1. < Prostate Cancer

Getting HIFU tomorrow: Worried about the catheter mostly

Posted by ggimlick @ggimlick, Oct 1 12:08pm

Tomorrow is the big day for me. HIFU for two tumors confined to the right spot in the prostate. Orgovyx shrunk the prostate enough to qualify for the surgery and then another month to get on the schedule.

Today is prep day so drinking 4 liters of stuff and only clear fluids. Tomorrow morning prior to heading in, I have to do two enemas for a final prep.

Aside from this unpleasantness, my biggest fear is the week with the catheter. Nervous as a cat. March seems like a long time ago…

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Prostate Cancer Support Group.

daveinflorida | @daveinflorida | Oct 4 7:42am
In reply to @milburnd "My doctor at Moffitt is Dr. Julio Pow-Sang, who is the Chair of the Department of..." + (show)
@milburnd

My doctor at Moffitt is Dr. Julio Pow-Sang, who is the Chair of the Department of Genitourinary Oncology. Prostate cancer is all he treats. My first appointment with him was in November of 2023. I followed up with a letter to him asking several follow up questions. The day after Thanksgiving, he called me on the phone and we had a twenty minute conversation talking in detail about the various alternatives available to me and why he thought the NanoKnife was the best of those alternatives. I am very impressed with how he took time to address my questions and with how well he performed the NanoKnife procedure.

There's only two places where I seek serious medical treatment. The doctors at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville probably saved my life on two occasions and I hold them in the highest regard. Moffitt Cancer Center consistently provided a very high level of care for my prostate cancer and Dr. Pow-Sang and his staff are outstanding.

Good luck to you!

Jump to this post

Thank you.

REPLY
Beachcomber20 | @itsaquarter23 | Oct 14 5:31pm
In reply to @milburnd "My MRI noted two lesions; both with a PI-RADS of 4. The volume of my prostate..." + (show)
@milburnd

My MRI noted two lesions; both with a PI-RADS of 4. The volume of my prostate was 41cc. Both lesions were in the anterior location of the prostate. My Gleason score was 3+4=7. The tissue from my biopsy was sent for the Decipher test, which came back as low risk. Active Surveillance was an option for me, but because one of the tumors abutted the edge of the prostate, I didn't want to run the risk of it spreading. I had no cancer medications prior to the NanoKnife procedure.

Hoping and praying for the best outcome for everyone!

Jump to this post

How'd your Nanoknife procedure go? I'm thinking of opting for that particular treatment, too. So I'd appreciate any insights about it that you can share. Thanks!

REPLY
1 reply
milburnd | @milburnd | Oct 14 9:07pm
In reply to @itsaquarter23 "How'd your Nanoknife procedure go? I'm thinking of opting for that particular treatment, too. So I'd..." + (show)
@itsaquarter23

How'd your Nanoknife procedure go? I'm thinking of opting for that particular treatment, too. So I'd appreciate any insights about it that you can share. Thanks!

Jump to this post

The Nanoknife procedure went well for me. It took about an hour in total, I'm sure a good part of that was the preparation after I was put under. I think the actual procedure is about 20 or 30 minutes.

After the procedure, I had some spasms that were quickly relieved by some medications. I had a catheter, which I was a bit concerned about. As it turned out, I had it for six days and didn't have any problems with it. I even removed it myself, which was surprisingly painless. I removed it in the shower so any urine that might have leaked out could be taken care of easily.

After removing the catheter, I had leakage and used pads in my underwear for about six weeks. For the first several weeks, there was blood in the urine, but that eventually cleared up. I still have occasional spotty leakage, like when I go to the gym or sneeze or cough. This really hasn't been a problem.

Three months after the procedure my PSA came down from 4.25 to 2.5. Six months after the procedure the PSA was down to 1.53. A mpMRI was also done at six months and it showed "there is an avascular area in the left aspect of the prostate compatible with focal ablative therapy. No restricted diffusion or abnormal enhancement is seen within the ablation zone. No new suspicious lesions in the prostate." My doctor was very pleased with these results and deferred another prostate biopsy for the time being. Another PSA will be done at the one year mark.

Based on my Gleason score of 3+4=7 and a decipher test showing low risk, I was a candidate for active surveillance. However, one of the tumors abutted the edge of the prostate, so I chose the Nanoknife therapy to hopefully prevent a spread of the prostate cancer.

I'm very pleased with the results so far. Best wishes to you as you move forward with a treatment plan. I would highly recommend that you consult with a Cancer Center of Excellence. That type of facility is equipped with the specialists, staff and technology to be particularly effective in treating cancer.

REPLY
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.