Most men are diagnosed with Prostate Cancer as a result of a routine physical, including blood work, or because of symptoms that are present such as urinary problems. My situation was a little different. For several months I had back pain and thought it was a disc problem. I even tried a chiropractor for several weeks. Finally I went to an orthopedist and he ordered an MRI. The shock came when the radiologist that read my MRI suggested I return immediately to my doctor to discuss the results. He packed up my MRI and report and handed it to me without further comment. When I got to my car I read the report. The findings were couched in medical terms but the conclusion was unmistakable. One of my vertebrae was riddled with cancer. At that point in time we didn’t know the source of the cancer however, after some testing it was clear that I had prostate cancer that had metastasized to my spine.
I suppose I should have been grateful that is was Prostate Cancer since the prognoses for other types of cancer are potentially worse. Once cancer has spread beyond the prostate there is normally no attempt to treat the cancer through surgery or radiation. However, more recently there are several major hospitals that recommend removal of the prostate in an effort to reduce the total cancer burden and then treat the systemic condition with hormone therapy or sometimes in more extreme cases chemotherapy. My treatment protocol was limited to hormone therapy which I will discuss in detail in following blogs. The good news is that six years after my initial diagnosis I am in remission. While metastatic Prostate Cancer is incurable the goal in treatment is to slow it down sufficiently that you eventually die from something else.
Based on my initial prognosis I am fortunate to have gone this long without my cancer progressing. My Gleason score which reflects the level of cell abnormality associated with my cancer is a very poor 9 out of 10. So the question remains have I just been lucky or have the various other non-medical techniques that I’ve used been beneficial.
These include visualization exercises suggested by a psychologist I visited to help me deal with my condition. I also take a variety of vitamins, supplements and prescription drugs that are believed to affect the progress of Prostate Cancer. The blogs that follow will deal in detail with all of the approaches I’ve tried and whatever supporting documentation I can find to help you with your decision making process.
I believe that a major component of my success at slowing the progress of my Prostate Cancer has been the vitamins and supplements that I take each day. After months of trial and error I found the best source for information, research and the products themselves at LifeExtension.com Go to their website and search Prostate Cancer for some of the best information around.
Posts
