Thank you to Bob from N.C. who submitted his story in July 2009 in order to share his experience after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in December 2007.

My HIFU Story: Bob (Shelby, NC)

December 2007
You say my PSA is only 4.3, yet it flagged me? Oh, I see, it’s not necessarily the number but rise from year to year. So last year was a 3.5. Three possible causes for the rise—infection, enlargement or cancer. I start the antibiotic and continue for 30 days.

January 2008
No change in PSA, so not an infection; small size so not enlarged. Time for a second opinion. My local urologist repeated the antibiotic treatment, with the same results. I’m told of the dreaded needle biopsy.

March 2008
Fourteen needle biopsies—no cancer but some odd cells that may be precancerous. I’m told we will repeat the needle biopsies in June.

June 2008
Twenty-two more for a total of 36 biopsies and now we find a few cancerous cells in a sample. I’m told of some of the various types of treatments for prostate cancer. Being an engineering type, I research, research, research, research all the numerous treatments and decide to interview a doctor about the robotic assisted laparoscopic procedure.

July 2008
Enter Dr. Samuel Peretsman. I traveled to Charlotte to speak with Dr. Peretsman. During the interview, I was told of HIFU, which I had not heard of. Sounded interesting, as the rate of both incontinence and impotence is low, and HIFU is non-surgical. More research.

August 2008
I decided on HIFU, and scheduled my time for the procedure. November 8th in Cancun. As HIFU is not yet approved by our FDA (why??), but has been done pretty much worldwide for around 20 years, Dr. Peretsman and the other doctors performing this procedure must travel with their teams to Mexico or other countries to help their patients. Patients pay up front, and may be reimbursed by their insurance or not. I was reimbursed.

November 2008
My wife and I went to Cancun several days early and had a vacation prior to the procedure. Saturday arrived and we were picked up at the hotel that the HIFU folks had arranged for us, the Ritz Carlton. I arrived at the hospital at 10:30, was prepped, walked into the actual procedure room, lay on the table, and woke up! I’ve never experienced anything like that. My wife was in recovery and helped me wake up. I walked about some, and walked out to the van to return to the hotel. I asked to stop at McDonald’s for a burger as I was hungry. We ate in the room, I lay around for a bit, and went out to the hallways of the hotel for a 30-minute walk. The next day, we lay around the pool and read. Monday we flew home. The next few weeks I wore a suprapubic catheter as you will need to wait for the prostate swelling to reduce so you can urinate normally. Your body will eliminate the dead tissue as time passes. This sounds much worse than it really is.

December 2008
My PSA is checked and is less than 0.1, which I’m told is in the undetectable range. Dr. Peretsman told me the cancer was gone when I walked out of the hospital in Cancun.

January 2009
More checks, everything is fine. Later in the month, I stopped urinating and needed to have a Foley catheter put in. I returned to Dr. Peretsman and wound up needing a modified TURP done to remove dead tissue that was gumming up the works. WOW, what a difference.

March 2009
PSA is still less than 0.1. Things are going well: I am not incontinent, but I’m not as potent as I would like. But, I’m not 18 either. I’m 64.

May 2009
My wife, two dogs and I went out west for five weeks in our motor home. Great trip!

July 2009
I asked Dr. Peretsman to “scope” me as I felt like my stream had dropped off, and found some scar tissue partially blocking things; another TURP is scheduled for later this month. Oh well.

Conclusions
Would I choose this procedure again? Yes. But it may not be for everyone. I had no radiation of any sort, so it can’t come back to haunt me in five years, as it has with so many men. I did not need to bank blood and have that sort of operation. Is it the “perfect” procedure? No, but neither are any of the other choices. I live an active lifestyle—biking, running, skiing, diving and hard physical work. I haven’t really stopped, and was only really away from that for a month or so.

My complaints are the need for the two TURP procedures and the lack of perfect potency. But the potency is coming back, and not everyone needs a TURP. I have several friends who have had other types of procedures for prostate cancer, each with a different story, each with different aftereffects. The decision is deeply personal.

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