[Leica] Off Topic - Prostate

[h_arche at yahoo.com (H. Ball Arche)]

I'm also 53, and by coincidence had blood drawn just this morning for a PSA. 
To paraphrase what Gavin Stevens said about tetanus: "don't just believe in 
it - fear it."

So far I haven't had to face prostate cancer as a reality so I can't offer 
any advice on the matter, but I sincerely want to extend my best wishes to 
you, and hope that whatever option you go with works out well.


--- On Thu, 11/6/08, Don Lawrence <DLawrence@fkp.com> wrote:

> From: Don Lawrence <DLawrence@fkp.com>
> Subject: [Leica] Off Topic - Prostate
> To: lug@leica-users.org
> Date: Thursday, November 6, 2008, 9:26 AM
> Having been reading this list for years and being an
> infrequent poster,
> I feel a bit like part of the extended LUG family.
> Therefore, I feel comfortable and hope no minds me asking
> for advice on
> an important topic totally unrelated to photography.
> I was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer.  
> 
> One of the advantages of living in Houston, is that we have
> MD Anderson
> Cancer Center here. Frequently rated number one or two in
> the USA for
> cancer care, they have been a client of mine for years. I
> was able to
> speak to some friends and got an appointment very quickly.
> They are also
> one of only three sites in the USA with a proton radiation
> therapy
> machine, a form of therapy that uses particles rather than
> photons. This
> is a breakthrough, as it can reduce the risk of collateral
> tissue damage
> during the course of therapy.
> 
> I am 53 years old and my father died of prostate cancer
> metastatic
> disease at the age of 70.
> Since there a probably many of you here near my age or
> above, I thought
> some of you might have been through this experience.
> Everyone in my family has advised me, and I have had first
> and second
> professional opinions on all the various treatment options.
> Of course since day one, I have scoured the internet to
> learn more.
> Finding that people are right when they say the internet
> can be a
> torrential downpour of information, mostly unfiltered and
> frequently
> overwhelming. 
> Given all this, I feel fairly well versed in all of my
> options.
> 
> I am almost convinced to have a radical prostatectomy using
> the DaVinici
> robot, but if any of you have been through this mess of
> treatment
> options you know that each medical professional who
> consults with you is
> totally convinced that their specialty offers a great
> chance of a total
> cure.
> Radiation oncologists are convincingly describing a 90%
> chance of no
> cancer in 5 years and surgeons give about the same odds.
> It boggles the mind and makes it hard to come to a
> decision.
> 
> It is interesting to see how some people react when they
> learn you have
> cancer. A few are motherly and are willing to consult and
> share
> thoughts. But mostly people are strangely silent, as if the
> subject is
> taboo and too personal to speak about. Weird!
> 
> So if any of you photographers here have been down this
> road, I would
> appreciate any advice or thoughts you are willing to share.
> Contact me by private email.
> 
> Thanks
> Don Lawrence
> 
> 
> 
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