It's Official I have Prostate Cancer

Mish, Didn’t your surgeon know beforehand that your surgery was going to be difficult because of the hernia repair(s)? Did you both discuss this before going in?
IMO, if node dissection was going to be off the table, you probably could have gone on ADT as soon as you learned you were G9; the surgery could have then been done 3 or 4 months after that to provide for additional healing.
But it’s water under the bridge now and node dissection or not, you’d be in the same place regardless of what was found. Additional treatment would be warranted in any case.
Everything about this disease sucks, OK? EVERYTHING from diagnosis to treatments to complications, disappointments and failures. You really learn what you’re made of when suddenly YOU are the cancer patient and not the bystander.
Your current situation is not that unusual at all, as many here know already; it is merely compressed into one long episode right from the start. The good news is that you won’t have years of anxiety wondering if your slowly rising PSA means your cancer is coming back; you’re gonna get after it NOW… You’ll get through this - don’t ever doubt it!
Phil

Core workouts are any workout that really torches your abs, obliques, back and lower body (as your quads are your biggest muscle and connected to the pelvic floor).

So even just simple sit-ups help. Kettlebell swings are a great all-around, but I think one of the most effective are squats. Squats are a full lower AND core workout and a great one to throw in engaging the pelvic floor on.

On any exercise that causes your core to engage you engage your pelvic floor on the OUT breath - which is the exertion - i.e., a squat is hardest coming up from the squat, so you engage at the bottom of the squat and disengage at the top, where it's easiest. I found squats to be extremely effective at tiring my pelvic floor out to the point I couldn't even engage it anymore after doing those for a while.

If you can add weights, that's better. But, I'm just giving guidance, you should talk to a personal trainer with pelvic floor certifications or a pelvic floor therapist - your level of fitness now might dictate the type of exercises they prefer that you do - plus the fact that if you're already incontinent may impact how they want you to work your pelvic floor in addition to kegels.

I would start the pelvic floor exercises now instead of waiting. 100% will tell you to do them. Don't bother with the Suzanne Summers thigh master lol. Many good sites out there. My gym had a female fitness director, and she taught me how to do them. Gleason 9 Grade 5 here. Best wishes on your journey.

Phil

I am a fighter and plan to make sure that the surgeon does not sit back and expect that I follow their protocol. I am done playing nice in the sandbox and am going to insist on a meeting with a GU oncologist, whether at Mayo or elsewhere to get on the road to life. I agree, I am not a bystander. Thank you for your words of encouragement . Be well. I plan to turn 70 in April and and will not wait for any microscopic prostate cancer cells to ruin my birthday. 🙂

I got my diagnosis March ‘22. 3+4’s and 4+3’s, PSA 19.8. PSMA showed it was confined to the gland. Talked with surgeon and radiologist oncologist. Did tons of research on MayoClinic.org, ClevelandClinic.org and similar, reputable sites, kept all articles in one notebook that was carried to ALL appointments. I knew already that radiation after surgery is a viable option but surgery after radiation is less possible. Also read Dr Patrick Walsh’s book on Surviving Prostate Cancer, very informative and helpful. At least read the highlights beginning every chapter, then read/skip the chapter. I reviewed my notebook with my Urologist (He was thoughtful enough to give me last appointment of the day - we stayed very late) and said I wanted the surgery. He said that with my numbers he would have made the same decision - that gave me relief. I did about two months of Kegel PT with someone specifically trained in PT for PCancer patients and two months after the surgery. ZERO INCONTINENCE. The pathology report indicated a cancer type that would have survived radiation.

You indicated Gleason 8; it’s usually reported as 5+3, or 3+5, which are completely different, and not just 8. The first number, I think, is the aggressive factor. What are your individual numbers?

I wish you all the best and hope you beat this nasty thing.

Excellent.
We absolutely must advocate for ourselves.

survivor5280 | @survivor5280
Hello, thank you for your guidance on my Kegel exercises in many aspects, especially the explanation about squatting!
How many squats do you do at a time and how many times a day?
I now do Kegel exercises and general sit-ups to increase core strength.
Now urinary incontinence has improved, and it is basically restrained at night, but there is urinary incontinence during the day.
You say: If I can gain weight, so much the better. Why is that? Can you tell me, please?
Thank you again!

The number I do and the number you do are sure to be different. You could start with three sets of 10 reps and see how you feel - just always give yourself time at the top to fully release the pelvic floor so that means slowing the movement down to allow for long engagement followed by long release. 3x10 will probably wear your floor out if you do them a bit slower. I wouldn't worry about reps, just add weight to make them more difficult.

As for weights, I said to ADD weight, not GAIN it :). Gain weight if you want, but hopefully it's muscles and not Honey Buns! For me I hold a 30-50lb kettlebell while I do squats.

When the Urologists did the second biopsy he saw a place in the prostate that concerned him. The Cancer they found was in a different place. Since it's "Aggressive" removal is the best option. Also If they go with radiation first the cancer will likely spread. This is all if I pass the PSMA and MRI.

@jayhall Thank you. Not to stir the pot, but I find it interesting that a urologist who may be more in favor of removal in general, if that is part of their practice, would consider radiation something that is not a viable option to get rid of cancer, including the areas within the margins. I have heard that microcells can be too small to be seen and whether you remove or radiate, cancer can still come back.