Story coming soon …

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The PSA is supposed to go down after surgery and radiation – way down.

Well, it did at first – from 9.1 before surgery to .097 after the radical prostatectomy on October 7, 2014 – that was a great drop.

The best outcome, I am told, is an ‘undetectable’ reading where the PSA value is at the measurement noise level – maybe around .03.

That was predictably not the case for me since my biopsy results were poor (Gleason Score of 9) and my pathology after the prostatectomy indicated cancer cells outside the prostate core and in both seminal vesicles.

Thus the reason for undertaking radiation therapy to zap anything that might be still hanging around the pelvic area.

I opted out of adjutant (as an ‘addon’ to the primary prostatectomy) hormone therapy since there was no convincing scientific evidence to indicate any better result than without it.

As you see in the graph below, the PSA went down slightly in the year after radiation therapy (February/March 2015) – that was good!

But, the PSA definitely seems to be on the rise a bit – 0.08 to 0.12 from November 2015 to January 2016 (50%), and 0.12 to 0.22 from February to April 2016 (another 83%).

We are dealing with pretty low values here in absolute terms.

Check out the graph below on a higher scale, measuring my PSA over the past 10 years.  The current absolute PSA looks pretty good from this perspective!

This graph shows the biopsies (first two verticle lines – orange and blue), the prostatectomy (red verticle line), and the radiation therapy envelope (two green verticle lines).  It also includes the periods before the prostatectomy when Finasteride appeared to lower the PSA, and Dutosteride seemed to have no positive affect as the PSA maxed out at 9.1.

“This is not the end of the world”, says Dr. Morash.

But, this failure of the PSA to trend downwards to an undetectable level may be an indication of residual cancer within and/or outside the prostate cavity.  Inside the prostate cavity is unlikely due to the aggressive surgery and radiation therapy carried out.  It is more probable that some microscopic cancer cells have migrated outside of the prostate area.

So, what next, ‘doc’ ?

“We’ll first have a look at the prostate area with an MRI – to see if there is any evidence of cancer remnants there”.

(check out my article on the MRI procedure that followed on the 2nd of May, 2016 – Raja and Josiane did a spectacular job of photography – it was a blast! – well, not quite an explosion, but pretty loud – it was like being in a submarine during a depth charge attack!)

“Then, we’ll just keep monitoring your PSA.”

In the meantime, I have decided to go on the attack and see if I can build up my immune defenses and beat these little microscopic ‘interlopers’ with better ‘targeted’ nutrition and lifestyle.

Yum yum !!

The post Yikes! What’s This PSA Up To? appeared first on My Walk with Prostate Cancer.

Is it that he just recognized me from another life?

Could it be that the needle slipped and went in the wrong direction?

Or, maybe the ED session is going too well!!

I recognize him – it’s Leonard Laing, RPN, from Module I in the Urology department at the Ottawa General Hospital.

Leonard was my super upbeat ‘admittance’ nurse for a Cystoscopy procedure just before my Prostatectomy back in September/October of 2014.

“OK, let’s get naked”, he said as he ushered me toward the changing rooms – I’m sure that I had a bit of that ‘electrical shock’ look then too! It was hilarious and really took the edge off!

So, what’s Leonard doing here with Dr. Bella at his brand new Ottawa Urology and Men’s Health (OUMH) clinic?

It’s a long story…

Well, maybe I can shorten it a tiny bit.

I first met Dr. Bella in practice at the Civic hospital back in March of 2015 to start ED therapy as a consequence of having my prostate removed.

At that time he held the Greta and John Hansen Chair in Men’s Health Research, was Assistant Professor of Urology at the Department of Surgery, Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus and was actively involved as an acclaimed scientist in the research and practice of complex surgeries related to men’s urological health.

Dr. Bella was hugely in demand for his surgical skill when his career took a major turn following a back injury.

No longer able to conduct extensive and intricate surgeries, Dr. Bella moved lock, stock and barrel to CentrePointe in Ottawa, where he established a new urology clinic for men’s health – the OUMH.

The ‘lock, stock and barrel’ luckily included Penny, his charming and very proficient Administrative Assistant, and the huge barrel of laughter and very upbeat and super positive atmosphere that is Dr. Bella.

But, that’s not all. There was a ‘coup’ of sorts in the move!

The prize – no other than Leonard.

He was snatched up from Dr. Chris Morash’s Urology Department at the Ottawa General.

How super was that?

So, what brings me here on my walk with prostate cancer?

Well, it was a regular follow-up on my ED therapy with a twist – there was a glitch in my Trimix prescription – the latest batch seemed to have more ‘octane’ and left me in ‘overdrive’ far too long for safety.

As you can see in the data that I was recording, the erection duration began to last longer than 4 hours after injection – a point after which there is a danger of Priapism – a medical emergency where a trip to the local hospital is definitely required – but certainly not the kind of embarrassing exposure one wants to endure, ever!

It’s a serious matter, but I can’t think of a better way to get a big laugh out of the medical staff!

My awkward and alarming situations were temporarily remedied by reducing the dosage in my sessions – taking me out of the danger zone – until I got a more permanent resolution from Dr. Bella.

I finally caught up with the ED crew after several changes in email address and once they re-surfaced at their new location – all set up for action.

The visit to the new clinic included a re-assessment of my Trimix prescription’s effectiveness with a repeat of the CIS (Combined Injection and Stimulation) test.

Leonard did the honours this time – checking me in, getting my story, analysing my data from the past year, and preparing for the injection test.

Wham! Something stung a bit! Leonard left the room.

He and Dr. Bella popped in a few times to check progress…

‘Hot Dog’ – it worked!

Leonard was safe after all – the needle didn’t go in the wrong direction!

What a great experience at the new OUMH – that’s Ottawa Urology and Men’s Health – NOT ‘ouch’ as you might imagine!

Eveybody is so upbeat and as funny as can be.

It’s so great to have Dr. Bella and staff as a key part of my walk with prostate cancer.

Thanks ‘doc’.

The post Oops! Leonard – Did You See Where the Needle Went? appeared first on My Walk with Prostate Cancer.

It’s a very frank and informative discussion of alternative therapies for prostate cancer patients before and following surgery.

You will really enjoy this video – get ready for a funny and uplifting ride!

The post Rehabilitation Program for Erectile Dysfunction Related to Prostate Cancer Treatment – Dr. Michael Gillman – Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia appeared first on My Walk with Prostate Cancer.

Bill is a Pharmacist (B.Sc, Phm. M.Sc.) and practices in his Centre Street Pharmacy in Thornhill, Ontario. He travels periodically to the Ottawa Civic to provide educational and logistical support in the use of VCDs (Vacuum Constriction Devices) for ED patients.

I was very lucky to have this opportunity to meet Bill and Grant and to discuss a solution to my ‘tension ring’ problem.

You have to laugh at this – a ‘guys’ moment when everybody in the room struggles with keeping a straight face when Dr. Bella asks Bill if he can find me an even larger tension ring than is available in the standard VCD kit.

If you really want to know, a ‘tension ring’ is used to maintain an erection, created mechanically by a VCD, by preventing blood from emptying back out of the penis. The ring is lubricated and stretched under considerable tension around the end of the VCD cylinder before turning on the VCD. Once the VCD is activated, creating a vacuum and drawing sufficient blood into the penis for an ‘erection’, the tension ring is slid off the end of the VCD cylinder onto the base of the penis.

Because it’s under considerable tension, the tension ring abruptly snaps down to your ‘somewhat’ lower diameter penis like a ‘bear trap’ – I am not kidding!

If the tension ring is too small – meaning higher tension and more kinetic energy when released from the cylinder – well you can guess the ‘impact’ of that!

If it’s too large, the impact is much less – that’s a blessing! However, the effectiveness in retaining the blood in the penis and thus maintaining the erection is seriously diminished – that’s not a blessing!

It’s like a fast leak in your automobile tire – quickly deflating it and your male ego at the same time.

So, anyway, it looks like Bill is going to fix me up with a larger tension ring – what can I say?

Thanks Bill for your great service, valuable tips and for taking the time to meet up with me along with Grant and Dr. Bella.

With all of these thumbs up and wide smiles – or were they grins, how can a guy not be super happy – even if his prostate is missing in action!

The post WOW – A Triple Thumbs Up from the ED Team! appeared first on My Walk with Prostate Cancer.

“Something on the display screen would be nice in the background”, I said.

“But, all you can get are a bunch of bars, unless there’s a patient hooked up”, replied Kelly.

“Hop up on the bed – it won’t take long to get an image up on the screen”, as Dr. Morash waved an imaginary catheter in his hands.

YIKES !!!

“No way – I’ll do without the image for now!”

“But thanks for the great smiles and the picture, anyway” – I said as I backed quickly out of the room.

The post What Will It Take To Get A Picture – A Quick Cystoscopy by Dr. Chris Morash and RN Kelly, Maybe? appeared first on My Walk with Prostate Cancer.

I first approached the ‘Lodge’ with some trepidation last Thursday, the 26th of March, 2015.  I really wanted to document the  Lodge for any of those future patients of the Ottawa Hospital who might find it a welcome repose in their recovery journey.

But, I was apprehensive that it might not come to be.

A ridiculous notion as I soon found out!

Joan was at the helm at her receptionist desk when I arrived, and she greeted me with the warmest welcome you could imagine.  I explained what I was up to – hoping she wouldn’t ring the alarm at this ‘salesman-looking’ gent coming up to her station.

“Well, no problem – come and see and take photos if you like – but, I have to warn you that they will all be obsolete very soon.” – she bellowed with excitement!

It turns out that there is a massive upgrade underway of much of the Lodge, it’s rooms, bathroom fixtures, kitchen and …

…   things that no doubt Joan knows very well and is so happy to see upgraded for her patients’ sake.

So, didn’t I get the ‘royal’ tour – bedrooms, bathrooms, solarium, pool table, kitchen, refrigerators, utensil drawer, dry food cupboard, TV room, lounges – even the ‘puzzle’ room – all fantastic facilities even in their current state.

Imagine what’s coming!

So, here are pictures (coming in a bit) of the soon to be obsolete facilities at the Maurice J. Grimes Lodge.

I’ll explain a little of the history of the Lodge and more about who can use it in the coming days.

The post ‘Captain’ Joan, Receptionist Extraordinaire at the Maurice J. Grimes Lodge, Lovingly Says That She Would Definitely Go Down With Her Ship appeared first on My Walk with Prostate Cancer.

It was the day of my ‘solo flight’ at the ED educational clinic.

I landed in one piece with me at the helm and co-pilot Marg assisting with incredible expertise.

There’ll be more on this topic soon – stay tuned for a thorough debriefing!

The post It’s All Thumbs Up At The ‘ED’ Clinic with Dr. Anthony Bella, Esteemed Urology Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus – Congratulating Me After My First ‘Solo’ appeared first on My Walk with Prostate Cancer.

While I was waiting for an appointment with my ED specialist today – the 26th of March, 2015 – I took the opportunity to visit the Ottawa Hospital Residence Corporation (bottom left in the wall photo above).

Halim Chehade, Business Coordinator of the residence, was more than happy to fill me on on its purpose and excellent features.

There are over 50 fully equipped suites ranging from studios to 3 bedroom apartments, indoor parking, and an underground tunnel to the main hospital for those cold winter days!

Halim was proud to point out their top notch videoconferencing facility ‘406 The Executive’

Thanks Halim for being so generous of your valuable time and for being supportive of the ‘My Walk With Prostate Cancer’ project.

The post The Ottawa Hospital Residence Corporation – Sweet Suites for Out of Town Patients, Medical Residents and Families appeared first on My Walk with Prostate Cancer.