Start

November 2007

My cancer journey becomes fully formed in November of 2007. Although cancer became a reality early this month I have been dancing with it for almost two years if not longer. In 2006 a visit to a doctor for a possible sleeping problem cancer announced it may intrude in my life. A blood work up was requested to figure out the source of my sleep issue which fortunately included a PSA test. The test came in at 4.5, clearly above the concern cut off of 4.0. This now became the focus of action. As an aside within a day of this initial visit I started to sleep normally.

From this initial PSA report the word cancer was never far from my thoughts. In the middle 1990s a good friend, Roger, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Like all great engineers, which he still is, his research and thoroughness led him to Loma Linda for successful treatment. His experience was instantly recalled which immediately started the discovery process. I must admit my search for treatment was half baked at best with a lot of denial. After all I wasn’t diagnosed.

The standard next step is a referral to an urologist. At 56 I was considered young for prostate cancer. As I came to learn prostate cancer is generally slow growing so when the doctor suggested we wait a couple of months and redo the PSA it sounded good (a little more denial?).

A few months later I had more blood drawn for another PSA test. It came back at 4.6. My computer started to find more info related to prostate cancer but still I was not too serious. After all someone as healthy as I am with good eating habits doesn’t stand a chance to get cancer! In good conscience I can’t deny nor ignore the high PSA reading. I agree to have a biopsy and it's scheduled. The prostate lies just behind the pubic bone and in front of the rectum. The rectum provides the easiest access to the prostate. Biopsies consist of about a dozen needles inserted through the rectum into the prostate. If the doc is good and uses the equivalent to Novocain to numb the pain then it’s a painless procedure. The biopsy came back negative- no cancer. Dodged that bullet!

Why was the PSA so high? Why would the thought of cancer not quite leave the back of my mind?

Normally as men age the prostate grows producing more PSA. If it is not cancer then it’s a disease called BPH (Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy) or some other infection. It’s the reason why older men have to get up at night to pee or have weak urinary stream. This was becoming truer for me. The doctor thought we would let things ride for another quarter and check the PSA in another quarter which comes back at 4.7. It could be some sort of low grade infection which led me to a month’s worth of a daily dose of Levaquin, an antibiotic.

By early 2007 my PSA had risen to 4.8 which meant the Levaquin had no effect which means I had no infection. I was concerned but determined I would not do another biopsy. At the end of 2006 a good friend, Jeff, had gone in to have a prostate biopsy. Two days later he was in a coma in ICU with septic shock. As a large group of his friends were in the ICU waiting room there was a sense of hope and a real concern a good friend may not make it. Through amazing good fortune, Jeff was treated by one of the few hospitals in the United States to use a new treatment protocol for septic shock. He survived only to find out he had prostate cancer. The message here is anytime someone has to access clean parts of your body through one of the dirtiest bacteria infested area, the rectum, there is a high risk of infection. A minimum of three days of antibiotics should be prescribed.

Under quite a bit of pressure from the doc to have another biopsy I make an agreement I would but only after I have another PSA test in the fall of 2007. I figured if the PSA was close to the same I just and would take my chances without another biopsy . When the PSA came back at 6.3 I knew I had cancer. I really didn’t need the confirmation of a biopsy.

PSA of 6.3 and a Gleason score of 3+4 are aggressive enough. Not terrible but just can't be ignored.