Video 26 - 6 months post radiation and Lupron - my prostate cancer story
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- This is video is a 6 month followup to radiation and lubran treatment . I go over my current PSA levels as well as how my testosterone is coming back following the Lupron injection. I also provide a quick update on how I am managing incontinence and erectile dysfunction. #prostatecancer #prostate #fuckcancer #prostatectomy #Lupron #cancer
You are an inspiration to other men with prostate cancer.
Hello Chris, I have watched all of your videos about your Prostate Cancer Journey. I had my prostate surgery 1 month ago and I could not tell you how much you have helped me. I will be going to have a new PSA test done in the next few days. I hope you continue to post. You will never know how many people you have helped. May God richly bless you!
I am glad to hear that the videos have helped. Hope your recovery is going well and that you are staying safe!
Just want to say thanks for putting this series together. I've not been diagnosed yet, but my urologist told me yesterday that my chances are "better than 50%" that I have cancer based on symptoms and PSA. I'm waiting for MRI and biopsy to be scheduled. I've had chronic prostatitis and enlarged prostate for about 10 years. I turned 50 this year and my first PSA was 2.7. The doc wasn't too alarmed due to the chronic issues, but the 6 month follow-up was 3.59. So my PSA velocity is over 3 times the safe benchmark. Based on what the doc says and my own research, I'm resigned to the likelihood of cancer. What's scary is not knowing how aggressive it is or if it's metastasized already. Watching your videos has given me some comfort. Thanks again.
I hope you are doing well. Best wishes and stay strong
Hi Chris, very inspirational series. Had my Prostrate out 2 weeks ago, Catheter out 2 days ago. In the early frustration phase at the moment of trying to get on top of this incontinence, this will be a challenge over the coming weeks/months. On your radiation, and hopefully this will give you some comfort. Two very close friends of mine had prostrate surgery going back 12 and 15 years respectively, and both required radiation post surgery due to the cancer metastasizing. Since that time no recurrence of cancer. Another work colleague had a removal 6 years ago and has just gone through his first bout of low level radiation treatment over 11 weeks and is all good. He did have high level radiation treatment in 2 locations soon after his surgery to 'mop' up some cancer cells. His specialist told him that he may require follow up treatment over the years and that it will just be a chronic medical issue requiring the occasional intervention. Your on the good side Chris with a great team around you. You will have a good prognosis with long and meaningful life ahead of you.
Cam
Best wishes on your recovery. Hope you are doing well and stay strong
Thank you Chris. Your positive news is encouraging.
Thanks for the update Chris, we were thinking about you! My husband who is only 45 is going through this right now... it has been a rough road. Love your attitude!
I wish you and your husband all the best. Stay strong and keep fighting
Thank you for your detailed and informative update. I am on week 3 of Lupron and Radiation treatment after my Prostate Removal. Your information has given me hope that this Cancer will be out into remission or ended for good. I look forward to you next update. Many blessings to you.
Thank you for sharing you experience so publicly. Thanks to you sharing I was able to have a good idea of what to expect along the way and answers to many of the questions that were going through my mind. I underwent my robotic assisted prostatectomy this morning and as I lay here in the hospital tonight I'm reminded of your experience and feel that it eased a lot of my uncertainty and anxiety. It was nice to find an experience around my age. Thanks again for being brave enough to open up about your prostate cancer journey.
I wish you all the best on your recovery. Sensing positive vibes your way.
Great outcome Chris! Thanks for the perspective from 1-26. Wishing you the best dude I'm happy for you.....
Hi Chris, thank you for posting your journey as well your positive attitude and strength in dealing with PC. It's an inspiration to me, I have my PC surgery on 10/21, 51 yr old very active and young family. Like everyone, completed enough research to want to forget it all..but well informed to understand what's in front of me. Early detection in my case, however clean up radiation reviewed by my doctor if required and your video's have helped me prepare for the possibility of further treatment and what to expect. Please keep posting your progress and I am wishing you continued success and health as you move forward to a long full and satisfied life with plenty of marathons to complete.
Hope you are doing well. I am very fortunate and early detection was certainly the key to my survival from this disease. After 18 months of surgery and radiation, I am happy to report that life is back to normal. I will be training for the 2020 Austin marathon in the coming months and feel great. Best wishes and keep fighting.
Thanks Chris for posting your journey. I was recently diagnosed and its a comfort to see a younger active man such as myself navigate this life changing event. Its been a lot to accept and Im a bit scared. Your posts are a great help. Keep up the good work!
I am so thrilled that my videos help. I was hopeful that my experience would be relatable to other men fighting prostectemomy cancer, esp those under 50. When I received my diagnosis there was not a lot of content available for mem my age. I wish you all the best and keep fighting.
SO great to see you on here again and ESPECIALLY with such a positive update! 👍 I'm having robotic surgery sometime in July or August. MRI is July 1. Nervous but need to get this out.
Mostly Gleason 7
Stage T1C
7 of 12 cores positive
PSA 5.4
Prostate not enlarged
Good luck to you! Get that bad boy out! You'll recover quickly and with robotics they should be able to spare nerves and bladder tissue for erections and urination. 😇👍I caught mine early being preventative and am back to normal functions across the board. All PSA levels were undetectable after surgery. 😎✌
@@lifelovesong so great to hear about your progress! Appreciate you chiming in. Yeah, this has got to go so definitely doing the robotic surgery. Praying for the best.
Good luck and fight on brother!!!! I’m 10 days post surgery and feel great!
@@bulldog7196 thanks for the words of encouragement. Had it done on July 31 so almost 5 weeks today. Have most of my continence functions still. Still no erections but it's too soon. Surgeon was able to spare the nerves so I'm doing all of the proper steps to get this back.
@@BradleyLivestreams Bradley, how’s things now. ? I’m near your stage . Seeing urologist on options tomorrow. Discussing options. Psa3.8 , Gleason 4+3, family history. How’s your recovery? Scared as hell.
Thank you Chris. I elected the Lupron and radiation. It's nice to hear what may happen with this. My PSA was 0.1 after surgery. I did the Lupron 2 days ago. I wish you the best always!
Hope all is well and you are adjusting to the Lupron. Stay strong.
Hello Chris,
Our treatment and time scale are quite similar , except in my case no HT.
Just started "HBOT" as a preventative re any future negative effects of the "RT"
Good Luck
Radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis can appear during radiotherapy or a long time after therapy.46 HBOT is effectively dealing with radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis. Its overall effectiveness in various pathologies has been manifested in many clinical studies and trials.
I’ve been binging on your journey and I greatly admire your strength. I’m surprised that it hit you at such a young age but I guess cancer doesn’t care how old you are. I’m 74 years old and I just discovered last week that I have prostate cancer. I have been doing a ton of research, binging like crazy on videos on CZcams of different treatments. I’m not really keen on the idea of surgery. I just don’t like the idea of something being cut out of me. Especially that it could make such a difference in my sexual life, I am bisexual and I am still pretty active in the bedroom. Six months to a year without an erection and urinary problems it’s just not sitting too well with me. I thought HDR brachytherapy might be something I would consider but I have been reading positive and negative comments on that. I’m having a meeting with my urologist Tuesday, to discuss my situation. Today is Sunday so I still have two days to make some kind of decision. As of right now I am kind of leaning towards active surveillance. I have been reading that people have been doing active surveillance for 10 years without treatment which really raised my eyebrows. Given the fact that I am 74 years old, why would I wanna screw up my sex life at this point in time when I may not be alive in five or 10 years? Stay tuned…
Great news! I had my surgery on the 10th June I was also enrolled on the NeuroSafe Trial which allowed. Still recovering due to have my catheter removed on Tuesday (25th)I am very much looking forward to this.
I have been following your vids very closely
Wish you all the very best Chris. 🇬🇧
I hope the catheter removal went well and that you are on the road to recovery. Best wishes and keep fighting!
Inspirational cancer story! I am currently dealing with an elevated PSA after surgery and deciding on an appropriate treatment plan. I would be really keen to know how your treatment plan has progressed since your last video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences in such a respectful and empathetic manner.
Thanks Chris for sharing this great news with as.Wishing you the best.Abdul from Morocco
Hey, Chris. Glad to hear of your latest good reading! I’m seven weeks out from surgery and doing fine. The hardest part is simply remembering to do my Kegel exercises, procrastinator that I am.
I have to use an app to make sure I get mine done. :)
Great news Chris!😇👍
Thank you. I wish you all the best!
Hi Chris that's great news. So glad to hear that the psa is down. Take care and keep running.
Im in your very situation ,post RP PSA was .05 for 3 years. Now, its going up. I too had nerve sparring and it worked well. But now PSA .15. So Lupron and radiation. First shot today.
Chris, hope you are well. Haven't seen a video in a while. Stay healthy!
Thank you for sharing! Very helpful
Great news, Chris, you're an inspiration.
Thank you and best wishes.
yes Yes YES!!!! Great news Chris!
Thank you. Hope all is well with you.
@@chrishartley6966 Ah, thank you. I'm five weeks post surgery and doing okay.
Thank you. All the best.
Glad your doing well. Will be making a video in the next couple of days of my experience with radiation and lupron..
Great that you will be sharing your experience as well. I think it helps those that come after us to hear our personal stories. Best wishes.
Hi Chis, I am so glad that you posted these videos. My Husband had his prostate removed on April 18th of last year. After 6 months his cancer is back. His current PSA is 0.26 and we are now going to start HT and Radiation. He is 60 years old. I am commenting for him because English is not his first language. He is wondering if he can still go to work during the HT and Radiation,. He is a tool maker and he is considering working 5 hours a day. Also he wants know if there are any side affects from the radiation. He also has to drive and hour to the radiation treaments is this a problem. I am so glad that everything went well for you. Thank you again. Take care
I hope your husband is doing well. I was able to work during radiation although I did have fatigue after several weeks of treatment. He may find that he gets tired and needs to rest but work is possible. Hope all is well and stay strong.
Hello Brigitte,
My Psa went to 0.29 after surgery, then 33 Radiation treatments and forty minute drive every day. Finished 6th February 19. No problem during or after treatment.
I only had Radiation, no Hormone.
As I am retired, the times of the treatment was not a problem , morning/afternoon etc. It would be good if your husband could get his treatment at the same time every day, and get a routine. The actual Treatment is ( I found) quite relaxing.
Good Luck
Best wishes - glad you are well 🍀👌
Thank you. I am doing much better. Hope you are well too.
Hi Chris was hoping to private message you but unfortunately I’m not that techy Was wondering how things were going in your journey ? I’ve been following you for a while and haven’t seen a update for a bit I hope your doing ok I’m Thankful for your post you have been just a head of me in my similar journey and it’s been a blessing hearing your story. I just finished 6 weeks and 33 treatments of radiation So thank you for sharing and your in my prayers
Hi Doug, I am doing well thank you. Hope you are recovering from your treatment and doing well. I am still monitoring my PSA very closely. I am overdue for a follow up but with COVID 19 my appointment has been pushed back. Optimistic that my PSA is holding strong. Best wishes!
Thanks for the video; I hope you’re doing well.
Doing well thanks. Wishing you all the best.
Thank you, your videos have been super helpful. Best wishes....
You are welcome. Wishing you all the best.
Hello Chris,
Good result for you with the six month test. I am(more or less) on the same time line as you are re"Surgery and Radiation" though without the Hormone treatment.
Incontinence is the same level as yours
ED, no real gain yet, some success with the vacuum pump, and not yet any luck with the Tablets, changed brand and dosage , but no improvement yet.
My six month test(Last week) was 0.1 and my three month test was 0.1. so looks like 0.1 will be my Nadir.
I was surprised that I had a bit of PSA anxiety this time. I have a three month waiting period till the next one, so if needed will just pay for a PSA test.
Think I am just about back to more or less normal daily life! Bought a machine to sieve the stone chippings in my Drive and Parking area, starting work on my house renovation and preparing for winter maintenance, all very Banal perhaps, but for me that is life returning, had let things slip a little, nothing critical though.
If this is your last Post, would like to thank you for your efforts . Finding the time etc while getting treatment , very good work ,and your observations will be worth it even if only one person gets some help and understanding of their situation. I did , one of the people who commented on your site , voiced a fear etc that I had , and I resolved my issue.
All the Best
I still have anxiety with every test. Scheduled for my next one in a week. Will keep posting for a bit longer. Wishing you all the best in your recovery.
I had prostate cancer at 42 , I had it took out without any treatments. Now I’m 50 and it came back . I have to meet with the radiation dr this week. I’m scared.
I hope that you are getting better!
Chris thanks for this. Had prostatectomy on May 13th. Cancer spread to bladder and bone. Had Eligard shot late July .Just finished radiation treatment 14 out of 33. Using a CrossFit trainer and working out 6 days a week. Have lost weight and inches , hoping I can keep my energy level up for next 3 weeks. The Hormone shot sucks the worst not only the hot flashes but emotional. Did you only have to take one dose of the hormone therapy ? Thanks again for videos they keep me motivated !
I did only have one dose. So the impact was about 6 months. In the bright side, when the testosterone comes back you are like a teenager again. Full of energy. Hang in there and keep fighting
What was your initial Gleason score?
How long before you coukd get an erection, and what process did you use to get there? My husband had nerve sparing prostate removal almost 5 months ago and still no erections...congrats on your recovery! Oh and no incontinence for him thank goodness!
Chris, Thanks for the videos. I'm debating between radiation + ADT or prostatectomy. Based on your experience, do you regret not having gone the radiation way ? Also, I have not found an answer to why prostatectomy is not automatically followed by ADT ? It's always radiation plus ADT as the alternative. Thanks for your thoughts.
I actually had radiation and ADT after my surgery. No regrets but everyone has different factors to consider. In my case, I wanted to remove the source of the cancer and use radiation as a backup in case of recurrence. Moat likely, I had trace amounts of the cancer that were on the nerves after surgery so my doctor and I decided to do the radiation too. I am feeling great today with little side effects so no regrets but everyone's recovery is different. I wish you all the best no matter which route you take and keep fighting.
@@chrishartley6966 Thanks for your reply. Keep up the videos. And for those like me still undecided, I recommend ''The key to Prostate cancer'' to help your treatment choice.
Chris I had a robotic prostectomy December 2018 cancer came back ( PSA is .14) in January 2020. I am going to have IMRT radiation with no lupron. There is a new study out in 2019 by ASTRO which says men below .5 PSA should not have hormone treatment as it may do more harm than good. What's your opinion? Thanks for the video. BTW I grew up in Austin and I am a UT graduate. Hope you ran again in the marathon.
Randy, I had robotic proctectomy June 18 , Month in catheter, then first PSA 0.16 it went to 0.29 by December .
Started radiation (33) December 20th 18 finished 6th February 19.
First PSA after radiation was 0.16, then 0.1 since , my last one was late January 20.
I did not have Lupron with Surgery or Radiation. I managed to get "Salvage Radiation" quite soon after surgery as the PSA was a true reading.
So far no problems post radiation.
Where I differ from some others is ,I have done two 21 day water fasts, and a five/six day water fast. also. And before Christmas, managed to fit in twelve Hyperbaric Oxygen treatments (at 33ft) and since January 8th 20, managed another 42 sessions. The Hyperbaric will I hope, counter any future problems that might have resulted from radiation treatment.
Incontinence , while not perfect is in no way debilitating, keep off coffee tea etc.
I have not been keeping up the Pelvic exercises, will start doing them again.
Ed is still an issue, but once you get the hang of the Vacuum pump, life goes on!
Re exercise, Have managed walking every day, even in winter , but spring summer more active, more like 3 miles a day but usually a lot more.
Diet , mostly veg , done in slow cooker. and chicken and fish , no red meat or any overt/ added sugar. Stopped eating bread. Cook with Virgin olive and unsalted butter.
Good Luck
@@williamgrant3999 Thanks
@@randygriffin5991 I decided no ADT because of the possible side effects. Also you know the true results of the radiation treatment rather than waiting for the ADT to wear off. I have been looking into low dose Chemo as an option if the cancer comes back. Fasting for a few days before chemo, plus hyperbaric oxygen treatment , is now being done . The stampede trial uses Chemo and HT and the results are on the positive side!
We all have different views etc, for me I will go down the non hormone road if I can.
Thank you for these videos. I was recently diaganosed and will have robotic surgery soon. One question I have not found an answer to is this. In the Nerve Sparing surgery you are able to get erections again eventually. What about ejaculation and orgasm? Does that also return?
With the removal of the prostate, you will not ejaculate again. You can orgasm and I have adjusted to not ejaculating. Erections are different for everyone and there are a lot of factors. You certainly have a better chance of the dr can spare the nerves. I continue to use medication for intercourse to ensure my erections are good for penetration but can achieve erections without any medication as well but they are not as good. I have met some men that have never had issues with ed and other that struggle. Talk to your dr about your particular case to get their medical opinion. Best wishes and keep fighting
How are you doing now Chris?
Doing great thanks for asking. Hope you are doing well also.
you had surgery and radiation