Subscribe Feed (RSS)His Doctor’s Dilemma
April 9th, 2008 by admin | No Comments | Filed in UncategorizedHis Dilemma
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His story is not unique. In December, 2004, after years of BPH, and medication, a second biopsy revealed cancer of the prostate. The first biopsy was done about 2000, in Little Rock, AR, and was negative, although the PSA was up to ten. Watchful waiting was the name of the game, and after relocating to Mississippi, his problems with urgent nighttime pee trips, plus a two point jump in the PSA, dictated a second biopsy.
The Gleason score was 3 4 and his prostate was the size of a baseball, about 150 grams. A normal prostate is about 20 grams, about like a walnut. His chosen urologist in Tupelo wanted him to be treated locally with the standard procedure of months of hormone ablation shots to remove all traces of testosterone, and to shrink the gland, and then take photon-beam radiation treatments to kill the cancer.
He was 72 years old and already an avid proponent of and ED medication, and in his perception, the doctor wanted him to give up not only his prostate, but his “balls” also. That started the internet research that lead to discovering the Doctor’s Dilemma.
The Doctor
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Because the internet was thoroughly researched for treatment options for prostate cancer, and because he declined to heed the advice of his urologist, who advised him to follow the ‘tried and true’ method of taking hormone ablation treatments and photon radiation, thus rendering him impotent, and instead he took NO hormone ablation treatments and took PROton radiation treatments, rather than the photon beam radiation method, thus leaving his testicles functioning and his love-life near normal, the doctor was less than cordial on follow-up visits. The doctor’s territory had been breached.
At the patient’s last visit, the doctor sent a female nurse, in lieu of his own expertise, to examine the sex organs and give a digital exam of his remaining prostate, which apparently shrunk because of the radiation. This reduced the pressure on the urethra allowing him to enjoy a respectable stream without the need to get out of bed 2 or 3 times at night. In short, his recovery was, and is, doing wonderful, despite the ailments, and the doctor.
It is imperative that cancer patients get involved in their OWN research, because most urologist are reluctant to discuss anything beyond the scope of their local colleagues. This is a FACT that can be documentated by the majority of patients at Loma Linda. If ignorance of the law is not a valid legal excuse, then ignorance of treatment options is certainly not a valid excuse for our medical professionals.
Do Your Homework
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Prostate cancer is usually a slow growing problem, and most people this age pass on before cancer gets them. Gleason 7 is the middle-of-the-line aggressiveness, and his fortunate good health indicated he would be wise to get treatment. After months of studying options, the only place in the US that agreed to treat an oversized prostate, without the hormone ablation shots, was Loma Linda Hospital in Loma Linda, CA., subject to a physical consultation. They said the preliminary data indicated it might be possible to treat the cancer with proton-beam, not photon-beam, radiation, which delivers a more precise treatment field, while sparing the rectum, bladder, etc. A condom is inserted in the rectum and partially inflated to keep the organs in the appropriate places, thus blossoming the advent of the Brotherhood of the Balloon.
Loma Linda is currently one of three or four centers in the US using proton-beam treatment, and had been treating prostate cancer since 1991. The major problem was the time required to complete 44 daily treatments, excluding weekends.
The round-trip flight was arranged through a Patients Assistance Program, with no cost to the patient, and MediPak covered the medical costs. The consultation was productive, and the attending physician affirmed that the treatment would consist of proton beam radiation only, with NO hormone ablation treatments affecting the testicles.
The Fruitful Option
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“The weather in southern California was great- cool nights and warm sunny days. The treatments were of short duration, with very few side effects, the people were friendly and supportive, and the entire stay turned into a site-seeing vacation”, he rejoiced.
California is not inexpensive, and the traffic is horrendous, but he and his wife learned to avoid the major traffic hazards, and took advantage of pot luck dinners, weekly meetings offering sandwiches, and typical cost-saving measures. They could have found cheaper accommodations, but the amenities were well worth the cost.
They are now are in the process of follow-up tests and results. He has been feeling very good, with very few side effects. The first PSA , four months after treatment, was slightly elevated but this is not surprising considering the size of the prostate and the years of elevated PSA levels before finding the cancer and starting treatment. The last PSA registered a whopping 0.92. “So far, so good,” they beam, and a fully pleasurable existence is possible because one man took it upon himself to defy the powers that think they are, and listened to the powers that be.
For anyone needing information about prostate cancer treatment, for starters, please access the PROSTATE BLOG, and BROTHERHOOD OF THE BALLOON website. Alternative sites are also available online. Research your options thoroughly, and DO NOT limit your information to the advice of your personal physician. This is not intended as medical advice, but with the information that is available on the internet, every patient has an advantage that was unknown to past generations, of immediate access to information that used to be privy only to a select few. Patients, not only have the right, but an obligation to pursue any available option without the limits or constraints of another person’s motivation, including a personal physician. With the amount of information that can be retrieved from search engine databases, patients are not even restricted to a second opinion.
There are also many forums, that are open to join, that pertain to any subject of interest, including cancer, but most of the cancer forums appear overcautiously conservative in dealing with anything other than traditional treatments. The NCI, the FDA, the AMA, etc, all have vested interests in patented, or patentable, pharmaceutical treatments, or established surgical procedures. New therapies, methodologies and research, render the status quo unacceptable without investigating all possible options. Do your homework, and search in toto.
intotosearch.com/uniblog intotosearch.com/uniblog
Tags: cancer patient, cancer treatment, prostate cancer
