As a kid you heard: "Don't do that," "I'll show you" and "We love you."
As we grew older, we heard: "Don't be late," "Drive careful," "Do we know his/her parents?"
Later on the phrases became: "Let's go out," "I like you," "Here is my ring," "I love you."
And then the big one; "Let's get married." Followed by "It's a boy" or "It's a girl"
Sports also has its own phrases, often in headlines: "Yankees Win Series," "Unser Wins Indy," "Jarrett Wins Daytona."
As powerful and important as these phrases may be, there is nothing that will cause a bigger change in your life as: "You have cancer."
My story started four years ago when as part of a routine physical, the PSA (Prostrate specific antigen) test came back with an elevated (6) reading. (Any thing above four is considered high.) This led to a referral with a urologist who examined me with his finger. He did not find any thing out of the ordinary but, because of the elevated PSA, prescribed a biopsy. The biopsy was negative and I was advised to have another PSA in one year. I will tell you that the biopsy got my attention.
Eighteen months later I had another PSA test. This time it was five. The doctor mentioned it when reviewing the lab tests. I told him that the earlier PSA was higher and I was not concerned.
Another eighteen months later, three years from the first abnormally, I had another routine physical, this time the doctor informed me that I was being referred to a urologist for evaluation. The urologist gave me the results of the PSA test, 12. I was scheduled for an immediate (few days) biopsy and other lab work. My wife went with me to the biopsy.
My wife also accompanied me to the follow_up appointment, I was called into the doctor's office and he went over the results of the blood tests. At that moment my wife appeared at the door and the doctor invited her to have a chair. He then looked up the results of the biopsy. He turned to me and my wife and said "The biopsy was positive, You Have Cancer."
He explained some options, I think. All I really remember of that day was: Walking out of his office with a piece of paper referring me to a Radiation Oncologist. I do remember him saying that he was a surgeon and it would be in my best interests to hear from a radiation expert.
That night I jumped on the internet and tried to learn all I could about Prostrate Cancer. I quickly learned why many doctors do not like the internet. One search engine gave me 214 hits. I found many "Instant Cures." I found articles condemning all forms of cancer treatment, except theirs (some from doctors and many from patients). I found an article on "How to Remove a Prostrate Gland (with color photographs)." I found few articles by authors with credentials. I found many conflicting articles. It tended to confuse me. I went to bed without the knowledge I was seeking.
I have a daughter who is a Registered Nurse and is internet savvy. I asked her for a list of sites that might help. I have another daughter who is studying nursing and uses the internet as part of her studies, I also asked her for help.
Both daughters responded with a short list of possible sites. No one web site gave me all the answers but by combining information from just a few sites and printing the selected web pages, I was better able to get a handle on what was happening to me. The pre screening of the web sites was a big help. One of the better web sites was the American Cancer Society at http//:www.cancer.org.
The internet research had prepared me for the visit to the Radiation Oncologist and for the battery of tests to follow. I was injected with radioactive dye, drank a "gallon" of contrast fluid, had all sorts of x_rays, scans, and had enough blood drawn to get two punches on my "donor card."
I also learned that no two prostrate cancer cases are the same, just as no two people are the same. An excellent treatment plan for one man may be a bad plan for the next person. It is important to keep this in mind when talking to survivors. Most men think their treatment was the best, it was for them, but they are not you. Their enthusiasm tends to increase with the distance traveled for the treatment
The results of my tests showed that the cancer had "broken through" the prostrate and was outside the gland. This excluded surgery and made radiation and hormone therapy my treatment of choice. I had forty treatments receiving massive amounts of radiation focused on the prostrate. I did not suffer the side affects of radiation therapy that many report. I did have a "light sunburn" and a couple of bouts with an upset stomach (two Maalox tablets). (No two men the same)
The radiation therapy sapped my strength, slowly. Only after the radiation was completed and the recovery started, did I realize how weak I was. I noticed the rapid improvements, on a daily basis almost as soon as the radiation was completed.
I'm still on the hormone treatment and will be for some time to come. Prostrate cancer feeds on testosterone and the hormone treatments decrease testosterone levels.
I'll be getting several checkups per year for the next three years and then back to the once a year PSA blood test. My last PSA was less than 0.5.
My wife has stood beside me in every step of the ordeal and I do not know if I'd be the same today if it were not for her support. Cancer is a family disease.
Did it make any difference? Who knows? I don't, but I didn't help my own cause. The short history also made it harder for the doctors. Recommendations:
If you are diagnosed with Prostrate Cancer, find out your treatment options and talk with the doctors in each field. A good doctor should recommend someone in another discipline of cancer treatment.
Use the internet to help you in talking with your doctor, not to challenge. Patients have been known to print every web page they could find, hand reams of paper to the doctor and say "According to this, I should be getting the 'XYZ' treatment." And then sit down and wait for the doctor to answer.
Check your doctor's credentials. Board certified, years of practice, claims, word of mouth at a prostrate cancer support group meeting. Who was your doctor and what do you think? People will tell you.
Prostrate Cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men. Early detection is the key to survival.
This article is brought to you by the Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an International organization to which this user group belongs
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