Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/11/06

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Subject: [Leica] Off Topic - Prostate
From: DLawrence at fkp.com (Don Lawrence)
Date: Thu Nov 6 07:53:33 2008

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



Replies: Reply from topoxforddoc at btinternet.com (Charlie Chan) ([Leica] Off Topic - Prostate)
Reply from h_arche at yahoo.com (H. Ball Arche) ([Leica] Off Topic - Prostate)
Reply from jmaddox01 at suddenlink.net (Jack Maddox) ([Leica] Off Topic - Prostate)
Reply from luisripoll at telefonica.net (Lluis Ripoll) ([Leica] Off Topic - Prostate)
Reply from leowesson at gmail.com (lug) ([Leica] Off Topic - Prostate)