CANCER! MEN: Here's YOUR Warning!
People keep asking how I'm doing. That's really cool. I feel loved. And I'm really open about this whole cancer thing, so I have no problem sharing about it. And reporting how I'm doing.
So how am I doing?
GREAT! I'm doing great!
I've been under General Anesthesia several times during my life. Each time that I woke up, I was extremely happy and felt like I had been resting for days. I was ready to go. But when I came out of it during my recent targeted biopsy, I was pissed. Really pissed. I was doing all I could to not snap at the nurses. I did not like waking up in a hospital. And with cancer. I was real pissed.
While laying there in my pissed off groggy state, I felt the presence of both my son and my mother, who passed on before me. I couldn't tell if they were there to take me with them or to comfort me. I assumed it was the latter because most cancer patients don't die from a biopsy procedure. That helped. And the pissiness dissipated a little bit once my wife was allowed in the room with me. (I picture the poor nurses frantically searching for her before I killed someone.)
From that, I have come to the realization that the procedures and treatments for cancer seem more invasive than the cancer itself. And anytime I am glaring at even a Doctor's appointment on my calendar, my hackles go up. Giving up control of my life to another human, even a doctor, is hard. Not knowing everything about cancer is also hard.
So I was in a real cranky mood for a few weeks there as I went through a second round of testing to confirm that the tumor was just a Gleason 6. The new tests came out as a Gleason 7 with treatment imminent. We studied the various treatment options. (More pissiness). Decided on one. (Focal Cryotherapy.......KILL THOSE FREAKIN CANCER CELLS BY FREEZING THEM TO DEATH).
And now that the testing is over (for now) and the treatment scheduled (September 10th) I have chilled. Life is good again. And I'm no longer looking for a cure of being cranky. (Nothing worked anyways.)
But it may return. It isn't just a procedure on September 10th. It's also a pre-op appointment with the doc to ask last-minute questions. A splattering of blood tests including an EKG to make sure I can handle the surgery. The procedure itself, which is out-patient. Then a "have the nurse remove the catheter" appointment. (That ought to be fun.......). Then the post-op appointment with the doc. All within about three weeks of each other.
Don't get me wrong. I will always be under surveillance, even after the surgery. There is a 15% chance of recurrence. So there will be MRIs and PSA tests and possibly even more biopsies if the MRI or PSA tests are not normal. Life with cancer............life with crankiness. HEY! A new theme for my life!
So today I am happy. I just spent a week at Scout Camp (no better place to be) surrounded by 24 young men who were literally competing for my attention so I could teach them how to Geocache. I really felt wanted.
By now you are wondering what YOUR warning is. And even though it says "MEN", I know you gals. You are reading this too! If your man is getting some sort of warning, you want to know what it is too. Right?
Because you care about us men, right? OK. I admit the picture is a bit much. Some of you are gagging. Sorry. I could not resist. We all know you would never hold a guy like that. Unless.....you really love him and he is dying of cancer. Then you know you would.
Down to business. Guys, here is your warning:
YOU PROBABLY ARE GOING TO GET CANCER!!!!!
The science is not too difficult on this. Out of the dozens of prostate cancer treatments out there that I have studied, all in-depth, there is only one, yes, one, that appears to be nearly 100% effective. In most cases. There are some strains of prostate cancer that are resistant to it, but most all prostate cancers are doomed with this treatment.
The treatment is Hormone Therapy. Also called "Chemical Castration." In the old days when medical procedures were even more barbaric than they are now, actual castration was the cure for prostate cancer. The goal is to stop the production of testosterone. Why? Because the prostate cancer cells immediately stop growing when they are deprived of testosterone.
And........<drum roll>...........that must mean that cancer cells are CAUSED BY TESTOSTERONE. A hormone that all of us have, but especially men. So, you have testosterone? You have a very high chance of being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
I even have a friend in the medical field that claims that men's mortality tables are lower due to PROSTATE CANCER.
Before I go any further, I must explain why I, and most men, don't choose Chemical Castration as a treatment option. Usually it is only used as a last ditch effort to save one's life.
The side effects. That's why. Hot flashes. Depression. Complete loss of libido. Erectile Dysfunction. (What's the point if there is already a complete loss of libido?) Loss of muscle mass. Extreme fatigue. Pain in various parts of the body. Weight Gain. Bone thinning, which leads to easily-broken bones. Loss of body hair. Man boobs. Shrinking of genitalia. (That sounds very medical........I could have taken that an entirely different direction). Changes in behavior. Problems with Metabolism.
Most men would rather die. And their poor wives eventually wish they would. But if that is the only thing that will keep them alive, they willingly do it.
Back to my "you have a very high chance of getting cancer".........
The research kind of shows that men at age 50 have a 50% chance of getting prostate cancer. 60? 60 percent. 70? 70 percent. And on up. That is simple math. (Until you reach 100, then even I, the awesome accountant, get really confused.)
One of the common held sayings is that more men will die of it than from it. True. Because other things cause death. But that is the only reason. Most all men will contract prostate cancer. Since it usually is a very slow-growing cancer, most die of other causes (or from the side-effects of cancer treatment itself....don't get me started....) before the cancer takes their lives.
So, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!
Most medical literature says you should start being tested for Prostate Cancer at age 50. I disagree. In my ventures to talk to as many prostate cancer men as possible, I have found many in their 40's with LATE STAGE PROSTATE CANCER! I believe that if you are age 40 or older, you should be tested annually.
It's a blood test, guys. A simple prick of the arm. No side-effects. It's called a PSA test and mine cost $65. You are probably already getting blood tests as part of your annual physical. Ask the doc to also do a PSA test. He will likely say "oh yea, great idea," and will think you are very smart and up on men's health. And the PSA test will give the doc an idea of how healthy your prostate is. If it is unhealthy, they can start more tests to see why.
Prostate Cancer in its early stages HAS NO SYMPTOMS. Here I sit typing while having Gleason 7 cancer, a tumor the size of a sausage, in my prostate. And I feel perfectly fine. There is no pain. No large thing sticking out of my gut. It is a deceitful and tricky cancer that will only manifest itself once it has almost killed you. And then CHEMICAL CASTRATION will be your ONLY option!
So, here's my advice:
GET TESTED, DANG IT!! EVERY SINGLE YEAR!!
Now for some happy thoughts. Click the link below to see Lauren Daigle's latest music video of one of her songs that really touched me the day after my cancer was upgraded to Gleason 7.
Enjoy. AND GO GET TESTED!!
Click HERE to get rescued!
So how am I doing?
GREAT! I'm doing great!
I've been under General Anesthesia several times during my life. Each time that I woke up, I was extremely happy and felt like I had been resting for days. I was ready to go. But when I came out of it during my recent targeted biopsy, I was pissed. Really pissed. I was doing all I could to not snap at the nurses. I did not like waking up in a hospital. And with cancer. I was real pissed.
While laying there in my pissed off groggy state, I felt the presence of both my son and my mother, who passed on before me. I couldn't tell if they were there to take me with them or to comfort me. I assumed it was the latter because most cancer patients don't die from a biopsy procedure. That helped. And the pissiness dissipated a little bit once my wife was allowed in the room with me. (I picture the poor nurses frantically searching for her before I killed someone.)
From that, I have come to the realization that the procedures and treatments for cancer seem more invasive than the cancer itself. And anytime I am glaring at even a Doctor's appointment on my calendar, my hackles go up. Giving up control of my life to another human, even a doctor, is hard. Not knowing everything about cancer is also hard.
So I was in a real cranky mood for a few weeks there as I went through a second round of testing to confirm that the tumor was just a Gleason 6. The new tests came out as a Gleason 7 with treatment imminent. We studied the various treatment options. (More pissiness). Decided on one. (Focal Cryotherapy.......KILL THOSE FREAKIN CANCER CELLS BY FREEZING THEM TO DEATH).
And now that the testing is over (for now) and the treatment scheduled (September 10th) I have chilled. Life is good again. And I'm no longer looking for a cure of being cranky. (Nothing worked anyways.)
But it may return. It isn't just a procedure on September 10th. It's also a pre-op appointment with the doc to ask last-minute questions. A splattering of blood tests including an EKG to make sure I can handle the surgery. The procedure itself, which is out-patient. Then a "have the nurse remove the catheter" appointment. (That ought to be fun.......). Then the post-op appointment with the doc. All within about three weeks of each other.
Don't get me wrong. I will always be under surveillance, even after the surgery. There is a 15% chance of recurrence. So there will be MRIs and PSA tests and possibly even more biopsies if the MRI or PSA tests are not normal. Life with cancer............life with crankiness. HEY! A new theme for my life!
So today I am happy. I just spent a week at Scout Camp (no better place to be) surrounded by 24 young men who were literally competing for my attention so I could teach them how to Geocache. I really felt wanted.
By now you are wondering what YOUR warning is. And even though it says "MEN", I know you gals. You are reading this too! If your man is getting some sort of warning, you want to know what it is too. Right?
Because you care about us men, right? OK. I admit the picture is a bit much. Some of you are gagging. Sorry. I could not resist. We all know you would never hold a guy like that. Unless.....you really love him and he is dying of cancer. Then you know you would.
Down to business. Guys, here is your warning:
YOU PROBABLY ARE GOING TO GET CANCER!!!!!
The science is not too difficult on this. Out of the dozens of prostate cancer treatments out there that I have studied, all in-depth, there is only one, yes, one, that appears to be nearly 100% effective. In most cases. There are some strains of prostate cancer that are resistant to it, but most all prostate cancers are doomed with this treatment.
The treatment is Hormone Therapy. Also called "Chemical Castration." In the old days when medical procedures were even more barbaric than they are now, actual castration was the cure for prostate cancer. The goal is to stop the production of testosterone. Why? Because the prostate cancer cells immediately stop growing when they are deprived of testosterone.
And........<drum roll>...........that must mean that cancer cells are CAUSED BY TESTOSTERONE. A hormone that all of us have, but especially men. So, you have testosterone? You have a very high chance of being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
I even have a friend in the medical field that claims that men's mortality tables are lower due to PROSTATE CANCER.
Before I go any further, I must explain why I, and most men, don't choose Chemical Castration as a treatment option. Usually it is only used as a last ditch effort to save one's life.
The side effects. That's why. Hot flashes. Depression. Complete loss of libido. Erectile Dysfunction. (What's the point if there is already a complete loss of libido?) Loss of muscle mass. Extreme fatigue. Pain in various parts of the body. Weight Gain. Bone thinning, which leads to easily-broken bones. Loss of body hair. Man boobs. Shrinking of genitalia. (That sounds very medical........I could have taken that an entirely different direction). Changes in behavior. Problems with Metabolism.
Most men would rather die. And their poor wives eventually wish they would. But if that is the only thing that will keep them alive, they willingly do it.
Back to my "you have a very high chance of getting cancer".........
The research kind of shows that men at age 50 have a 50% chance of getting prostate cancer. 60? 60 percent. 70? 70 percent. And on up. That is simple math. (Until you reach 100, then even I, the awesome accountant, get really confused.)
One of the common held sayings is that more men will die of it than from it. True. Because other things cause death. But that is the only reason. Most all men will contract prostate cancer. Since it usually is a very slow-growing cancer, most die of other causes (or from the side-effects of cancer treatment itself....don't get me started....) before the cancer takes their lives.
So, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!
Most medical literature says you should start being tested for Prostate Cancer at age 50. I disagree. In my ventures to talk to as many prostate cancer men as possible, I have found many in their 40's with LATE STAGE PROSTATE CANCER! I believe that if you are age 40 or older, you should be tested annually.
It's a blood test, guys. A simple prick of the arm. No side-effects. It's called a PSA test and mine cost $65. You are probably already getting blood tests as part of your annual physical. Ask the doc to also do a PSA test. He will likely say "oh yea, great idea," and will think you are very smart and up on men's health. And the PSA test will give the doc an idea of how healthy your prostate is. If it is unhealthy, they can start more tests to see why.
Prostate Cancer in its early stages HAS NO SYMPTOMS. Here I sit typing while having Gleason 7 cancer, a tumor the size of a sausage, in my prostate. And I feel perfectly fine. There is no pain. No large thing sticking out of my gut. It is a deceitful and tricky cancer that will only manifest itself once it has almost killed you. And then CHEMICAL CASTRATION will be your ONLY option!
So, here's my advice:
GET TESTED, DANG IT!! EVERY SINGLE YEAR!!
Now for some happy thoughts. Click the link below to see Lauren Daigle's latest music video of one of her songs that really touched me the day after my cancer was upgraded to Gleason 7.
Enjoy. AND GO GET TESTED!!
Click HERE to get rescued!
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