Sad for friend - prostate cancer

[Hash (imported)]

A friend of mine was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, it's spread past his prostate so they won't remove it. He was implanted with gold seeds and given kemotherapy and is still getting kemo. His insurance paid over 100,000 thousand dollars, but he's been given a bill for over 16,000 thousand to pay on his own. It's been a roller coaster to say the least. All of this could have "probably" been avoided had he been castrated years earlier, which is one great! benefit of castration. Testosterone exacts a terrible toll on the male population spreading prostate cancer to whomever it chooses. If you're over the age of 50, it's decision time. The chances of getting prostate cancer is great, but it can be eliminated or slowed down considerably, but you must choose for yourself. Hash

[kristoff]

A friend of mine was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, it's spread past his prostate so they won't remove it. He was implanted with gold seeds and given kemotherapy and is still getting kemo. His insurance paid over 100,000 thousand dollars, but he's been given a bill for over 16,000 thousand to pay on his own. It's been a roller coaster to say the least. All of this could have "probably" been avoided had he been castrated years earlier, which is one great! benefit of castration. Testosterone exacts a terrible toll on the male population spreading prostate cancer to whomever it chooses. If you're over the age of 50, it's decision time. The chances of getting prostate cancer is great, but it can be eliminated or slowed down considerably, but you must choose for yourself. Hash

Most of it could have been avoided (likely) had he had an annual digital exam, and a PSA test. Most likely would have been caught early enough to do something. Of course, never a guanatee!

[OneBallBoi (imported)]

I once read a statistic that every other man will have prostrate cancer soemtime in his life. That's a bummer.

[sduyck_2000 (imported)]

Prostate cancer is very common in my family.

Both my grandfathers had it 8 uncles and my father.

my grandfather on my mothers side opted for the hormone that they inject.He thru a blood clot from it and died the next day.

My grandfather on my dads side being a sheep farmer his whole life and 80 years old opted to be castrated.They would not do prostate surgery on him because they thought he would not survive.

He lived to be 95 and died of alzhiemers.

I have had several uncles get it Some had thier prostates removed .Of those 2 died and 2 are alive.I had another that it was too advanced to do surgery and he refused to be castrated.He opted for kemo.....he died in 8 months.

The rest opted to be surgically castrated.Its the farmers in the family that opted to be castrated.All of them are doing well except one who died at 96.... 6 months ago.

My father is 78.....has a bad heart with pace maker and 2 valves replaced.Kemo would kill him .Surgery is out.

He came to me and asked what I thought he should do.I told him let the doctor remove his testicles just like gram pa did.Its no big deal.Then I told him I have been castrated for almost 11 years now.He said he would never have guessed.

It doesn't show except I have a full head of black hair and my 3 brothers and dad are Grey and bald.

He had the orchiectomy.

That was 3 years ago and he is doing great except he works to hard.

His artificial heart valve has a time limit on it .It is only good for 12 years and he is not a candidate for having it replaced when the time runs out.He has 5 years left.

So maybe his heart will get him first.It looks like the cancer wont.

The chemical castration takes a while to take effect while surgical castration is working 24 hours later.

I get my prostate checked every year

Its a little smaller than a marble now.It was the size of a walnut before i was castrated.It shrank very fast .My psa has been extremely low on the bottom of the scale.

Castration works best for my family from the results.

[nutless_sac (imported)]

My urologist told me a statistic that if you were to check ever male that dies after the age of 55 they would be at some stage of prostate cancer. Its whether or not its malignant and rapidly growing is the problem.

I too have a long family history of prostate cancer. And my doc will not and even tells me to get another doc if I want the right testicle removed. I just had him remove the left last week due to a mass showing up on a routine ultrasound. He thought it was an infection, I was more concerned due to family history so I had him just remove it and I will live life for now with the one. But I will continue to persue the possibility of removing the other.

I am truly sorry to hear about your friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

[markdf (imported)]

A friend of mine was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, it's spread past his prostate so they won't remove it. He was implanted with gold seeds and given kemotherapy and is still getting kemo. His insurance paid over 100,000 thousand dollars, but he's been given a bill for over 16,000 thousand to pay on his own. It's been a roller coaster to say the least. All of this could have "probably" been avoided had he been castrated years earlier, which is one great! benefit of castration. Testosterone exacts a terrible toll on the male population spreading prostate cancer to whomever it chooses. If you're over the age of 50, it's decision time. The chances of getting prostate cancer is great, but it can be eliminated or slowed down considerably, but you must choose for yourself. Hash

Prostatic hyperplasia... it's one of those great curses of human physiology. 95% of men who have prostatic tumours are perfectly healthy... but it's so difficult to distinguish between prostatic hyperplasia (which is literally "condition increased growth of the prostate") and actual prostate cancer that millions of men get prostate surgery that they don't need. Yet the consequences of missing it are so serious that doctors can't just overlook it. No real way around it until faster, more accurate tests are developed.

I'm curious about this "implanted with gold seeds" therapy that you mention -- what on earth is that? It sounds a bit like one of those hippy naturalist treatments, but from the sounds of it, your friend is being treated by legitimate doctors, so I'm inclined to take the idea more seriously.

[kristoff]

Prostatic hyperplasia... it's one of those great curses of human physiology. 95% of men who have prostatic tumours are perfectly healthy... but it's so difficult to distinguish between prostatic hyperplasia (which is literally "condition increased growth of the prostate") and actual prostate cancer that millions of men get prostate surgery that they don't need. Yet the consequences of missing it are so serious that doctors can't just overlook it. No real way around it until faster, more accurate tests are developed.

I'm curious about this "implanted with gold seeds" therapy that you mention -- what on earth is that? It sounds a bit like one of those hippy naturalist treatments, but from the sounds of it, your friend is being treated by legitimate doctors, so I'm inclined to take the idea more seriously.

Most likely the "gold seeds" being referred to are radioactive pellets that are implanted to provide a continuous low-grade level of radiation.

[I Worship Women (imported)]

Most of it could have been avoided (likely) had he had an annual digital exam, and a PSA test. Most likely would have been caught early enough to do something. Of course, never a guanatee!

I agree with kristoff about an annual exam. Especially after age 50, and for some after age 40, everyone, men, women, eunuchs, etc should have a routine physical exam by a competent doctor you feel comfortable with. Not only prostate cancer, but many many conditions and problems can be caught early and successfully treated if you go to a doctor and get an annual physical exam and if you "listen" to what your body is telling you.

An annual physical is important because in the early stages many cancers and other conditions have few or no symptoms and a physical is the only way to find them early when treating them is easiest and most likely to be successful.

Take diabetes for example. In the early stages there may be few or no symptoms or the person may not be aware of them. They say there are many many people with diabetes who don't know they have it. To find out you have to be tested by a doctor. Once it is found it can be treated, while it takes work to do it, you can manage diabetes successfully, but you have to go to and work with your doctor. And that is just one of many conditions that can be successfully treated if found early, but you have to go to the doctor and get regular checkups to do it.

[tk8bb (imported)]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your friend. I think this is my first time posting. I know pretty much how he feels. I had been having a lot pain in the groin area for a long time. That was 5 years ago. I went to my Doctor in July, 2002. He wanted to do some blood tests. I mentioned about a PSA test -- he said I was too young. He said he didn't recommend the test before age 50. I told him (the truth) that i had turned 50 the previous month. He did the test.

Turned out positive. Sent me to the Urologist. Did the digital, couldn't feel anything. Two weeks later did a biopsy. YEP. Positive. Then did 35 radiation treatments. Went into remission. 6 months later it was back. The first psa in 2002 it was 9.7 out of 10. Next time it 0.05. Said in order to be considered cured has to stay at same level for life. Wait and watch. Late 2005 went up again. The Doc told me the new threshold for me is 2.0. April 2006 it was 2.1 . Gave a couple options. An injection once a month and a pill every day or bilateral orchiectomy and pill every day. Decided on second option. Surgery was done September 27, 2006. Haven't regretted the decision.

[Uncle Flo (imported)]

I'm sorry for all your trials up to this point. It is good to hear that you have no regrets and that your prospects for health have improved. --FLO--