Is that a chill in the air in June?
While nothing has exactly changed long-term (prognosis good but treatment necessary), there has been some good progress this month.
Before the update, I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who donated to my fundraiser for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Not only did we hit the original $4,300 goal, but we blew past the $5,000 stretch goal! I'm so grateful for your generosity and feel incredibly supported.
On to the update…
I had a great consultation with another urology oncologist at UCLA. While he confirmed I'll still need treatment, he definitely lowered the temperature and made things feel less urgent.
Fantastic news from my PET scan: the cancer is contained to my prostate. This makes treatment much simpler and lowers the risk of complications.
We also spoke with a research fellow at UCLA who is studying prostate cancer in gay men. I loved having a conversation that felt more personal and covered issues my other appointments have not addressed. While nothing groundbreaking came up, it was so valuable to hear about some of the issues and stigmas unique to gay men. It made me wish that more gay men had access to the kind of healthcare and resources I'm so privileged to have. It's incredibly empowering to feel seen.
Next steps are:
Waiting on genetic testing that will take another few weeks
Another round of bloodwork and testing this week and next
Virtual Consultation with a Proton Therapy center in San Diego on July 1
Talking with a fellow patient who went through treatment to learn about his experience
Follow-ups with the doctors are set for late July.
After these next few appointments, I should have a few weeks off to take a break from thinking about all this. Justin and I plan to unplug, relax at home, and enjoy some quality nesting time with our cats.
24 appointments down
7 scheduled
? to go
The journey continues,
-rp