Whoa, Just got home from the hospital. I guess you could say I was lucky in that I had a low level elevated PSA in October, treated with antibiotics to no avail for presumed infection. Fractionated PSA then showed a 50% chance of malignancy.
Had a trans rectal needle biopsy which is ultrasound guided and pain free. 15 minute procedure once one is lying on their side on the table. I ended up with 2 cores out of 12
with the lowest grade of prostate cancer Gleeson 6. Was seen in only 5% of the tissue in the
affected cores. Guys shouldn't be afraid of a prostate biopsy in this day and age.
Since I'm 60 (and that's young) I opted for a robotic prostatectomy. I've known people who are much younger like the actor Ben Stiller who underwent the same procedure.
Radiation can be done but one's pelvis gets really fried and scarred. If a surgeon has to go back in down the road for say colon surgery, it becomes very harder to do.
If one is closer to the end of their lifespan, satisfactory cures can be had with radiation hence I went with robotic surgery. If I was 75 or in my 80's I'd go that route.
25 years ago, open surgery was a 6 to 10 day bloody affair but with the da Vinci robot, the surgery is accomplished through 5 or 6 holes in the abdomen.
I was sent home with a Foley catheter for a week and pain pills today after an over night stay. Good gosh how times have changed to our advantage. I should do well so I can fly more rockets. I pointed out to my surgeon that fact and she smiled and shook her head in
the affirmative.
Kurt Savegnago
Had a trans rectal needle biopsy which is ultrasound guided and pain free. 15 minute procedure once one is lying on their side on the table. I ended up with 2 cores out of 12
with the lowest grade of prostate cancer Gleeson 6. Was seen in only 5% of the tissue in the
affected cores. Guys shouldn't be afraid of a prostate biopsy in this day and age.
Since I'm 60 (and that's young) I opted for a robotic prostatectomy. I've known people who are much younger like the actor Ben Stiller who underwent the same procedure.
Radiation can be done but one's pelvis gets really fried and scarred. If a surgeon has to go back in down the road for say colon surgery, it becomes very harder to do.
If one is closer to the end of their lifespan, satisfactory cures can be had with radiation hence I went with robotic surgery. If I was 75 or in my 80's I'd go that route.
25 years ago, open surgery was a 6 to 10 day bloody affair but with the da Vinci robot, the surgery is accomplished through 5 or 6 holes in the abdomen.
I was sent home with a Foley catheter for a week and pain pills today after an over night stay. Good gosh how times have changed to our advantage. I should do well so I can fly more rockets. I pointed out to my surgeon that fact and she smiled and shook her head in
the affirmative.
Kurt Savegnago
Last edited: