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Living with Prostate Cancer: Meet others & introduce yourself

Posted by Colleen Young, Connect Director @colleenyoung, Mar 19, 2019

Welcome to the Prostate Cancer group on Mayo Clinic Connect.
This is a welcoming, safe place where you can meet others living with prostate cancer or caring for someone with prostate cancer. Let's learn from each other and share stories about living well with cancer, coping with the challenges and offering tips.

I'm Colleen, and I'm the moderator of this group, and Community Director of Connect. Chances are you'll to be greeted by fellow members and volunteer patient Mentors, when you post to this group. Learn more about Moderators and Mentors on Connect.

Follow the group. Browse the topics or start a new one.

Let's start with introductions. When were you diagnosed with prostate cancer? What treatments did you have? Tips to share?

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

hansenca | @hansenca | 1 day ago
In reply to @hansenca "CarlH Hello. I have been following the Mayo Clinic forum for awhile and found many comments..." + (show)
@hansenca

CarlH
Hello. I have been following the Mayo Clinic forum for awhile and found many comments very helpful so I will share my journey so far. I was diagnosed late in 2024 with gleason 7 (4+3) prostate cancer. PI-RADS = 5/5, cancer extent: 11/12 cores; 29% of all core tissue; 60% pattern 4. So with that info and previous history of years of Chronic Prostatitis and related prostate pain, removal was the only choice for me. CT scan and bone scans were done and showed cancer had likely not spread so surgery was done April 22, 2025. First PSA done at 6 week period and PSA now at < .1. Down to 1 light pad per day at 6 weeks and 1st visit with urologist/surgeon tomorrow to discuss pathology of removed prostate, lympth nodes and seminal vesicle and path forward. Lots of walking, positive attitude, reading positive info and discussions on the Mayo Clinic Forum have helped me a lot and hopefully my info will be helpful to others.

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Just an update to my previous post. I forgot to mention that I was 67 when diagnosed and 68 now. Pathology showed prostate full of cancer with cribriform in some of the Gleason 4 areas. Cancer tried to leave the prostate on one corner and the surgeon said he burned the surrounding area and said it should be good. Also lymph nodes came back clear but seminal vesicle had cancer in it but and was contained within. Going forward he is doing PSA tests every 3 months for the next 2 years and he said he was cautiously optimistic that cancer would not reappear. The cribriform finding and the cautiously optimistic comment was hard to swallow but hopefully it will not or has not spread elsewhere.
I read on a cancer site that some prolonged use of antibiotics have a possibility of causing cells to deform and may cause them to grow possibly causing cancer. No definitive proof but something they are looking at. In my case, with my chronic prostatitis for over 20 years, I have been prescribed with different antibiotics many times with my last instance just before I was diagnosed, I was on 3 different antibiotics, 3 months each so almost 9 months continuously to try to control a persistent infection. So there might be some relevance.

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matthewdore | @matthewdore | 1 day ago
In reply to @breadmaker "matthewdore - I'd suggest you create a new post with the word "new" in it. Perhaps..." + (show)
@breadmaker

matthewdore -

I'd suggest you create a new post with the word "new" in it. Perhaps just - "New to the forum".

That will also benefit others that search this site in the future.

You'll get a lot of good questions from others.

My first few for you -

How old are you?
Is your "GL7" a 3+4 or a 4+3?
How many total cores? (Typical is 12.)
How many cores were benign, 3+3, 3+4 or 4+3?

Oh - and get a copy of your biopsy report and hang on to it. As you learn more, you'll find yourself re-reading it. True for me.

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breadmaker,
thanks for the reply. I'm 69 YO. Gl was 3+4 25% 4 in one of 12 cores. no lesions anywhere else. MRI PI-RADS 2, fairly benign #'s but my Decipher was high, .80.
Do you have any experience with HIFU? with high decipher?

thanks

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rupated | @rupated | 1 day ago

Hello… I’m 54 years old diagnosed in 2022. Gleasons score of 8 PSA 24 in April of 2022. Radical Prostatectomy and radical lymphectomy in July 2022. Gleason score upped to 9 after surgery Cancer in one of the 31 lymph nodes removed. PSA on the rise in September of 2022. Started Hormone Therapy LUPRON September 2022 to September 2024. And Radiation in January February of 2024. PSA >0.2 yesterday but testosterone is only 45 so waiting for that to rise to see if all the work paid off. Nice to meet you all.

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buffyzoe | @buffyzoe | 3 hours ago
In reply to @proftom2 "I am living with cancer, not dying from cancer. Living with cancer means tying to become..." + (show)
@proftom2

I am living with cancer, not dying from cancer. Living with cancer means tying to become the best version of yourself every hour of every day. Dying from cancer means fighting it. Yes, it's a battle, a war, either way surviving it is a challenge. The mission is always the same "Make this world a better place."

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Love this because it resonates with me. Its taken me about 8 years to figure this shit out. It's not easy but you have to remain open, willing and, even being real. So the research shows yes we can live with it. What that means is going to the doc every 3 or 4 months to get blood work. When your showing PSA when your not supposed to if you had it removed. After awhile I am just happy for the day. Get quiet eat ice cream, and watch the stars at night! Stay well on your path! Anthony

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