Saturday, October 5, 2013

Cancer,
  Yes Cancer, that horrifying heart stopping word. So it should be, however it is not necessarily the end of life. Quite the contrary it may well be the beginning of renewed life in that like myself one gets up and gets going. I always did go but now I go even harder. I am wandering a little so lets go back to the beginning.
   In approx. 2011 I had a lesion on my neck that was bothering me so I went to the Dr. He looked at it and diagnosed it as "Basil Carcinoma" which is just basic skin cancer, EASILY taken care of. How ever he spotted some dark spots that bothered him(not me as I didn't even feel them) he did a biopsy on these and sure enough they were MELANOMA's Now we are talking a more serious type of cancer, These must be surgically removed as they can metastasize into other cancers in different parts of the body...Still these are relatively easy to remove, I had four removed and that was that. NOW comes the next phase.
I had a PSA(Prostate specific antigen)test that came back a little high,6.5 Now in it self that is no big thing, according to the doctor it most likely was an infection called prostatitis. There are some studies that say PSA scores are useless HOWEVER keep reading and you will se that was NOT true in my case.  This PSA thing went on for a year up and down getting as high as 13 and back to 6 but never where it belongs,2 or less. I finally insisted on seeing a urologist (now VA which was my primary care medical coverage) does NOT like to refer to outpatient clinics so they had me wait until they had a Urologist available to see me (three months) This Doctor determined an ultra sound was necessary. Then came the sorta bad news, She informed me that my prostate LOOKED like it could be cancerous so she was scheduling a biopsy...WONDERFUL! now comes the shock, I walked away in a daze, I didn't know what to say and even more important I didn't know what to do. I decided to wait and see, after all there could be a mistake.  Well the Biopsy showed there was no mistake, The prostate gland was 70% cancerous and MUST be removed...Now comes the decision, I also have congestive heart failure and in any surgery there is swelling and fluid retention(EDEMA) it was decided I probably would survive the surgery(removing the prostate) but not the edema, therefore I was being referred to the SLETTEN CANCER INSTITUTE.
Now this was both interesting and scary as I did not think that radiation was really an answer. but I went anyway(didn't really have a choice)
Slettens did a work up coordinated chemical treatments with the VA after which they performed nine weeks of what is called narrow beam radiation. This is a space age technology that utilizes a narrow particle beam that is shot to nine different spots on the prostate. TOTALLY PAINLESS I would go in for treatment and literally go snowmobiling as soon as I got out of the office.  This took 20 minutes a day five days a week(I was moderate risk) then all treatment stopped. I have had three PSA tests to date and so far I am cancer free.
Point is (rather long winded) Cancer is NOT the end, it started me walking three miles a day(which I do still) it started me paying attention to my body and it was defeatable.
Those of you that read this I give you this advice, If you have consistently high PSA scores DEMAND an ultrasound or a biopsy. If you are found to be positive for cancer then ASK about treatments available. I have a friend that had his surgically removed and it took a couple of months, a painful catheter and rehabilitation NOT FUN...If radiation is available such as narrow beam radiation Like I received from Slettens Cancer institute THAT is the way to go. Side effects?   tiredness which I overcame by pushing harder when walking and energy drinks.
Prostate cancer is no fun BUT it is not the end  either....Today so far so good. Those of you reading this and think you may have a problem, GET IT CHECKED before it is too late.
Good luck.