@vernonkent, I am away from my Connect neighborhood right now. However, I monitor this subject for my life partner Jay. We are health buddies as well and so attend all medical meetings, treatments, and referrals together. Jay is 75.

When he was 73, and after an MRI biopsy, he came away with a Gleason score of 8 and a strong suggestion that the cancer cells were contained in the prostate. The position of the tumor was very important....which side, top or bottom, etc. especially taking into account the bladder margins. Not to be ignored was the discovery of horseshoe kidneys and disappearing adrenal glands.

Jay and I chatted to make sure we had both heard the same things from the same clinician. Because his father and grandfather had prostate cancer, Jay felt that his number was bound to come up. His father had indicated to Jay, his son, that his life was essentially over when he ran into urinary issues.

Jay made his decision not on what happened to his dad but on what functions he valued the most. He is an outdoorsman we call the "Park Superintendent." He chose surgery. It went well and together we made it through the post-surgery period. Within a few months, he was completely continent and the follow-up tests were looking good. The amazing patient-centered care practiced by Mayo was outstanding.

So now, he is out wrapping bushes for winter and I am on Mayo Connect with you. Good night. Chris