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November 22, 2009
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Patient Discussions: Prostate Cancer - Symptoms At Onset Of Disease

Prostate Cancer - Symptoms At Onset Of Disease

The MedicineNet physician editors ask:

The symptoms of prostate cancer can vary greatly from patient to patient. What were your symptoms at the onset of your disease?

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Comment from: Clemphil, 75 or over Male (Caregiver)

My 85 year old father has been battling prostate cancer for a couple years now. He has gone through radiation and chemo treatments. We have been told the cancer has spread and his PSA is 1600. When he was doing the treatments they also had him on a number of meds from antidepressants to pain pills and many others. He was totally out of his mind and very abusive, wouldn't eat and they sent him home and we have been on Hospice for the last couple of months. Up until all the treatment and drugs, my father was very sharp and just last summer he was mowing his own 6.5 acres of grass. He is now bed ridden cannot support his own weight of 140 lbs. and he is 6' 3". Once we brought him home and stopped all the drugs he got his mind back and he started eating and getting better over all. Three times now he has been back to the hospital and into the same routine of being loaded up with drugs, losing his mind and then coming home. Just last week he started bleeding very bad through his catheter. The clots were so bad they plugged up his catheter and we ended up taking him back to the hospital. My wife has had a lot of bladder infections and this is what it looked like to us. The hospital put him on antibiotics and within hours the bleeding stopped which is how a bladder infection acts. They have kept him in the hospital and put him on pain killers and antidepressants again and they have given him blood transfusions of 4 pints. He has been in no pain at all, but they continue with the pain medications and he goes absolutely crazy. They have done no x rays, but the doctors say the bleeding is the cancer from the prostate. Published: August 17 ::

Comment from: Max, 65-74 Male (Patient)

I have absolutely no symptoms! I am 67 years old and my doctor always ordered an annual PSA. This year it showed up elevated for the first time. A subsequent biopsy revealed a Gleason 9 tumor confined to the prostate gland. I had a bone scan which showed no evidence of spreading, so apparently it was caught early. I was then placed on Lupron injections which dropped my PSA from 6.5 to 0.4. Next week I start on radiation therapy with the very latest equipment which uses photon radiation rather than x-ray and it has an extremely accurate aiming system. I can't remember what the equipment is called, but it is the very latest-and expensive, I'm told. I am a strong supporter of PSA screening because I believe with the aggressiveness of my cancer I would not have had any symptoms until it had already spread. Published: September 04 ::

Comment from: natural bodybuilder, 55-64 Male (Patient)

I was asymptomatic except for difficulty maintaining an erection which I perceived as symptomatic of age related dwindling testosterone levels. I urinated frequently but this was mostly due to my consumption of coffee( about 8-12 cups)during the day and beer(4 cans)at night. I was asymptomatic except for difficulty maintaining an erection which I perceived as symptomatic of age related dwindling testosterone levels. I urinated frequently but this was mostly due to my consumption of coffee (about 8-12 cups) during the day and beer (4 cans) at night. My PSA number jumped 1+ points from a 3 to over a 4. Upon getting a biopsy in 12 sites, 3 sites came up with a Gleason score of 6 and 1 site with a 7. I had my prostate totally removed by robotic surgery. One week after the operation the catheter was removed and within a few minutes I had fairly good bladder control. After one more week, it appears I have full bladder control. I will have another PSA test in about 3 weeks and see the doctor a week after that. I am 64 and I exercise very strenuously 8-10hrs/week with weight. I am a lifetime natural bodybuilder who last competed in September. I taught the biological sciences (including human anatomy and physiology) and chemistry for 38 years at the high school level and I have a Masters' degree in human nutrition. By the way, even 15 days after the operation I am still urinating roughly the same amount of urine as before the operation. Published: August 17 ::

Comment from: just me sharing, 65-74 Male (Patient)

My prostate cancer was caught during a biopsy. However, even with a biopsy, if there is not a cut with a cancer cell in it, you can still have cancer and not know it. This is a shame, and I think this is why so many men may die of prostate cancer. When the doctor asked if I wanted another biopsy, I said not for two years. I am lucky; I am in the three-to-five range and have chosen the newest radiation method. Published: April 07 ::

Comment from: 55-64 Male (Patient)

There were no symptoms to show I had prostate cancer. During a colonoscopy, they found a lump, and the rest, as they say, is history. I was started with a radical prostatectomy, then hormone therapy, and then radiation therapy. On the Gleason score, I was 11 out of 12, and after surgery, they found 9 out of 10 in surrounding tissue. That was more than a year ago. I am cancer-free now, which is great, but I will still get my needle every three months. Published: August 24 ::

Comment from: Bill, 65-74 Male (Patient)

I had absolutely no symptoms. The local hospital offered a PSA test and rectal exam for $10, and the doctor who did the rectal exam told me he felt abnormalities. He said I should have my regular doctor refer me to an oncologist. After the biopsy came back positive, I waited and tested again and then opted for removal. My initial PSA was 14 and now it is .02. In hindsight, I should have waited and tested as now I understand this cancer is slow in growing. Published: March 05 ::


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