why I might not be going to ES this year

[fxr4mikey]

Long post ...


I didn't know where to put this, and I didn't want to put it over in the 'prayer' line cause I just wanted to 'share' information.

I'm working on a 'personal schedule' and don't know what it's going to be yet, and may conflict with the ES, or some 'other' gathering and I might not make it to the gathering

Short version:
Two years ago when I went for my physical my PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) was near the alarm level (4.0) at 3.9. So my doc says, come back in 3 months and we'll ck it again. Then it was 4.1, so he recommend a urologist
to me. I go, he does an ultrasound to determine the size of the prostrate and takes 14 biopsy samples and has them sent out for testing. Three of the samples came back positive for cancer ......

NOW DON"T GO GETTING ALL MUSHY ON ME !!

I'm in NO DANGER OF DYING, I can live without a prostrate gland, hell women do it all the time

SO, since that time I've been having it checked every 3 months and researching my options and deciding what I wanted to do...... as in which poison leaves the least after affects so to speak.

My current PSA level is 7.1 and I've chosen my poison, and it's going to be HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound). A non surgical non invasive procedure that kills the prostrate and the cancer therein.
This procedure is performed as an out-patient procedure and takes about 2 hours to perform. It has a great track record with little to no side effects. The big deal is to catch it early, and have it taken care of before the cancer metastasis's outside of the prostrate gland. My doctors believe that I still have a good margin of safety in this regard.

Here's the rub .... It's not FDA approved in the U.S. It is stage 3 trials here, been in use in Europe for about 11 years, in China 8 or so, Canada about 7 years, Mexico about 6 or so ...... you can go basically anywhere in the world to have this, but thankfully our government is protecting us, so you can't get it here in our home country

So, Jan and I are going to take a couple of weeks and vacation down in Mexico, and then have it done.

GOOD NEWS, my urologist is skilled and trained to perform this procedure and travels to Mexico about every 6 weeks to do this. I have to get on his calender and arrange everything, lots of up front planning.

So, I don't know today 'eggzactly when' I'm going, ..... so it might conflict with dates for some 'get together' that I'd like to make it to, but won't be able to.


All yuz guys out there, ESPECIALLY if you're over 40, get your PSA tested EVERY YEAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that 28,660 men in the United States will die of prostate cancer in 2008. Prostate cancer accounts for about 10% of cancer-related deaths in men.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer, other than skin cancers, in American men. The American Cancer Society estimates that during 2008 about 186,320 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States. About 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, but only 1 man in 35 will die of it. More than 2 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.


Don't mess around with it, get yourself checked out !!


I have several sites with excellent information about prostrate cancer, procedures, risks, side effects, etc.

If anyone is interested I will post them up.


some statistical information:


Adenocarcinoma of the prostate is the clinical term for cancer that begins in the glandular structure of the prostate. If identified while it is confined within the prostate, the cancer can be treated successfully. The longer prostate cancer is ignored, the greater the chance that it will metastasize (spread), first locally to tissues around the prostate, or seminal vesicles (saclike structures attached to the prostate), then to other parts of the body, such as lymph nodes, bones, liver and lungs.

Prostate cancer is becoming an increasingly important public health concern. The second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States, its impact is roughly equivalent to the affects of breast cancer on women. Cancer of the prostate is the most common form of malignancy in men—approximately one in nine will develop the disease. In spite of this alarming fact, many men are unaware of the dangers, and the lack of immediate symptoms creates a false sense of security.

Early detection and intervention of progressive prostate cancer may help decrease the 40,000 prostate cancer-related deaths each year. Treated in its early stages, prostate cancer is highly survivable.

[lil Pistolero DPH]

I won't get all mushy but I will say a prayer for you.

[stoney]

Sending prayers up for you Mikey...hope the procedure is successful, and I still hope to meet you at ES!

[Xkvator]

Originally Posted by lil Pistolero DPH

I won't get all mushy but I will say a prayer for you.

me too, mikey...

[chnpostal]

Sayin' a prayer for ya anyway, Mikey........

[vafatboy]

Getting mushy here....praying for you.

[Heidi]

There are a lot of drugs not approved here in the U.S. that are available and working in all other places. Your doctor seems to be very flexible in that matter, and I hope that he can put your mind at ease when going to Mexico.

We send you lots of good thoughts, and hope that your doctor is flexible with his schedule too. Just tell him how important ES is. He'll think you are completely nuts and probably take you in first, just to be done with you...

Our best wishes for you.

[dzlfitr]

Hey brother, sayin' prayers here for you and the missus.

[FinalBags]

Please check with NOLAman. He knows stuff.
A lot of stuff about this. Please check with Michael(NOLAMAN).

[swmnkdinthervr]

Hey bro...you and yer wife are in our prayers!!! Please keep us up on how it all works out...guess I better go get a PSA test!!!

[jasilva]

Originally Posted by lil Pistolero DPH

I won't get all mushy but I will say a prayer for you.

Ditto

[SafetyMan]

Mikey, you know how I feel about you, Brother!

Keep us informed, we ALL care about you!

[FinalBags]

Originally Posted by FinalBags

Please check with NOLAman. He knows stuff.
A lot of stuff about this. Please check with Michael(NOLAMAN).

Mike works with this stuff everyday. He is a pro.

[BillyB]

Thoughts and prayers from here Mikey!

Ditto what Bags said about checking with NOLAman.

[DaSkip]

Thanks Mikey, I'll get checked out. I wiil be praying for you as well.