Click thumbnail to see a sample.

Sometimes it is useful to see a graphical picture of your medical history, correlating in time the history of your PSA and other data with your tests and treatments. You can see sample graphs by going to http://pcref.org/multigraph.php and clicking on the thumbnails. Your own MultiGraphs will be emailed to you as .gif files.

There are two ways of getting a MultiGraph:
1. Entering your data online. Click online MultiGraph data entry and enter your data there and click Submit.

2. Creating a chronological digest file and emailing to me. The instructions for that are given below and can also be found at http://members.cox.net/jfistere/MultiGraphIntro.htm.

I believe the second method is preferable because the various kinds of information are listed in time relation to each other, rather than in separate tables. If you find the instructions below too detailed, don't worry about it. Just create file with a series of dates, and what happened on those dates, and I will take care of the rest, to get you started.

MultiGraph charting of your data is a service provided at no charge by the Prostate Cancer Research and Education Foundation, San Diego.

How to make a chronological digest:
As the name implies, your data should be listed in chronological format. For any date on which something happened, or you have test results, enter the date, followed by all of the items associated with that date. (If you already have your data in one or more tables, that works too.)

Include diagnostic test results, such as DREs, imaging tests, etc., procedures such as RP, seed implantation, etc, and other events with a single date.

Include the start and stop dates of treatments such as Lupron, Proscar, dietary and lifestyle changes, X-Ray treatments, etc.

Here's a sample of a few entries as you might send them in. You can include as much descriptive text as you like. When I receive your file, I will add a few keywords to help MultiGraph find your data.

2/2/98 PSA 4.1 DRE, nodules detected TrusBx positive, three cores. Gleason: 4+3=7 Clinical stage, T2B, Prostate volume: 45 cc.
3/2/98 PSA 4.5
3/5/98 PAP 23
4/2/98 Bone scan, negative
4/13/98 Started Lupron, started Proscar
4/1598 Started dietary changes....
6/13/98 ProstaScint, negative PSA <0.05 7/15/98 PSA 0.1 PAP 46 8/20/98 PSA 0.9
2/3/99 Stopped Lupron PSA 0.06
etc. etc

You can use just about any date format you like, such as 15 Sep 98, 98/3/24, or 5/22/35.

Please copy and paste the following header into the beginning of your file, and fill it in. Don't modify any of the keywords below.

Identification:
Name:
Address:
Line2:
City:
State:
ZIP:
Country:
DayPhone:
EvePhone:
FAX:
EMail:
DOB: // date of birth
DiagnosisDate:

DIGEST:
Chart: Med PSA // and any other variables to be charted]

// These optional items can appear anywhere in your digest, followed by the data:
ProstateVolume:
ClinicalStage:
Gleason:
Ploidy:
Partin:
Narayan:

If you have several variables to plot, you can list them in your narrative as shown above or you can put them in a table as follows:

Table: PSA PAP T Chol PSA2
22 May 98 4.5 -- 200 180
15 Jun 98 4.0
23 Jul 98 3.5 7.2
26 Aug 98 3.0 -- -- --- 18

Be sure to use dashes to indicate missing values before other values. You can have more than one chart, with different variables plotted together on each chart. Unless you tell me otherwise, I will give you one chart with all variable plotted together, plus one with your PSA alone.

Your digest can be quite terse, with only your medical data to be plotted, or in narrative form, with as much explanatory information as you like.

When you receive your first graph, you will also receive some information that will help you understand how MultiGraph works, and what you do to get updates efficiently.

The main thing is don't worry about format details, just send in your data! Send it to JFistere@cox.net. Your data can be an attachment or in the body of your message.

Cheers,
John Fistere

JFistere@cox.net
619/447-1907
 

Sometimes it is useful to see a graphical picture of your medical history, correlating in time the history of your PSA and other data with your tests and treatments.  It allows you and others to see the relationship between treatments and their effects.  You can discuss the chart with your doctor.