From Lyle K.
When I was informed by my primary physician that my PSA number was elevated, I really wasn't concerned all that much. I was referred to Dr. Colton so I made my appointment thinking that chances are the results of a biopsy will come back with nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, the biopsy revealed otherwise. Dr. Colton told me I had prostate cancer. Just saying the words "you have cancer" and thinking what those words meant put my wife and I in a tailspin. Why would this happen when we had led a healthy lifestyle? How were we going to tell our grown children and what were we going to tell them? Would I ever be normal again? We needed answers to so many questions. Dr. Colton invited my wife and me to meet with him after office hours. Of course we were uncertain and nervous, but Dr. Colton's gentle manner put us at ease. What impressed both of us was he not only wanted to know how I was, but, how she was handling this situation.

At our meeting Dr. Colton slowly and explicitly described the anatomy of the prostate, the location and stage of my cancer, the various treatment options and possible risks and side effects. It was a tremendous amount of information. I knew one thing for sure, and that is at my age of 58, I had many years yet to enjoy with my wife and family. I wanted a treatment with the least amount of side effects and I wanted to be back at work within a reasonable amount of time. With those goals in mind, the robotic surgery seemed the most ideal plan of action.

I cannot emphasize how user-friendly the whole process was once I made up my mind. Dr. Colton gave me the option of putting off my surgery until the fall so that I would be able to do lawn work in the summer. My surgery was scheduled at Newark-Beth Israel Hospital on October 13, 2006. I had some pre-surgery testing done, and shortly before surgery Dr. Colton invited my wife and I in for one last "pep talk." At that time he introduced us to his partner, Dr. Zimmerman. Dr. Colton had invited a gentleman and his wife to come into his office to meet us, as he just had the robotic surgery one week prior. That was a testimonial in itself because the guy looked great, like he really never had surgery.

I arrived at the hospital the day of my surgery surprisingly relaxed and ready to go. Drs. Colton and Zimmerman greeted us as we waited to be taken to the surgical floor. They told me they would take good care of me. They explained that the robotic surgery would last around four hours and how my face might be swollen after surgery that I would be groggy and would just want to sleep.

The next morning I ate a regular breakfast, sat in a chair, and Dr. Zimmerman came in and said I could go home! By afternoon I walked out of the hospital to our car in the parking lot, feeling little effect from surgery. On the way home I was on the phone with work solving a computer problem. I did have a catheter which was an inconvenience for ten days. Dr. Colton said there would be some leaking, and he was right, but that problem was short-lived as well.

I cannot recommend Drs. Colton and Zimmerman highly enough... They treat their patients with the utmost professionalism and respect. They have always taken the time to answer all my questions and address my concerns. Also, I would highly recommend the robotic surgery to anyone who wants to encounter the least amount of side effects and quickly get on with their lives. My PSA test post-surgery was zero. I am worry-free and cancer free. You couldn't ask for more than that!