Skip to content

Health update

Published on 56 Comments on Health update

Sigh.

The prostate biopsy results came back this morning and I have prostate cancer. It's "large and aggressive," but still probably treatable via normal radiation therapy. We won't know for sure until I get a CT scan and a bone scan that tell us whether the cancer is limited to the prostate or has metastasized elsewhere.

I'm not especially worried since prostate cancer is generally not too dangerous. That said, mine is either Stage 3 or Stage 4 depending on what the CT scan shows. For those of you who are savvy about such things, my biopsy samples had a Gleason score of 8 (on a scale of 2-10).

Sadly, this means we'll probably have to cancel our Danube cruise next month. Even now, my doctors don't seem to feel any big sense of urgency about this, but it's still best to treat it sooner rather than later. Blah.

56 thoughts on “Health update”

  1. B. Norton

    I am very sorry to hear this news. You have been through such a gauntlet on the health front in recent years. I hope the treatments for the prostate cancer are effective.

  2. SCWriter

    Kevin, so sorry to hear about this. It happened that a close relative of mine just a couple of months ago got a similar diagnosis -- it seems to be going around. Invariably it's a shock, always. Best of luck to you in your new treatments.

  6. lower-case

    And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

    this reminds me of kevin's travails; good luck, my friend; wishing you nothing but the best

    1. Steve

      I've never met you but you're one of my favorite people. This is tough news. Wishing you all the best for a painless treatment and thorough recovery.

  9. csherbak

    Very sorry to hear. I was diagnosed with a Gleason of less than that (as I recall) but they didn't treat it but did a prostatectomy. There was no evidence of any spread beyond my prostate.

    Good luck with the treatment. Not sure how impactful radiation is - my partner did chemo for his colon cancer and it was kinda debilitating the day after. We never dealt with radiation.

  11. ddoubleday

    This is so unfair. To finally get that "no detectable cancer" reading and then this immediately after. As another cancer patient, I feel for you.

  12. seymourbeardsmore

    Really sorry to hear that, I hope treatment goes well. It kinda blows my mind how it wasn't detected until it reached stage 3 or 4 given all the treatments and tests you've been going through for other cancer-related stuff. I guess they aren't related, but I just would have thought basically any other health problems would have been caught much sooner given how much you're being monitored. Good luck.

  13. cdunc123

    Sorry to hear. I’m glad it’s more easily treatable than multiple myeloma. Best of wishes for a speedy recovery.

  16. gibba-mang

    Positive vibes for a full and speedy recovery. Please use your blog to help men understand the importance of a prostate exam. Having difficulty urinating sent me to a urologist where it was determined that I didn't have prostate CA but cysts in my kidneys. Good luck!

  18. tjhennessy

    Kevin; I'm sorry to hear about this. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009, Gleason score of 6. It was contained in the prostate so I had it removed using the DaVinci computer laparoscopy and they got it all. Good luck.

  21. iamr4man

    For me, the really hard part was figuring out what treatment to get. All of the options had their drawbacks and advantages. Having the prostate removed seemed like it had too many possible complications and I dreaded that option. I settled for HDR Brachytherapy and it was pretty easy. Out of the hospital the next morning. I’m 5 years in and my last PSA score was .18.
    My Gleason score was 6 and I waited a year before making my decision. If I were in your shoes I would get this taken care of immediately, but for others who might be facing a decision of whether or not to get the operation or wait I would suggest looking in to getting a Prolaris test. It will help with your decision making:
    https://myriad.com/urology/prolaris-patient-guide/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=prolaris%20test&utm_campaign=Brand_Prolaris&utm_content=patientguide&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwztOwBhD7ARIsAPDKnkDtMegnWxlyPAMp0wiL8Loj1TecXSNzK9MRuSXYRrUYOEDmn-QmqFQaAgzvEALw_wcB#how-it-works

      1. jeffreycmcmahon

        WTF is the "prostate cancer space", they should have just said "against prostate cancer," jargon is a disease that must be battled.

  30. KawSunflower

    I am hopeful that your treatment will be successful & that you & Marian will make that Danube excursion! Sometimes I think that some others believe you are more conservative than you actually are, perhaps because you are doing your best to be stoic, not to overreact to any personal or political situation, just to remain steady.

    And it does appear that the messages I've seen that this particular cancer isn't as likely to be fatal as many others - that many men may have it gor years withiit symptoms or rapid development, albeit undetected - so frequent testing may not be necessary - should be eliminated. The speed of a disease depends in part on other conditions, & discouraging routine testing seems unwise.

Comments are closed.