prostrate cancer

[barend]

No, not me! I thought I'd pass this along though my knowledge is not complete. I received a letter from business associate the other day saying he was going to have prostate surgery, I found it disturbing because one of my customers had this diagnosis and went into hyperdrive to find alternatives to the standard surgery/impotence and a bag. He came up with several options, one of which involved cryogenics and the other which he ultimately chose: focused heat -burn the suckers! Since the FDA had not approved the procedure yet (It's been used for ten years in Europe) he went to the Bahama's to get this done, he still has a prostate because the treatment was targeted to cancer celss, he is not on a bag, his potency is at 95% (with the help of cialis) and should the cancer return this procedure can be repeated again and again. On top of that the insurance paid 90% of the treatment cost. (Which of course may go out the window with universal healthcare)

So for us guys who are faced with this, I would urge you to consider alternatives before agreeing to going under the knife

[Freebird]

I agree that you have to do your own homework. I'm amazed that you go to a hospital and see a specialist and they often give you only ONE option. The one that they have the equipment to perform.

 

I ran into this with my cancer..Ocular Melanoma. The director of the Cole Eye Institute of the Cleveland Clinic wanted to remove my eye the day following my appointment with him. He told me that was the only real option. I chose to go home and do some research and found the doctor in Boston who pioneered the proton beam radiation for Ocular Melanoma. I chose to go that route instead of having my eye removed.

 

Not only do I still have my eye but his success rate is higher than the procedure of having the eye removed. In addition to that, there was a good chance that I would retain all or some of my vision in that eye...though in my particular case...the odds were not good due to the location of the tumor.

 

At this point, I have indeed gone almost blind in my right eye but at least it is still MY eye, I can at this point at least see a little out of it...and it looks, turns, etc. the same as my good eye. I'll take this any day over a glass eye if given the same choices.

 

The fact is, the doctor in Cleveland did not even HINT that there were alternative treatments for me to consider. In my opinion, the only reason for him not to have told me was that it would cost him many thousands of dollars due to the fact that he was not equipped or trained to do it.

 

ALWAYS do your research and find out what your options are. NEVER count on them telling you all there is to know.

[Gary N.]

This treatment is available in Canada too.

http://www.hifu.ca/

[Yammer Dan]

Finding out the hard way. Insurance or Medical. Which is the biggest racket??

[Dano]

I wish my brother would have done that in his battle against cancer, he might have stood a chance of beating it last year instead of succuming to it. All he did was to listen to the local doctors opinion.

[Cougar]

I had the seed implants 5 years now, My PSA score is down to 0.6 from 9.0

It involved radiation only and no removal of the prostate.

 

ATLANTA GEORGIA! Dr Critz invented this procedure.

http://www2.prostrcision.com/l/1174/2009-07-21/EDUDO?pi_ad_id=4880957321&gclid=COz1qNL4zJ8CFQ-bnAodd2up0w

 

this is on a 10 year cure rate , and I have to be tested every 6 months

for the rest of my life. life is good now.

Jeff

[dynodon]

I have a near horror story about cancer and doctors. The wife had a small mole that was changing on her right shoulder on the back. Went to one Dr. who did a biopsy. Got called a couple days later to come in. We sat down and the DR. (and now I say that loosely) said, without fanfare, that it was cancer and the ONLY treatment was radical surgery. He was going to take about 80% of her back muscle, everything under the arm and down the side, and the muscle on the right front and breast. As the wife and I were both in tears he shoved forms at us and said he had an operating room waiting and she could be under in an hour.

 

We were stunned. Could not believe we were talking to a human being, let alone a doctor.

 

We said NO, and still crying left quickly before he had us handcuffed and carried to the operating room/waiting room. We felt that threatened.

 

Went to some close friends who had friends in medicine and found another doctor. He said, why not do a much less radical surgery with about a 2" radius and a 4" scar. If the cancer hadn't spread, we were done, if it had, then pretty much what the first doctor said was the best way to guarantee a long life.

 

Luckily the cancer had NOT spread. the wife has been on close watch for the last 20 years, and she is whole, thank God and a good doctor. I kiss that scar every morning when she will let me, because it is a beautiful thing.

 

I had prostate cancer diagnosed, and was given all sorts of options and info, but, because of certain conditions and because I was fairly young and it was the slow growing type, we went with beam radiation. Now about 3 years out, I am still near 100% in all ways, with some minor side effects.

 

We have found that decisions like these do NOT have to be made within minutes hours or even a few days. Take the time to go over your options before making decisions, don't be afraid to get a second or third opinion.

[Condor]

My fishing buddy is undergoing radiation treatment right now for prostrate cancer. I guess they implanted some gold pellets near the cancer target and it gives them something to aim at. The only draw back is he has to cover his belly button at night or the light keeps him awake....

[Cougar]

Condor, You are correct! Mine did that as well.!

 

Your friend also has platinum seeds as well , that is what

holds the treatment. He made a very smart choice.

 

I had 83 days of high beam every morning!

Still even have the tattoo's, 64 seeds and 8 gold seeds for the x-ray.

 

Jeff

[Sailor]

Got diagnosed with very virulent prostate cancer. PSA went from 2.3 to 11.8 in one year. Without treatment I had 24 months to live.

I started drug treatment and injections right away. I was given the option of radical surgery (total removal) radioactive seeds or external radiation. It was my decision. I have bad asthma so surgery was out, the anesthetic might of killed me. I had multiple tumors so seeds were out. That left radiation. One year of drugs, injections and radiation and I am now in my third year cancer free. It all cost me nothing due to health care. The main point here is that if you find it early it is treatable. The key is to get the PSA test every year.

This year 490 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer ----every week!

85 men will die----every week, mostly due to it not being diagnosed in time.

In the U.S. those numbers will be higher due to larger population.

Undiagnosed it spreads to all your organs and eventually to your bones.

If diagnosed early treatment, whichever one you chose, can be 90% successful.

Canada's Motorcycle Ride for Dad has raised $5,000,000.00 for prostate cancer research.

 

P.S. With todays treatments you have a 90% chance that everything will still work afterward, if you follow my drift. I can attest to that.

[Cougar]

Sailor is absolutely right! If mine was not found when I was I would have 3 more years left to live. They figured that I got mine around the age of 45, they found it on a fluke at 50. I am now 55, PSA checks are ONLY a blood test most men think that they (well you know) , it is just a blood test and you are allowed one per year on your insurance. there are no signs of prostate cancer to detect until it is to late.

 

Your prostate is kind of like an egg. it first starts in the yoke, then travels to the white, and then what is not a good thing is it breaks through the Shell. then from there goes into the Lymph nods , well then it is chemo time etc. Mine was almost to the shell , but still in the white.

 

I am so happy for you Sailor! What is your score now, PM me if you wish.

Thanks.

Jeff

[Condor]

Got diagnosed with very virulent prostate cancer. PSA went from 2.3 to 11.8 in one year. Without treatment I had 24 months to live.

I started drug treatment and injections right away. I was given the option of radical surgery (total removal) radioactive seeds or external radiation. It was my decision. I have bad asthma so surgery was out, the anesthetic might of killed me. I had multiple tumors so seeds were out. That left radiation. One year of drugs, injections and radiation and I am now in my third year cancer free. It all cost me nothing due to health care. The main point here is that if you find it early it is treatable. The key is to get the PSA test every year.

 

P.S. With todays treatments you have a 90% chance that everything will still work afterward, if you follow my drift. I can attest to that.

 

The PSA is a good way to detect PC, but it's not absolute. My PSA rose to 9 something about 5 years ago, and we decided to keep an eye on it with 6 month blood tests. It went back down to 6 and then rose up into the 13 area. That's when they decided to do the biopsy. No cancer was detected with the bio. The rise in PSA is attributed to an enlarged prostate which is quite common in men over 50. I still have the yearly PSA test, sometimes more often if the opertunity arises, but feel a lot less aprehensive about the PSA level. While in Cody Kurt's (Starstruck) father was dying of PC and his PSA level was up in the 300 range.

[Cougar]

Yeah, my good friend passed away from it last year with a PSA level at 838.

not sure how hight the numbers go up to.

He was 52. and worked at his job until the last day as well. worked Friday and passed Saturday morn.

[Sailor]

PSA is not totally accurate but is a good indicator that there may be trouble. There are some other things which could cause a rise in PSA but the main one is cancer. As a rule of thumb a PSA of 0 to 3 is normal, 3 to 7 is something is going on, better check it out, 7 to 10 is you got a problem, do something right now. This can vary with the individual. My current PSA is undetectable (.02). They are working on a more accurate test but for now a simple blood test can save your life.