Hello from a difficult patient in London

Posted by Paul Sweeney @paulsweeney, Apr 12 5:06pm

Hi all,

Been lurking for a while, thought it was time to introduce myself.
Diagnosed in 2022 with Gleason 3+4. Radical prostatectomy recommended - within 6 weeks.

I asked questions. A lot of questions — and the more I dug into the research, the less convinced I became that rushing to treatment was the right call for me.

I chose active surveillance. Changed my diet significantly, started a structured exercise regime, and spent hundreds of hours reading the published evidence on what actually moves the needle for men in my position.

Four years on, no progression. Still on Active Surveillance. Still asking questions.

Along the way I built a free online resource that pulls together and cites the latest research on supplements, exercise and lifestyle interventions by evidence quality — because I got tired of trying to internet anecdotes from actual peer-reviewed evidence. Happy to share if useful.

Paul

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

oldgreenpaint | @oldgreenpaint | Apr 19 8:42am

Hi Paul,

Just saw this thread a few minutes ago, so obviously not read all your materials yet. But I will say that I did AS for 15 years after diagnosis in 2011. 3+4 Gleason. Studied PC hugely and found a doctor that actually recommended AS. He was way out of the mainstream then, but has been proven right, and now HE is mainstream. My psa started rising last two years, biopsied at Gleason 8, and I did radiation. But I had 15 YEARS of a great life unaffected by treatment side effects. All the while, med research progressed, treatment options expanded exponentially, and techniques improved. SBRT was not even a thing when I was diagnosed. What will happen in the next 15 years?

If you are diagnosed with PC, slow down, study, learn before jumping into treatment.

pblanch | @pblanch | 4 days ago

In reply to @paulsweeney "@pblanch good luck with the conversation. You can find the book on Amazon. Shout if I..." + (show)

@paulsweeney got the book yesterday and almost finished reading it…thanks for writing it and all your work that went into it! I’ll be referring to it a lot!