First Appointment at Mayo Clinic in Arizona

Why did I choose surgery over radiation? That’s a good question! I did a “180” from my original plan. As I learned along the way, you can pay upfront once or start paying for ever after 5 years from the effects of radiation. I’ve been an active person and wanted to continue that lifestyle, and so did my wife. The Mayo Clinic did not try and persuade me one way or the other. It’s been 2 1/2 years now, and I’m happy with my decision. Good luck with yours too.

Thank you so much for your candid answer. My husband finally made his decision to have surgery and pretty much came to the same conclusion you did. His surgery is on June 5 and we will be traveling to Mayo on May 25. I have to say we both have a peace about his decision, but there is definitely so much unknown and it is still scary. I'm glad that you are doing well and it does give us hope. Again, thank you for your response, we really appreciate it!

Oh, and my husband did a complete 180 also. He was totally leaning on radiation and we got three opinions From radiation oncologists. It took him long time and a lot of research to finally come to his decision but once he did, we both felt so much better!

Thank you @gently for making me aware of this post. You're right that insurance may be a contributing factor. To find out if one has insurance coverage that works with Mayo Clinic, one can contact Patient Account Services in the Insurance Department https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/billing-insurance/contact-us

@koji480, I'm sorry to hear that you were unable to get an appointment at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. That is a gut punch. You may wish to try at one of the other locations in Rochester, MN or Jacksonville, FL.

I see you also started a new discussion to gather experiences about other institutions. I will tag some members there to help you get different perspectives. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/alternatives-to-mayo-clinic/

If I can help you in anyway, please let me know. Jerry

Hi Jerry,
Are you replying to me?

Regards,
Daniel

Yes

Mayo does not accept Medicare advantage plans.

Proton radiation 2010 at Loma Linda Hospital..one of the first to treat prostate cancer with proton radiation. From what I have learned over the years, the issue of radiation or surgery depends on the level of cancer. I had Gleason 3 plus 3 and PSA: 6.47 I notice the PSA increased 2 points over one year; biopsy and confirmation of localized slow growth prostate cancer. Even today, many physicans are not well informed at to proton radiaiton thereapy, so "you" must do your homework and ask the correct questions which means "you" must be educated on all metrics of this disease. Always get a sccond opinion..even perhaps a third. Many insitutions who provide proton radiation like Mayo do not accept Medicare Advantage. I have TriCare for Life which paid the entire bill which was nearly $100K. This did ot include the rental car and accommodation for the 2 1/2 months at Loma Linda. Now the treatment is much shorter..and that depends on the gravity of the cancer. Lastly, each morning, I would meet with various men who were awaitng their turn..breif convesations would commence. I recall that over 60% of the clients were physicans. This validated my decision to forgo surgery and elect proton radiation as a life decision. Again, measure all the metrics, obtain different opinion and give some weight to the comments on this site. Cheers!

tuckerp It's my understanding that it is only Mayo AZ won't accept an Advantage plan. Check with MN and FL to see what plans they do accept.