Patient Stories
Patient: John Pennington
Procedure: Robotic-Assisted Prostate Removal Surgery
"Forty year-old men aren’t supposed to get prostate cancer. That’s a disease for grandfathers. At least that was my thinking in the summer of 2011.
So when Christopher Ramsey, M.D., of Tennessee Urology Associates suggested that I have a biopsy due to a rising PSA count, I honestly thought he was crazy. I knew that I would go through the process, learn that I had a prostate infection – not cancer – and then regret going through the biopsy in the first place. But Dr. Ramsey had come highly recommended to me. And since I was taking the time to see him, I decided I might as well place my full trust in him. Imagine my shock when the results of my biopsy came back positive.
Again, 40 year-old men don’t get prostate cancer.
Dr. Ramsey hadn’t seen many cases in men my age. Neither had anyone else with whom I spoke. The facts and figures regarding post prostate-removal surgery were frightening, though my doctor told me those side effects were skewed by the age of most prostate cancer survivors. Still, the prospects of some of those side effects were downright scary. To make matters worse, I had no prostate cancer survivors my own age who could provide me with first-hand, “I’ve been through it” advice.
Luckily, I had Dr. Ramsey, the people at Tennessee Urology, and the team of doctors and nurses at Tennova’s Physicians Regional Medical Center. After much research, I found that Dr. Ramsey’s reputation for using the da Vinci system to perform robotic-assisted surgery was second to none in East Tennessee. He and his team gave me great information on everything I could expect before my surgery, on the day of my surgery, and during my recovery.
That knowledge – as well as the wonderful, warm treatment I got while in Tennova’s care – made the entire procedure so much more bearable. As I went through the recovery process, my rehabilitation played out step-by-step as Dr. Ramsey had predicted. The side effects I’d worried about? Being 40 indeed allowed me to avoid them. The aches and pains and recuperation involved with any surgery? Much less of a concern thanks to the use of the da Vinci robotic system. As I look back now, the experience seems so small, so “natural,” that’s it’s almost hard to fathom that I went through it. The five small scars that barely remain visible are my only daily reminder of the battle I faced. That’s a testament to the people who prepared me with knowledge beforehand and then treated me with expertise and kindness during and after my surgery.
Within 13 days of my surgery I was back to work, hosting a local television show. On that show I shared my story as I share it here: 1) It’s important for men of all ages to get their check-ups and get their PSA tests, and 2) I hope you’ll trust Dr. Ramsey and the Tennova team as much as I did.
Once the labwork came back on my prostate, we found that the cancer was worse than initially thought. If it hadn’t been caught and removed, I likely would have died in just one or two years. In other words, I could be dead right now.
Dr. Ramsey and Tennova saved my life. I can provide no better recommendation than those seven written words."