I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer on March 10, 2014. My PSA levels were about double what they should be, so my primary physician referred me to a urologist to be sure. "It's probably nothing", he said. The first urologist also thought that it was probably nothing but suggested I get a biopsy to be certain. The biopsy came back positive in two of the 12 tissue samples.
Once diagnosed, I had three options.
- Monitor the cancer through an annual biopsy
- Treat the cancer with radiation treatments
- Remove the cancerous prostate
I went with the third option because I was young enough at age 49 that I would likely have to have my prostate removed before I died and because I already had a significant amount of radiation through radiation treatments for Hodgkin's Lymphoma and about 12 CT scans. Plus, after having cancer once before, I wanted it out of me; it was mostly an emotional decision.
I had a prostatectomy at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in Manhattan on May 9, 2014.