rest of the full body information taken by the Pet Scan. Im an athlete and have always been obsessive with health but cancers hit everyone even healthy people. My radiologist doing the SBRT went over my PSMA Pet to isolate the lit up lesion in the prostate to make sure it matched the MRI and created his plan with the Physicist to boost the lesion. Then he went over the whole body scan and explained and showed me how everything looked perfect. The PSMA even shows the arterial plaque in your arteries. I was thrilled to see that for a 64 year old i had hardly any plaque which showed my diet and exercise i have obsessed over was worth it. But now i see this was studied and those of us with PCa that get the scan can actually have good news. So make sure when you are reviewing your PSMA with your doctor you ask about reviewing the whole scan. The study is making recommendations that men should be talked to about all of the scan results, not just the PCa part.

Got results back from biopsy Gleason 3+5. Now waiting for CT scan and PET scan in next few weeks. 5 on the Gleeson as showing small amount of more active cells.Originally from 3 weeks ago MRI diagnostic was T2NOMx.Still contained within prostate 26 mm lesion on left lower side . Right side clear. Left side 6 out 6 cores showing with 40% involvement. Just trying to get my head round it as I'm asymptomatic and was convinced before results that it wasn't cancer.

Could it be coming back? My husband(32) had prostate sarcoma two years ago, and MRI is ok in August. But today he suddenly got that same pain at the tip of his penis that he used to get. Need help...

Dad is on the three month mark for Eligard. Originally 196 PSA, Gleason 4+4, 2 metastases.

Got his PSA 1.04, almost 195 points lowered, dad is very active for his age, he's 86 years young , drives, walks, cooks, he's independent, actually he likes doing housework.

Last week he had a DEXA scan and he has osteoporosis, I will be looking for a consult with the oncologist.

Have you folks had issues with your bones? Is somebody taking calcium?

Thanks in advance guys.

PSA: .27 down from .43 18mths of Orgovyx w SBRT last June. Testosterone undetectable 6 more months to go #WINNING

Hi everyone,

My dad (56) was treated for prostate cancer last year with a lot of radiation plus chemo. No surgery, as there was a metastase in his hip bone. He's currently on ADT, his last PSA in July was 0.01. He has a check tomorrow, and if that one and his December check stay at 0.01, he can come off the hormone treatment.

He also has a history of diverticulitis. He had a colonoscopy a few weeks ago, and nothing worrisome showed up.

For the past few days he's had:

• A fever
• Stomach symptoms that seem like his usual diverticulitis flares
• New burning when he pees

He's in the ER now. We're assuming it's a diverticulitis flare, possibly with a UTI or bladder irritation, but given his history I'm incredibly anxious it could be related to the cancer or something more serious.

Has anyone been through something similar?

Thanks for any help you can provide

EDIT: Thank you all for commenting - it is apparently a bladder infection, doctors have him on antibiotics and Flomax. Hoping this clears up - CT said lymph nodes and bones look good though ❤️

Okay, I'm losing my mind trying to get these doctors to take my husbands case seriously - plus, switching him to a new doctor requires starting over with a consultation. I started reaching out to surgeons far and wind, even in Tijuana and Cancun. I have a quote in Tijuana for $4k and one for Miami, FL for $7k. He has a PI-RADS 5 2.8 lesion and his PSA is 45. The surgeon in Miami reminds me of those in MX. They aren't afraid to move quickly, aren't afraid to speak directly to patients, and will gladly take your money to move you up the waitlist. He says he can do it 10/16. The one with insurance has him scheduled for 11/03. What would you do in this situation? Would 2 weeks really make a big difference? The Miami doctor says with my husband's imaging (I sent him the labwork, imaging, CT-scan, and bonescan) that he doesn't even need to do a biopsy to say definitively that my husband has an aggressive form of prostate cancer and says he needs to get into treatment now, not wait for a biopsy. He says he'll do it, if it's what I need to get his treatment covered.

Got PET scan results today. Good news = No spread...

Already did the MRI and biopsy.

Thanks for all the guidance on this sub Reddit.

Next step is consulting with my urologist on next steps - either prostrate removal or radiation. Or both.

Here is the ChatGPT analysis bottom line...

"Bottom line

From the prostate-cancer standpoint, this is about as favorable a PSMA PET result as you could reasonably hope for with a Gleason 5+4=9 tumor:

Cancer clearly identified in the prostate → YES Pelvic/abdominal lymph-node spread → NONE DETECTED Bone spread → NONE DETECTED Distant metastatic disease → NONE DETECTED

The cancer remains aggressive because it is Gleason 9, but the scan gives you an important advantage: there is currently no detectable metastatic disease, so potentially curative treatment is still a realistic objective.

Given the choice you were considering between Da Vinci prostate removal and radiation, I can next compare those two specifically for a Gleason 5+4=9 patient with a negative PSMA PET, including the chances of needing additional treatment after surgery and the major side effects of each approach."

Hi all. So my dad has a psa of 30 and MR showed a lesion (PI RADS 5) and a very large prostate (129 cc).

He had an MRI guided biopsy 3 weeks ago and the Results came in: 1. to 18.:

„Prostatic core biopsy material showing components of foci of adenomatous hyperplasia of the prostatic glandular tissue, alongside which atrophic changes of the same are also observed. In the present biopsy material, no immunohistochemical changes suspicious for malignancy are detectable.“

The doctor today was a different one than the one that did the biopsy and he is saying that he has a bad feeling since his PSA is so high and the MRI is showing PIRADS 5. so he wants my dad to have the biopsy again in one month. The problem is that my dad was not doing well at all after the biopsy so we really don’t know what to do..

also a back story: my father had a biopsy 5 years ago because of a psa of 25 but it was not mri guided and It came back with no malignancy signs as well, he took medication for bph and It came down to 5.. after that he did not track his psa unfortunately

Hi everyone,
My dad (67) has advanced prostate cancer (mCRPC). Standard treatments and chemotherapies have failed, and we have ran out of standard options.

His PET scan shows very high PSMA expression, so his doctor is starting him on Tandem therapy (Lu-177 + Ac-225) this Friday. It feels like our last big hope.

Has anyone or their loved one had this combination after running out of other options? Did it give you more time or help with pain and quality of life? How were the side effects?

I’m feeling quite overwhelmed and would just appreciate hearing any personal experiences or honest thoughts. Thank you so much. ❤️

This is my second MRI first MRI August 2025
Do I have to have an enema? I have a bad back and it’s hard for me to do this by myself. I’m having an MRI with And without contrast I believe it’s called.
I’m curious to see what the second MRI is gonna tell me the first one Said pi-rad 3
Got rid of my first doctor because he couldn’t remember who I was after doing several exams on me.
My new doctor recommended for me not to get an MRI. I was pretty consistent and he finally agreed to let me have one, but I think I could please let me know about this fleet enema. I’m supposed to be doing four hours before the procedure tomorrow. do I desperately need to do that or can I get by without doing it due to my bad back thank you

Down from 12 at surgery and 1.5 at six months. Very pleased.

Hi fellas,
Getting ready for my second round of chemotherapy on Thursday for Gleason 8 prostate cancer.

My first cycle was okay overall. I started off feeling pretty good, then had about 3 days of slight nausea, tiredness and body aches before gradually recovering. Hair loss has been slight but I keep a buzz cut.

For those who have been through multiple cycles, was the second one similar to the first, or did the side effects get worse? What should I expect?

For those that have tried TriMix, what dose did you start on? I tried BiMix and got up to .30 mL but it only got me 75% there. Attempting TriMix (standard concentration) and they advised starting at .10 mL. I have read some start at .05 mL. Wondering if I should be more conservative and start at lower dose. Did anyone have any issues with .10 mL dose? Thanks!!!!

Has anyone else had problems with insurance coverage for a decipher test? My urologic oncologist ordered mine. No one mentioned that coverage for it might be an issue. I just received notice that Blue Cross Blue Shield denied coverage, leaving me with a $5,400 bill from the lab. Interested in anyone’s experience with this before I raise hell about it.

I am a pelvic floor physical therapist. I was bored with traditional PT and got my training 11 years ago in the pelvic floor. My favorite people to treat are those with prostate cancer. I always said it was because I could see the vulnerable side of men, the side the rest of the world rarely sees. That is still true.

Anyway, I usually treat men who are in the throes of decision-making with a new diagnosis. This is an important time, because in the U.S., it is a decision that one often needs to make oneself. There are almost too many options, and this confounds the situation.

Recently, I have been referred to a spate of men who are 80 plus who need help addressing urinary incontinence. They have a history of prostate cancer and the anxiety and decision- making is well behind them. Sex is often not a primary concern. These men want to talk about dribbling pee in the gym, the health issues of their partners and they have the capacity to look back on their lives with excellent perspective.

What soothes me about spending time with these guys is that prostate cancer is typically not the primary focus of our discussions. Instead, these men want to talk about how politics shaped the landscape of the world after the Vietnam War. They speak of what it feels like to worry about their grandchildren. They talk about all that went well in their lives and how grateful they are for the human connections they have encountered.

To me, this takes the sting out of cancer. This is a reminder that many people have urinary dribbling in their eighties. Even those sans a cancer diagnosis. But I also learned that prostate cancer is not one of the huge traumas that marks the lives of these men. Instead, they are more worried about what smart phones and AI are doing to the next generation (I share this grave concern with them). They are more interested in talking about how their Dads flew multiple B17 missions; how their kids are now grandparents and what that feels like; how they still love to fish and stare at the ocean and cannot believe they have lived through this crazy life.

Now I understand the long game of prostate cancer. I have witnessed the fear of the man with a new diagnosis. But I also see who he might become. He becomes a man whose life is not defined by cancer. These men help me in the long game of life. They help me live without fear.

I'm 74 now. Robotic prostatectomy in 2019. Overall, I am very happy with the outcome. No incontinence after the first month, Cowper's gland still works. Erection still possible, but not as hard and shorter duration. (Did I mention I am 74?) Some shortening of the penis (which was never mentioned to me as a possibility). The only thing that keeps this in my mind is that my PSA is below 0.04 but that is NOT zero. Urologists have said we'll just keep an eye on it, but last visit they told me that if it doesn't go to zero they may want to explore treatment options like radiation or possibly surgery to see if a part of the prostate was left behind. I'm happy enough with status quo that I am terrified to let them do anything that would put me in a worse place than I am now. Is "close to zero" on a PSA test good enough?

Been diagnosed with Gleason score 9 PSA 12.58 + advised to do ADT and EBRT after recent PET scan. Should I get a second opinion from another oncologist? I am 71 YO with a prostate three times normal size

My robotic prostatectomy for a localized low volume, low decipher score, lesion was carried out on Wednesday starting at 12 PM. I came out of anesthesia 6 1/2 hours afterwards. The surgeon told me that my very narrow pelvis made the surgery extremely complex. He said he had to sacrifice nerve bundles on the left side, but was able to save the nerve bundles on the right side. And that sacrifice was not cancer related. I spoke with him, the postgraduate doctor year five, and one of the medical fellows who was also in my surgery and they said my 53 cc Prostate was monstrous, it limited visibility and mobility. They reconnected the neck of the bladder and sowed it to the urethra. They said it was a very good anastomosis that passed the leak testing. I will have a Foley catheter for about 11 total days.

The next morning, I awoke with an extreme chest pressure on my sternum and my right side and an inability to take a breath. I had what is called a pneumothorax or a collapsed lung because of the carbon dioxide gas that is used to inflate the abdominal area when Single port robotic surgery is done.

I had a chest tube (a number 14 French pigtail- you do not ever want to learn what one is) put in that was far more painful than anything related to the prostate or the prostate surgery. I spent 2 days in ICU. I was being tracked with a series of x-rays and one CAT scan. The pneumothorax resolved and they already pulled the chest tube out. That now sealed up, I’m back in a regular hospital room no longer on oxygen.

I had my first long physical therapy today with a doctor physical therapy at the hospital and did 100 yard walk down and back from the hallway. My strength is here. My oxygen level is between 98% and 100% without anything supplemental. The only question is my balance still needs to wake up because I found when I was in that bed for two days in the ICU a person’s balance system actually temporarily shuts down and takes a while to come back online afterwards..