Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Back on My Blog

It's been almost a year since I have updated my blog, but that doesn't mean that I've been sitting idly by.
I have talked to many people this year who are navigating through this maze of prostate cancer to come to the best decision for themsleves and their families.
I have been working on another book and should have it available sometime in the next month or so.
I am still amazed at the number of people I talk to that have no idea about all of their options, including Proton Beam Therapy.
I have also heard horror stories from men who have not done their due diligence and are reaping horrible side effects from the treat they chose.
It breaks my heart to hear from parents of children with cancer who are going through chemo treatment and conventional radiation and are angry when they learn that protons offers a much less invasive course for their child.
Evidence of this is that St. Jude Children's Research Hosptial in Memphis, TN. is building a proton center to be used to treat children with all inds of tumors. Plans are for the center to be open and treating by 2015 or 2016.
Well, that's enough for today. I'll try to be better about updating this blog.
Have a good Wednesday.
Blessings,
Rick
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2 comments:

Rick Plummer, DMD said...

Thanks, Rick, for continuing to try to spread the word. I share your frustration and amazement that Protons Beam Therapy is so unknown and underutilized.

Over the last 4 years I've had the opportunity to refer a dozen or so patients to various proton centers. I've only had one guy fail to qualify. His hips were too wide and the thinking was that gamma radiation would serve him better. Every one else sailed through and is now enjoying great health benefits with no post treatment problems. So fine.

What bothers me is the other dozen or so I've told about protons who have chosen to go through either surgery or gamma radiation without even checking the therapy out. Come on guys! Do yourself a favor (and wifey too). Of course most of them have done okay in terms of their PSAs. But, otherwise, not so great.

Here's my last non-proton prostate cancer story. A pretty good friend and long term dental patient of mine was diagnosed at age 55 about 6 months ago. PSA was about 6.5 and fairly quickly climbed into the 8 range. Biopsy +. Gleason score 6. The urologist recommended prostatectomy.

So I talked to him about protons, seeds, gamma and so forth and told him of all the options I would choose surgery LAST but that was up to him and to do his own due diligence. Which he did. His conclusion: robotic surgery. It sounded so new and tecky. Don't kid yourself. Surgery is surgery, robotic or not.

His surgery seemed to be a success . . . for the first day or two. Then the pain started and the fever and the blood in the urine. After being readmitted to the hospital on day 3 it was discovered that his ureter had come unattached from the bladder and he was filling his belly up with urine. He went into shock and was in critical care for a week after a second surgery to sew the ureter up correctly.

Overall he lost about 6 weeks of work, was in great pain and nearly died. Totally unnecessary.

It's hard to understand a 55 year old guy giving up his sexuality and putting himself in such overall danger. But I do know that sex is just not that big of a deal to some men, in spite of what we all say. One of my other patients who asked for advise frankly told me he'd be just as happy not having the burden anymore! He had surgery too and did fine, I might add. But so long Mr. Happy!

Well, at any rate, do enough research so that you really have a handle on the side-effect profiles of each pathway. You are actually choosing side effects, not success. All the procedures are equally successful at curing early prostate cancer.

So, even though I can't understand why some men choose what they choose, that doesn't matter. What matters is that you get it right for you and you alone. You're going to live with your consequences, not me and not your urologist!
For more discussion and information join the blog @http://www.protontherapy4prostatecancer.com

February 12, 2012 9:39 AM
Janice Beck said...

Hi Rick. My father was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, and this is the first I've heard about proton beam therapy. The less invasive, I think the better. I'm going to do some more research on this. Do you know of any good sites with information regarding this? The diagnosis has been hard to deal with (for him and me). But I feel like if we start to learn more about what treatments he's getting and what's available, that maybe it will feel that we have a smidge of control over this whole cancer thing. I've also been reading some great advice at http://onlineceucredit.com/edu/social-work-ceus-can if you're interested. Anyway, thanks again for this post. Hope to read more from you soon.

March 1, 2012 11:43 AM

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