Prostate Cancer 80 Years Old

I was first diagnosed 2013 Gleason score 4+3=7. I had MRI to substantiate the findings. I was sent to an oncologist, he suggested the watch and wait approach. I was busy looking into all types of treatments. I forgot I was leading a men’s prayer group and all of the men prayed for my healing. I returned a year later for another biopsy. No cancer was found, so I’ve been doing the watch and wait every 6 months PSA. My PSA would be up one time and down the next, 5,8,4,7,8 and so on, The urologist didn’t think I needed another biopsy.

I thought I was having a heart attack

In February of this year I started having pain on my left side, then all over my upper body, most of the time I slept in a reclaimer because it hurt so bad to lay down. All during this time, I went to my PCP, at first I was treated for pleurisy. I exercise every morning walking and doing stretches. One morning doing my stretches I thought I was having a heart attack, so I called my cardiologist since I’ve had a triple bypass and a pacemaker. He told me to take a nitroglycerin. I did and the pain subsided, I went to his office for an EKG, no problems.

During the night a few days later the pain was so bad that my wife called the EMS, they checked my vital signs and said your heart is ok and we do not recommend going to the hospital because of the COVID. Later I called my PCP and he told me to go directly to the hospital, he would have them alerted to my coming in. I spent 4 days in the hospital, 2 1/2 checking my heart, I had already told my heart was not the problem, the other 1 1/2 they spent giving me enigmas, what a mess. On discharge, they gave me orders to go to my urologist and to a pain management doctor, the only smart thing they did.

Urologist starts testing for cancer

I went to the urologist and my PSA was 19. The pain management doctor did an upper body CATSCAN. I tell everyone (doctors) I have a pacer, but sometimes I don’t think they listen, so they had to do another SCAN with contrast. He said I had a leision on my T-2 vertebra, and I think it may be cancer. So he sent me to the neurosurgeon, he looked at the scans and said I don’t think it is cancer, but I want another scan. A day after the scan, the neurosurgeon called the oncologist and had me an appointment the next day. He wanted another scan to verify that I did have cancer.

I will probably live to 100

So treatment began on June 9. The Oncologist and Radiologist have given me the greatest care. I will probably live to 100.