A very sincere msg from IRGuy

IRGuy · Post by **IRGuy** » Mon Dec 12, 2016 1:15 pm

Gentlemen During the past 6 or so months I have been dealing with a personal health issue, and with my fortunate outcome I want to encourage each of you to read below and heed my suggestions. Late this past summer, following a routine 2x a year physical exam I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. This disease strikes one man in six in our society. It is slow growing and many men have it but do not ever know it, but the other side of the coin is it is the second most common cause of men’s death due to disease. I have been told that if a man lives long enough he will eventually contract it. Our family doctor referred me to an excellent urologist and the presence of the disease was confirmed. There are several commonly used forms of prostate cancer treatment used today, depending on the man’s age and the severity of his situation. After further tests and based on my feelings that it is always best to face adverse situations in my personal life head on it was decided to remove my prostate surgically. About three weeks ago the urologist along with a team of medical professionals did in fact remove it along with two nearby lymph nodes. These were all sent to a specialized laboratory to determine the extent of cancer in my prostate along with analysis of the lymph nodes to determine if the cancer had spread to any other parts of my body. While it was determined that the disease had invaded my prostate to a significant extent it was contained there, and had not yet moved to other parts of my body. I am a very lucky man! In 6 months or so we went from ignorance to suspicion to confirmation to removal to more testing to finding I was cancer free. While I always had absolute confidence in the medical team that was involved, the mental swings we went through in this relatively short time were extreme to say the least. I take this opportunity at a time when we all are celebrating the wonderful things we have been blessed with over the past year to ask you guys out there, especially you who are over 50, to have a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test performed regularly if you are not already doing so (mine was every 6 months) and monitor it’s changes as you age. This post will probably be read by 50 or so of you, meaning that there is a good chance that 6 or 8 of you will encounter this disease sooner or later. Please.. Be proactive! Let my example be a reason for you to be tested. The longer you wait the less likely it is that you will be as fortunate as I have been.

franklyprice · Post by **franklyprice** » Mon Dec 12, 2016 4:50 pm

Frank, Glad to hear that you're on the mend. I do have all of those checks that you mention, so far , so good.. My doctor is always amazed when I tell him that I don't get up in the middle of the night to pee. Apparently he's not as lucky.(He's my age) Judging by my family history , chances are pretty good that I'll end up with something so regular check ups are important to me, though I know that it's no guarantee.

lobsta1 · Post by **lobsta1** » Mon Dec 12, 2016 4:51 pm

Frank, You have my best wishes going forward!!!!!!!! After my rectum was removed last June, it was sent to the pathology lab. Results came back with the colon showing the rectal cancer had not spread. However, the slice they took came close to the prostate & removed some tissue there. That came back positive for prostate cancer. Tested out at 6 on the Gleeson scale. Since then I have had two PSA tests. contrast MRI & a contrast CT scan. The scans show no spread or further development. The PSA tests only had a 1.9 this summer & last week showed it was down to a .4 That is lower than my score from 5 years ago. So the prognosis is to just go on a monitoring program. To finish up, Please everyone, listen to Frank. Al

Blue Label · Post by **Blue Label** » Mon Dec 12, 2016 5:38 pm

Glad to hear yo are doing fine! It is extremely important to get regular checkups! Stay healthy!

asher · Post by **asher** » Mon Dec 12, 2016 7:00 pm

Glad both of y'all are on the mend!

retman · Post by **retman** » Tue Dec 13, 2016 6:43 am

Frank, Glad to hear you are on the mend and well said. Six years ago this past spring I had the same surgery. My PSA was 2.7 and my primary doctor said don't worry, no problem until you reach 4. One year before I was 2.3. Plus I had family history. I had a PPO so I went to the Brigham/Dana Farber and had a biopsy. Then went skiing in Utah. Needless to say my mind was elsewhere as he phoned the results (3/6 one side, clear on the other, Gleason good) the night before I left. We came up with a plan to remove it, and had it done.(cancer present both sides but good margins post op. lymph nodes clear) Back to work in two weeks. (desk job) The side effects are minimal and my PSA is still undetectable. Funny how those numbers stick in your head. AND, I got to watch my daughter paint the bottom of the boat. Listen to Frank, early detection is STILL the key.

buzzk · Post by **buzzk** » Tue Dec 13, 2016 6:50 am

That's great for both of you and thanks for spreading the word about early detection. I believe in early detection. When I was fifty I had my first colonoscopy, I had six polyps and the doctor told me that two of them were precancerous and I would have gotten colon cancer. Now I'm getting a colonoscopy every three years and have had polyps every time but none that we precancerous.

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Tue Dec 13, 2016 7:40 am

It's been said that a lot of guys die with colon cancer than of colon cancer. But prostate, like Frank said, is another deal altogether. So good to hear you're OK Frank, Al was a scare too. I'm on the early check out program, only way to handle it ! Rick Ticket 85 SF Merc 454 MPI's Falmouth, MA

Post by **dougl33** » Tue Dec 13, 2016 9:22 am

Frank, Glad to hear you're all set!

mikehedb · Post by **mikehedb** » Tue Dec 13, 2016 5:07 pm

Thanks Frank. That is good advice.

richcatch22 · Post by **richcatch22** » Wed Dec 14, 2016 4:53 pm

Glad to hear you are all good now. My heart rate is off the chart reading this. Message heard. Thank you. Enjoy the holidays.

Keith in Corpus · Post by **Keith in Corpus** » Thu Dec 15, 2016 4:31 am

I'm sure there are worse things to hear but the words " you have Cancer" is a phrase that still makes your whole life stop for a moment!! I was diagnosed with a PSA of 2 which is very low but still I heard that word. The Dr. told me that the biopsy was 12 small snips and would be over in a few minutes. OK he said you'll feel a little pressure and then a snap and my wife heard me say Jesus Christ in a way that did not sound as though I was enjoying the experience. My surgery at MD Anderson in Houston went well and I have a PSA of zero 7 years later. I was told that most men over 65 have some degree of prostate cancer and usually die from other issues than prostate cancer. If you have any symptoms or a history of cancer in your family get a checkup. Early detection and treatment will be the best thing you can do.

IRGuy · Post by **IRGuy** » Thu Dec 15, 2016 7:41 am

I also felt the "12 snips" from the biopsy tool.. the nurse said it will feel like a little bee sting..it wasn't that bad, more like a strong "tingle" but laying there for 12 samples was rather unpleasant. My urologist had a weird sense of humor.. after the 8th sample he said.. "well that is four".. smartass. My PSA went from about 2 to 3 to 4 in a 2 1/2 year period.. when it doubles my GP says that is time to act. I am constantly aware how lucky we are today, with our medical system and its progress.. 50 years ago a lot of us would have died by our age because nobody was aware of treatments we take for granted today. My only problem today is trying to get my plumbing back to normal.. 10 days with a catheter inserted and all my bladder muscles were relaxed.. I am getting better.. peeing down your leg gets frustrating after a while! I tell people today I think I might be a better person now, because thinking of the worst possibilities makes you more aware of what you have today to be thankful for.

Keith in Corpus · Post by **Keith in Corpus** » Thu Dec 15, 2016 2:14 pm

I had issues with being able to pee which is what brought the issue to be diagnosed. My surgeon told me that when I get over the surgery that my issues with flow would be solved. In his words you'll be able to pee like a 20 yr old and dribble like a 2 yr old. I feel very fortunate to have had the surgery and be cancer free.

dealerschoice · Post by **dealerschoice** » Thu Dec 15, 2016 4:11 pm

Glad to hear you guys are doing OK. Hang in there and stay on top of it. Good luck with the recovery. Scott 1981 46B Dealer's Choice Edisto Beach, SC