YANA - YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

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Patrick Moran and Nancy live in Levittown Pennsylvania USA. He was 46 when he was diagnosed on January 22, 2008. His initial PSA was 6.9 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 6 (3+3) and although he says he was staged T2c, from his narrative it seems that was the pathological staging and his clinical staging would have been T1c. His choice of treatment was Robotic Laparoscopic Surgery . Here is his story.

I am 47 years old and have been married to my wife Nancy for 20 years. We have two teenage sons. There is a strong family history of prostate cancer in my family. My father was 58 and my brother was 42 when diagnosed with prostate cancer. Today my father is 72 and my brother is 49 both are cancer free.

After my brother's cancer I began to take every supplement to prevent prostate cancer. I spent thousands of dollars over six years and maybe they worked or delayed my cancer.
I went for my annual check up in September of 07 and received the bad news my PSA went from 2.9 to 6.9 in just one year. I made an appointment at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. I had another PSA and it went down to 5.1 but I needed a biopsy.

In January of 08 I had my biopsy. The doctor said he did not see anything abnormal on my prostate so he took random samples. That gave me hope that maybe I only had a high PSA. My fears of six years were realized on January 22. The doctor informed my wife and I that 5 out of 12 samples we positive for cancer.

My doctor said that the surgery could wait till our planned vacation in June was over. Having five month till the surgery was good and bad. I now had a daily count down but my wife and I did have four years worth of sex in just five months. By the time of my surgery my wife was more than ready for it to happen.

I arrived at the hospital at 6am and was discharged at 6pm the next day. The surgery began at 9:30 and the doctor was talking to my wife at 12:45. They tried to stand me up at around 8pm and I proceeded to throw up and pass out. I am glad my nurse was strong because I am 6'4 210lbs. That first night was the worst pain that I ever felt. I was very sore in the stomach area. The robotic procedure makes five small incisions and pulls the prostate out through the belly button. The gas pains were very intense because they pump a small amount of gas into your stomach during the operation and the anaesthesia put your bowels to sleep.

The next day I walked the hall and passed a small amount of gas by 7pm I was home.
I slept on the couch and the recliner till my catheter was removed. I was very sore for about three weeks. The catheter is a pain and is hard to walk with sometimes. When you have a bowel movement some urine will come out from the head of the penis that is normal. My first bowel movement was not for three days after my surgery.

I put Neosporin on the head of my penis and around the tube of the catheter three times a day to keep from getting raw. I also became very black and blue from my groin to the upper part of my right side. I needed to ice my scrotum area three times a day for five days because my balls became the size of a softball.

My catheter was removed on July 21. The nurse disconnects your bag and then fills your tube with saline solution that in turn fills your bladder and then she pulls it out.
I then put on a Depends diaper. There is nothing more humbling that being back in diapers at age 47. I could not hold my bladder at all for the first several days and that really got to me but over time and doing a million Kegels my bladder has gotten better. It is August 18th and I am finally in Depends guards for men. Before the surgery all of your pubic hair is shaved and I have kept it shaved until my bladder is close to 100% the reason it that your pubic hair traps the urine in the hair and leads to urine smell. Without the hair I can use an adult wipe and then use baby power to keep that area clean and dry every time I go to the bathroom. It also helps if you use a penis pump not to have hair in that area.

There is sex after prostate cancer. My doctor gave me Viagra to get blood to that area not to get an erection. To my surprise with a little self help I got a 50% erection and had my first dry ejaculation after only five weeks. I have also used a penis pump and get about 80% of an erection so I am feeling pretty good about the sex life.

Finally, If you have prostate cancer and are in your 40's or 50's and it is contained to the prostate that you need to have this cancer removed from your body and go on with your life.

I received my final pathology report and all of my cancer was contained to the prostate. My lymph nodes were clear and the surgical boundaries were all negative. My Gleason Score went from 3+3 to 3+4. My tumor only involved 18% of my prostate. The doctor said my cure rate was 99%. It is time to begin my new normal.

 

UPDATED

October 2008

 

 

It is October 20th and just had my first PSA follow-up after my July surgery and was thrilled when the doctor said my PSA was <0.01. It has not been that low since conception!!

In August I did not think that I would ever get out of diapers but by September 15 I no longer needed anything. It was 78 days that I either had something in or on my penis. I never thought just wearing underwear could feel so good.

The ED front is another matter. The pump that I was using makes your penis look like the same old erect penis until you let the pressure off and then it shrinks faster than being in 50 degree water. The blue pill works with stimulation but does not get me hard enough for intercourse. If I do attempt to be frisky I need to make sure that my bladder is empty or I'll pee all over the place like a excited puppy. Having booze and then trying to get hard do not mix.

I can get about 60% hard with pills and 30% without and have no real trouble coming. My doctor said I am doing great and that it might take up to 18 months to 24 months to get back to a normal sex life. I just look around and see that I am blessed with a great wife,kids and family. There are so many people that have it much worse than me how can I complain that my penis is not what it use to be. I am sure in time that everything will return to normal.

I told my doctor about the web site and he said he would check it out. He said that I do not need another PSA for 6 months. I had a great day I found out that I am cancer free and my son had a touch down catch to win his football game today. Life is good just look for the positives.

If anyone ever has a question please Email me..

Patrick's e-mail address is: plmoran31@yahoo.com