RetiredContractor
New Member
I’m really sorry Ron went through that. Reading your post hit close to home for me.
Back in 2021, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer myself. My PSA had been creeping up for a while and my primary doctor kept telling me it was normal for my age and not to worry. Then it jumped about 20% in a relatively short time. He still wasn’t overly concerned, but I was, so I pushed and got in with a urologist.
That led to a biopsy, which I won’t sugarcoat — not fun. After that, I went through the same mental process Ron is probably in now: trying to figure out what this actually means, what the options are, and how serious it really is.
What surprised me was learning how many different levels and approaches there are, and that not all treatments are the same. I spent a lot of time reading and looking at options that focused on the least pain and the fewest side effects. During that research I came across a site called protonbob.com, which I found helpful for understanding one of the non-invasive treatment options. I’m not recommending anything — just sharing what helped me wrap my head around things.
The one thing I do want to say, because it helped me mentally, is that prostate cancer is one of the most treatable cancers there is when it’s caught in time. That doesn’t make the waiting any easier, but it does matter.
What really bothered me in your story, and still bothers me now, is how casually that word was dropped without context. Nobody should be left to sit for weeks imagining the worst without some explanation of what might be going on and what the next steps actually mean.
I hope the upcoming tests give Ron clear answers and some peace of mind. He’s lucky to have you in his corner.
Back in 2021, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer myself. My PSA had been creeping up for a while and my primary doctor kept telling me it was normal for my age and not to worry. Then it jumped about 20% in a relatively short time. He still wasn’t overly concerned, but I was, so I pushed and got in with a urologist.
That led to a biopsy, which I won’t sugarcoat — not fun. After that, I went through the same mental process Ron is probably in now: trying to figure out what this actually means, what the options are, and how serious it really is.
What surprised me was learning how many different levels and approaches there are, and that not all treatments are the same. I spent a lot of time reading and looking at options that focused on the least pain and the fewest side effects. During that research I came across a site called protonbob.com, which I found helpful for understanding one of the non-invasive treatment options. I’m not recommending anything — just sharing what helped me wrap my head around things.
The one thing I do want to say, because it helped me mentally, is that prostate cancer is one of the most treatable cancers there is when it’s caught in time. That doesn’t make the waiting any easier, but it does matter.
What really bothered me in your story, and still bothers me now, is how casually that word was dropped without context. Nobody should be left to sit for weeks imagining the worst without some explanation of what might be going on and what the next steps actually mean.
I hope the upcoming tests give Ron clear answers and some peace of mind. He’s lucky to have you in his corner.
