Surviving Cancer

I am now 59 going on 60. In March of 2006 after ten years of monitoring a varying PSA level from 4.0 to 29, I finally agreed to a prostate biopsy (This is your hazing into the world of prostate cancer it does hurt..). Over the previous ten years I had tried everthing from Saw Palmetto to Lycopine to keep the PSA level down.

Ultimately, on March 15th, 2006, my urologist gave me the news that with a PSA reading of 22 and two spots of 6 and 7 on the Gleason scale, I indeed had prostate cancer I wondered all over the city of Dallas that morning, wondering to myself how long I really had left to live. Telling my wife of 40 years and my two grown daughters wasn’t any easier.

After a few days of moping around I decided to visit the Dallas Public Library and research my disease in depth. Much to my surprise, I discovered 1 out of 3 men will fall victim to this disease, and the mortality rate was fairly high if no treatment was sought. However, with treatment, total cure or extended life to twenty years before re-occurance happened, I set my sights on getting treated. My Oncologist at the VA hospital outlined the tests needed to see how far the disease had progressed, and told me that I would be offered treatment accordingly. The tests were fairly non intrusive, and I was told that although there had not been any mestacitation, it was ominously close and recommended I take treatment quickly.

Five scenarios were outlined; Surgery, Surface radiation, cryrogenic insertion, Prostate stent for once a week radiation insertion or prostiseeds. I inquired about erectile function after each proceedure, and although the Oncologist did not state it specifically, he seemed to favor prostiseeds. Besides, if prostiseeds failed, there was always surgery. I asked about the success rate for each treatment type, and he indicated survival rates for all of the procedures was about the same. I asked about pain during and after each procedure, and he indicated surgery and cryrogenic treatments seemed to be the longest healers.

I opted for prostiseeds, and was shipped to Seattle July 26, 2006 (my wife came along) where I met the most good natured professional team of medical personnel in my entire life. The surgeon who placed the seeds was top notch, and although this was an awake procedure with local aneshetic, it was over in two hours. Pain was minimal, and I returned to Dallas the next day and went back to work that week. It is now March 2009, and my PSA readings for the past two six month intervals has been less than .01. Actually, my last test they ran twice because they missed results on the first run. Side effects have been mostly to my mind as I no longer can work 60 - 80 hours a week. I left Dallas in the late fall of 2007 and opened a motor scooter sales service and rental shop on Galveston Island in March 2008, two full years after my initial diagnosis.