Cal prince, bless you my man, i am also a prostate cancer survivor. I was a Gleason 6. When they removed my prostate in April and sent it to the pathologist i stayed a 6. I am 51. Since it is not in your bones, i would opt for a complete removal. Please don't play your odds on radiation and alternative methods if you dont have to. I had an erection in 8 days. I still had my catheter and got wood. The da vinci removal for me, was a complete success. It was so noninvasive. I walked out the next day, not much or any pain. I still am peeing my pants but i think it is a fair trade off, i hope to be continent in another month, it has gotten better already. I know my pad changing is way down since then. My dr. was so good, he is an angel. He layed off my nerves off my pros as he said he would, and spared me. You can contact me anytime, we are all in this together. I got my bloodwork psa yesterday of 0.0. I felt like i am getting a second chance at life
If you want it all the way gone, go the da vinci surgery. it takes up about 3 months of your life, so what. Dr Ellison in Coeur d'Alene ID. He has done many. Craig

My husband was a Gleason 6, and also had a clean CT and bone scan, but his PSA was 21. That's why his doc gave us the same choice you are facing. He had his surgery yesterday, I expect to pick him up tomorrow. He is 56, and got diagnosed with MS the same month as the cancer. Consequently he's gained a lot of weight and has other health concerns. Despite that he was perky and ready to leave today! He was up and walking, ate with gusto and other than some discomfort with the catheter is surprised to be feeling so well. The surgery was minimally invasive, and he has only 4 small wounds and a drain port. I think we made the right choice, hope this helps.

I am 53. In the past 4 months I have had a parotidectomy and removal of a stage III melanoma tumor that broke through the capsule of a lymph node in my parotid; followed that with a radical neck dissection and am now undergoing radiation on my head and neck. In the middle of all this a routine PSA came back 17 and the biopsy came back Gleason 6. I am scheduled for robotic surgery in September. Radiation didn't seem the way to go for me. The radiation doc said in the short term there may not be side effects but side effects could show up years down the line. I did learn that removing the prostate does not eliminate prostate cancer from returning. Ask a lot of questions and weigh it out. Do nothing; do radiation; do surgery??? I have a wife and a 6 year old daughter. If there is a chance at all any of this will extend my life I will do that to stay in their lives. Radical neck dissection is no picnic. My left shoulder is useless, so I can't use my arm. Work made me take disability leave till after the next surgery but my job is very physical. I lost the spinal accessory nerve so the major muscle in my shoulder is gone forever. My collar bone is no longer supported and is bowing out and painful. This will never get better.
Still, I feel positive. PET showed no more melanoma. Bone scan was clear. Just want to get through the other side of this alive and then get busy living.

I am facing the same decision but with a hitch -- I had prior TURP (roto rooter) surgery for an enlarged prostate (BPH) 10 years ago. 1st urologist says that this makes surgical complications more likely so he is recommending radiation. Getting a 2nd opinion soon.

I had rad in 2o1o and a success. 43 treatments but the number doesn't tell the story. A piece of cake . Check youtube. No after effects. I was concerned about possibility of incontinence with surgery and choose rad instead. I would advise this .

I have been told if you do radiation first it is very hard to go back and do surgery if cancer comes back . Something to consider