Prostate Cancer For Veterans

Catching Up

2011-07-24T13:52:00.007-04:00

JOY SCALE: 15/10

Hello Everyone, It has been a few months since i posted anything. Life is good. My PSA continues to remain below zero which is excellent. I used the BiPAP machine for a month and found no difference in my energy levels with the exception of the first couple of nights where I felt a little more rested and energetic. I continue to keep busy. That's not hard when you have a farm, especially and old run down farm. My beautiful pioneer wife and myself are keeping very busy bringing our little dream farm back to life. We just got two female llamas that are twelve and thirteen. Right now our farm animal population consists of five horses, one miniature horse, two pygmy donkeys, six pygmy goats and the two llamas. About a month ago I bought my wife her dream horse, a Gypsy. His name is Cajun and he is a very spirited one year old. Shortly after, we bought another youngster. Her name is Adie and she just turned 6 months old. Adie is a Haflinger and are well know to be excellent horse for the handicap to work with. Working with the handicap is one of our dreams for our farm. These youngsters have added more than we ever dreamed of to our farm. Of course we are training them and that requires a lot of time. We don't mind because we love what we are doing. I have mentioned before that keeping busy is good for your health. Loving what you do is also a big influence on your health. I know that is a major reason I continue to feel great. All the other things that I mentioned in past posts also help to keep me healthy. You can also see how I am doing by visiting my Facebook page. It is listed under Hal Emery.

Thank you all for taking time and reading my blog.

Peace and Love

BiPAP Machine

2011-02-08T18:58:00.002-05:00

JOY SCALE: 16/10

Hello Everyone, My sleep study with the CPAP was moved up from February 7, 2011 to December 16, 2010. A few days ago I picked up a brand new state of the art BiPAP machine. It is similar to a CPAP. The results from my last sleep study using the CPAP showed that I needed the BiPAP because of breathing pressure differences. I found out that I stopped breathing during the night approximately 140 times! Wow that is a lot. Here I am with a BiPAP that is supposed to help me get more oxygen when I am sleeping and it even helps me breath if I stop breathing. I'm not sure how long I have had sleep apnea, but I can be sure that my daily morphine intake for the last three years has made it worse. Morphine slows downs your respiratory system. When I woke up this morning I felt much more rested and energetic. I know that after a few more nights of wearing the BiPAP that I will feel even better when I wake up. Isn't modern technology great?
On the cancer front I feel great. I am still losing weight, but it has slowed down and now I weigh around 150 pounds which is an ideal weight for my body size. I keep busy with our small farm and other things around our home. Keeping busy is a very good thing to do. It keeps your mind off of cancer.
Keep thinking posiive. The mind is a powerful organ.
Peace and Love

Sleep Study and General Welfare

2010-11-14T17:13:00.007-05:00

JOY SCALE: 15/10
Hi, I finally received my sleep study results. I have Sleep Apnea which means that I stop breathing at night. The Dayton VA have scheduled me for another sleep study with a CPAP in order to see if the CPAP would help me at night. That sleep study will be on February 7, 2011. My thirty eight years of smoking did my lungs in. Quit smoking! All that smoking caused me to have COPD and could have had a hand in my sleep apnea.

I feel absolutely wonderful. The are several reasons why. First, I have been getting plenty of sleep. If you recall several blog posts ago I talked about staying up until the wee hours of the morning and getting up early. I generally tried to function that way because I was afraid of missing something. However, I ended up taking numerous mini naps during the day and I missed many important things. Plenty of rest is very important for good health and a healthy brain. Second, I lost a little over thirty pounds and coupled with plenty of sleep I feel like a new man. The lost weight allowed me to bend over and tie my shoes without cutting off my breathing among other things that involve my breathing. I would dare to say that the lost weight also helped my COPD. My energy levels hit the roof. Third, my wife started me on an iodine regimen which works on the thyroid gland and cancer. Fourth, my wife has me on a vigorous supplement schedule that fights cancer and helps with various aspects of my health. I would like to thank my beautiful and smart wife for having immense patience with my strong willed ways and a deep love for me during sickness and health. Because of you I will live for many years. Thank you Honey.
Peace and Love

Post Operation of My Snout

2010-09-02T20:23:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE:10/10

Hi Everyone, Well I survived my nose operation and all is well. The doctor did his thing inside my honker and left two hollow splints, one on each side. I was expecting solid splints, but I rather like the hollow ones because they allow me to breath better. My down time is two weeks and no lifting anything over ten pounds. Knowing myself I think those rules will be bent. LOL. The first couple of days my nose bled off and on, but today the discharge is minimal.

Coming this October I have a sleep study at the VA. My beautiful wife tells me that I stop breathing during my sleep. I think she is putting a pillow over my face. LOL. Sleep Apnea is what they call this breathing problem. That is why the sleep study. I will tell you all about it when the time comes.

The rest of my life is humming along smoothly. I will call this post finished.
I hope you all find happiness.

Peace

Upcoming Operation and Catch Up

2010-08-25T22:06:00.013-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hello Everyone, It has been a good while since I posted anything. I mentioned before that there would be long times between posts because there would be nothing important to say. I will bring you up to speed. Since my last blog my health has changed a little for the worse, but my attitude is still positive. I believe the attitude is most important when dealing with major health issues. In regards to my health my peripheral neurophathy has become more painful in my feet. My COPD has gotten worse and I have decided to try to repair my deviated septum. My PSA is still below 0.1. Yeah! Many thanks to my beautiful and loving wife who tolerates me and, at the same time, takes very good care of me.

On the 31st of this month I will be heading back to VA surgery for some much needed work on my snout. For thirty years I have not been able to breath through my left nostril. I have adjusted to it over the years until now. My lungs are under great strain thanks to my COPD. See what thirty eight years of smoking will do! In addition to COPD I have sleep apnea. I went to the ENT Department at the VA and they suggested an out patient procedure that would last about an hour and a half. The doctor will adjust the cartilage in my honker so that there will be more room in the left side of my nose. In addition the doctor will reduce the turbinates in the right side of my honker. I think the turbinates stir up the air as it passes through or something to that effect. I will then go home with two wooden splints either inside or outside of my beak. This highly humorous picture is sure to amuse my wife, but I don't mind because I will be able to breath much better in about a weeks time. Then we will see if the sleep apnea goes away and the quality of my sleep is better.

In October I have the priviledge of participating in a sleep study to see where I am at in regards to my sleep patterns and it's quality. Of course I will keep you up to date when the tiime comes.

That's it for now and I thank you for reading my blog and maybe even passing out my blog address to someone who needs a little help.

Enjoy what is left of Summer.

Peace

Don't Smoke Ever

2010-05-17T21:25:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10
Hi Everybody, All is well on the cancer front. The change back to Zoladex is working out well. There are a few side effects form the changeover, but I can deal with them. A week ago I was put on oxygen at night time and as needed during the day. I have COPD from 38 years of smoking and now I pay the piper. Almost five years ago I quit smoking. Unfortunately my lungs didn't bounce back as I had hoped. I now know how a fish feels out of water. When you can't catch your breath it is scary. Warning, warning, warning! Do not smoke. It is not worth it. If you do smoke, then quit. The sooner you quit the better the chance your lungs will get back to normal.
Hope you all are enjoying the Spring. Summer is fast approaching.
Peace and Love to All

A Nice Surprise

2010-04-30T20:48:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hello Everyone, A couple of posts back I told you that the VA had switched my usual hormone medicine with another brand and that the new brand gave me a lot of trouble with the side effects. The hormone that I was on was called Zoladex and I was injected every three months. The new hormone, called Lupron, was injected every six months. My lovely wife tried to find a way to get me back on Zoladex. She tried to get the VA to make it available, but they said no. She then asked my Oncology nurse if she would inject me with the Zoladex if my wife would bring in the hormone from a source other than the VA. The nurse said that she had to talk with my Oncology doctor and that she would get back to us. Then my wife went to our Tricare doctor and asked if he would prescribe the hormone so she could bring it back to the VA for my injection. Unfortunately our Tricare doctor said that he wouldn't be able to get the hormone for us. As luck would have it a few days later the Oncology nurse left a phone message for me. She said that it was brought to her attention that several more veterans were having the same type of side effects as I was and that the VA would make the Zoladex available again! Someone is definitely watching over me.

All is well in the other areas of my life. I still look upon each new day with gratitude and I try my best to enjoy the day to the fullest. My psychologist said to me a few sessions back that a funny thing happens to some people when they find out that they are dying. They start living!

Peace and Love to All

Just Checking In

2010-04-11T17:39:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hello Everyone, That's right I am still alive. I want to update you all on what is happening in my life. My wonderful Soul Mate and wife is on a quest to find my old prescription of testosterone suppressing drug called Zoladex. Let me give you a little background. About five months ago the VA switched me to a testosterone suppressing drug called Lupron. Lupron was administered every six months whereas Zoladex was every three months. I didn't have a problem with the difference between injection times. My problem was Lupron's side effects. Increased bone pain and neuropathy were two of the side effects that gave me the most trouble. I had already told you about the neuropathy a couple of posts back. My wonderful wife and I decided to try and switch back over to Zoladex. The VA is unable to provide me with Zoladex, only Lupron is available. Zoladex can be obtained through Tricare. I know that my beautiful wife will prevail and I will get back on the Zoladex in no time.

The other areas of my life are filled with happiness and growth.

Peace and Love to All

Update on Tests and Other Exciting News

2010-02-07T19:46:00.003-05:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi All, Great news, my PSA level is 0.03 which is as close to zero as one can get. This means that my hormone therapy is working and keeping the cancer at bay. About three weeks ago I had an EMG test taken to test the extent of my neuropathy. The results have come back and I met with my Neurologist. The general consensus is that my neuropathy is caused by many things including my medications, radiation, or even the cancer itself. This is a wait and see situation as I see it. Other news, I have been fighting a cold which will hopefully be taken care of by some antibiotics dispensed by my VA. Hopefully I will be healthy and ready to fly out this coming Wednesday to spend a few days with my Son and his family in New Hampshire.

I hope this blog finds all of you healthy and enjoying life.

Peace and Love

Peripheral Neuropathy

2010-01-13T11:18:00.002-05:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10
Hello Everyone, Well I finally have something worthy of this blog to share with you. Have you ever heard of peripheral neuropathy? For approximately 6 months I have been experiencing pain, numbness, and tingling in my hands and feet. When I walked my feet felt as if they were walking on small sharp rocks. My beautiful wife, who is a nurse, said that what I was experiencing was neuropathy. I finally decided to have someone at the VA look at it. The doctor at the Podiatry Clinic confirmed what my wife had said. What I had was peripheral neuropathy. We Googled peripheral neurophathy and here is a definition from Wikipedia: Peripheral neuropathy is the term for damage to nerves of the peripheral nervous system, which may be caused either by diseases of the nerve or from the side-effects of systemic illness. I ended my Podiatry visit with a brand new pair of "Ambulator" protective shoes. Style wise they weren't too bad. I prefer my comfortable work boots, but they do not protect my feet from injury. The protective shoes are in fact used by diabetics because they also experience diabetic neuropathy. For me the shoes will be doing the same thing-protecting my feet from injury. The Podiatrist also gave me a tube each of Biofreeze and Capsaicin to try out. These creams were to be applied a couple times a day. The Hot and cold creams hopefully will give the nerves a different sensation. So far I haven't felt any change in numbness.
I continue to look at each day with joy and hope. My beautiful wife and I continue to share ourselves with reckless abandon. Who can ask for more?

Holidays

2009-12-16T09:42:00.002-05:00

JOY SCALE: 11/10

Hi All, All is well on my front. Being politically correct is hard for me, but I will do my best. I hope that all of you are managing to get into the holiday spirit. Put on some holiday music and dance with your partner. If there is snow, then build a snowperson. There are lots of things you can do to get into the spirit. Find a way and enjoy this beautiful time of the year. I wish you all Happy Holidays and see you next year.

Peace and Love to All

Just Stopping By

2009-12-04T11:11:00.002-05:00

JOY SCALE: 11/10
This morning I took this picture of a squirrel that managed to squeeze his way into this feeder. Eventually he got all the way in and feasted on sunflower seeds.
It is a beautiful Fall/Winter day here in Ohio albeit a tad cold.
Some of the side effects from the new hormone therapy are still affecting me. Those effects are numbness of the feet and hands and increased bone pain. However I still keep my positive mind set and enjoy everyday that I am grateful to spend with my beautiful wife, family, and friends.
Those of you with good health might consider starting a grateful list that you can turn to every day. Look around and look within. It is there you will find everything you need for your happiness.
If I miss you before next year may you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Peace and Love to All

New Hampshire

2009-11-22T11:55:00.005-05:00

Joy Scale: 11/10
How can my joy be 11 out of 10 you ask? That's easy I'm in New Hampshire visiting my 4 Grandchildren. They always bring lots of joy to my life especially when I visit them. I am only here for four days, but that four days is full of love and laughter. This morning my Son, my Granddaughter Mhrissa, and I went along with my youngest Grandson Jacob while he delivered several Christmas wreaths to the neighbors. Jacob is a Boy Scout and he sold the wreaths to them a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful morning to walk around the neighborhood. A great morning to be alive.
The side effects of the new hormone implant haven't changed any. I still get numbness and a bit of swelling in my hands and feet. Hopefully that will go away in time. The increase in bone pain is the same. I have learned over the years that the human body is remarkably adaptable.
Until the next time I blog I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
Peace and Love to All

Update

2009-11-14T21:46:00.003-05:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi All, An update on the effects of the new hormone implant medicine known as Lupor. My bone pain has increased in the area of my two ribs behind my right shoulder blade. This area always hurts, but the pain has increased significantly since the medicine change. I've had two other side effects that are supposed to be temporary and they involve my hands and feet. Those side effects are swelling, numbness, and tingling. I was also experiencing some depression and have since returned to my happy self. So I would say overall that the change in medicines is progressing smoothly and with few side effects that I can't handle.

Enjoy the nice weather and Happy Thanksgiving just in case I don't have anything to write about before then.

Peace and Love to All

Treatment Changes

2009-11-07T00:34:00.006-05:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

Hi, Thursday I had an appointment at the VA for my 3 month hormone injection. The hormone was called Zoladex which is an anti-androgen. In other words the hormone stops the production of my testosterone. Prostate cancer feeds on testosterone. The injection nurse notifies me that there will be a change in my hormone meds. The VA went back to a hormone called Lupron. It is very much similar to Zoladex, but with a couple of different side effects. The side effects are swelling of the hands and feet and numbness of the hands and feet. Of course I could experience some of the other side effects such as nausea, blurred vision, etc, but hopefully I won't. The other difference is that the Lupron only needs to be injected every 6 months whereas the Zoladex was every 3 months. That doesn't make a difference to me because I live 2 miles from the VA, but for those that have to travel a long way it will be a blessing. So far I haven't felt much difference with the hormone change. Great news, my PSA is 0.02!!! Yeah.

Tonight I took my beautiful wife to a concert at the Schuster Center. All is well at the homefront.

Peace and Love to All

Honor

2009-11-04T16:26:00.003-05:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10
Hello, Today I received the following powerful messages in my email and they served to remind me that I am not fighting this cancer alone. That special person has done much, much more than I can write in this blog, but I will share a few of the things she does. She has been there from the beginning making sure I took the proper supplements and ate the right food. She took me to every appointment and sat by my side in the doctor's office. During my appointments she would ask questions and make suggestions concerning my treatments. At home she would research prostate cancer and look for any new treatments or ideas. That special woman is my Wife and I want her to know how grateful I am that she stood by my side and took on this huge and daunting task with me. We feel like both of us have prostate cancer and we are fighting this disease together. Thank you Karen for all that you have done and continue to do. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you. I Love and Honor you.

Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 4
"The honor of the people lies in the moccasin tracks of the woman. Walk the good road.... Be dutiful, respectful, gentle, and modest my daughter... Be strong with the warm, strong heart of the earth. No people goes down until their women are weak and dishonored, or dead upon the ground. Be strong and sing the strength of the Great Powers within you, all around you."
--Village Wise Man, SIOUX
The Elders say the Native American women will lead the healing among the tribes. We need to especially pray for our women, and ask the Creator to bless them and give them strength. Inside them are the powers of love and strength given by the Moon and the Earth. When everyone else gives up, it is the women who sings the songs of strength. She is the backbone of the people. So, to our women we say, sing your songs of strength; pray for your special powers; keep our people strong; be respectful, gentle, and modest. Oh, Great One, bless our women. Make them strong today.

This is a fitting way to start off my blog. Until next time
Peace and Love to All

I'm Back!!!

2009-11-02T23:06:00.005-05:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10
Hello All, I am going to try a different approach to writing in my blog. Back in August 09 I realized that I had run out of any useful prostate cancer information that I could pass on to you. I am going to share any new information concerning prostate cancer that I discover, but it won't be daily. I am still going to share some of my personal adventures covering my cancer treatment and my life in general. There will still be lots of humor because I like humor and much healing is done with laughter. I will still notify everyone every time there is a new blog entry unless you tell me not to. I welcome any suggestions or ideas. Remember you have cancer, cancer doesn't have you. You are in control of your health.

Peace and Love to All

A Vacation

2009-08-28T14:16:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 11/10

Hello Everyone, I am taking a vacation. During that time I have several changes that need to be made. I thank you all for your understanding and patience. I will be back soon.

Peace and Love to All

What If

2009-08-24T08:56:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Good Morning Everyone, Today I'm going to talk about something we all hope never happens: your treatments no longer work. Over time cancer can find a way to overcome your treatments and start to grow again. Some treatments you have tried have worked for time and extended your life. Others never worked and new treatments took their place. Over time cancer becomes resistant to all treatments. When that happens it is time to weigh the possible limited benefit of a new treatment against the possible downsides, including continued doctor visits and treatment side effects.

We all have our own way of looking at this. Some people just want to remain comfortable during their limited time left.

This can be a very tough time-when you have tried every medical option within reason and non work anymore. Your doctor might offer you a new treatment, but you consider that at some point continuing treatment is not likely to improve your health or change your prognosis or survival.

No matter what you decide to do, it is very important that you be as comfortable as possible. Make absolutely sure that you are asking for and getting treatment for any symptoms you might have, such as pain. This kind of treatment is called palliative treatment.

Palliative treatment helps to relieve the symptoms, but it is not expected to cure the disease. It's main purpose is to improve your quality of life.

Hospice care may be considered at some point. Most of the time it can be given at home. Hospice focuses on your comfort when your cancer is causing symptoms or problems that need attention. Recieving hospice care doesn't mean that you can't have treatment for the problems caused by your cancer or other health conditions. You should focus your care on living life as fully as possible and feeling as well as you can at this difficult stage of your cancer.

One last item to consider. Maintaining hope is very important. Your hope for a cure might not be as bright, but there is still hope for good times with family and friends. This is the time to do some of the things that you've always wanted to do and to stop doing the things you no longer want to do. That last sentence is probably the most important you will ever read or hear.

Peace and Love to All

Decisions

2009-08-23T20:23:00.005-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi Everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend. Today's post concerns something that I would like to share with you. From June 2007 to July 2008I was a zombie. I had so much morphine and fentanyl running through my body that I couldn't stay awake no matter what. Around June 2008 I had an intrathecal pump installed. This pump delivered a morphine solution to my spinal fluid which drastically reduced the side effects of the morphine. The fentanyl was also stopped. Don't get me wrong, there was still a lot of pain that I had to deal with. My pump could be adjusted to reduce my pain to the point that I was a zombie again; however I opted to try and live with my pain and stay awake. So since August of last year I have managed to tolerate my pain and, at the same time, remain awake enough to interact with people. I think that some people still wish I was still a zombie because I have a big mouth and I say what I think without using a filter. Yes I was brought up in a barn with no doors. There is always a trade off and I guess, in this case, it is that some people get aggravated by me. Heck there are times when I get aggravated by me! I know that I need to work on my lack of filter and I am sure that will come in time. I don't know if any of you out there will have the same choices that I have had, but at least you are now aware what you might do if you were in a similar situation as me. This is one of many decisions I might make as my future unfolds. I hope this post will help you in your own life.
Peace and Love to All

Another Fun Day

2009-08-22T01:21:00.008-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10
Hi Everyone, I feel like doing another fun day so here you go.

A little bird was flying south for the Winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him. ---Morals of the story: (1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy. (2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend. (3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Peace and Love to All

Palliative Care

2009-08-20T17:18:00.009-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi Everyone, I hope today finds you well and happy. Today I am going to discuss palliative care. Palliative care is a treatment for relieving symptoms and is not expected to cure the disease. Its main purpose is to improve quality of life. For example I have an intrathecal pain pump in my abdomen that dispenses a morphine solution 24/7 into my spinal fluid. The morphine relieves some of, but not all of, my pain. It helps improve the quality of my life. I also have morphine tablets that I can take for break through pain which is also considered palliative. The hormone treatment I receive is also palliative. My hormone treatment consists of an implant every 3 months and it reduces my testosterone production. Little or no testosterone means that my cancer has nothing to feed on and that helps my bone tumors to shrink until my cancer finds a way around the hormone treatment. If you believe in statistics 2 years is the time when the hormone treatment no longer works and the cancer starts up again. I don't believe in statistics and I have heard about men that have remained on the hormones for 10 and 15 years. I plan on living longer than that. Besides, it is possible that new and improved treatments will be invented and I will try those. For now there are no more treatments for me other than the hormone treatment I feel that a positive attitude goes a long way towards extending my life on hormones.

Don't forget to breathe deep and laugh long.

Peace and Love to All

Fun Day

2009-08-18T15:59:00.002-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi Everybody, Today is a fun day with only the usual picture and a joke as my post. Enjoy your day.

Here is your joke:

Lesson 5 A turkey was chatting with a bull. 'I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree,' sighed the turkey, 'but I haven't got the energy.' 'Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?' replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients. The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree. --- Moral of the story: Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there..

Peace and Love to All

Your Brain

2009-08-17T07:43:00.005-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Good Morning Everyone, I saw my first scool bus of the school year a few minutes ago and it reminded me of an important thing we should all do. Strectch our minds. Learn something new every day. That is one of the keys to keeping your mind flexible and receptive especially when you have cancer. It is easy to wrap your arms around yourself and close your mind. It could be because of the medicine you take, your current environment, or something else. Whatever the reason your mind needs to be exercised on a frequent basis. It can be as simple as doing a crossword puzzle or word jumble. Keeping your mind open and in a learning mode can help you when you need adjust to ever the changing circumstances that cancer can bring. Of course an exercised mind is only a part of the dynamics of cancer, burt it is an important part. Cancer, terminal or not, has a way of getting you to close down and keeping your world small. A sharp mind can help keep your world open, moving , and ready to adjust to the changes that cancer can bring.

Thanks for reading my post. Now take a deep breath and let out a belly laugh.

Peace and Love to All

Emotional Health

2009-08-16T11:47:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

Good Morning Everyone, Today I would like to briefly cover emotional health. Most of the time people upon completion of treatments find themselves overwhelmed by emotions. I know I did and still am. I think that when you are going through treatments you focus on them and our emotions take a back seat. Now a myriad of things go through your head. The potential of your own death, or the effect of your cancer on your loved ones. For myself my main concern was my loved ones. I was very concerned how my cancer effected them. Cancer is certainly not cut and dried. This is where emotional support comes in. You need people you can turn to for strength and comfort. Support can come in many varieties: family, friends, cancer support groups, church or spiritual groups,online support communities, or individual counselors. Most people who have gone through, or are going through, cancer can benefit from getting some type of support. What works for you depends on your situation and personality. Some feel safe in a peer-support group. Others would rather talk in an informal setting, such as church. Some feel safer talking one-on-one with a trusted friend or counselor. If you aren't sure who you can turn to for help, call your American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 and they can put you in touch with an appropriate group or resource.

My psychiatrist helps me to understand what I am going through as I traverse this slippery slope of emotion and cancer. One of his specialties is working with the terminally ill (I don't like to think of myself as terminal) and he helps me to deal with my emotions in that area. Family and friends help me in other ways and areas.

I hope that this information helps.

Don't forget to BREATHE and LAUGH a good belly laugh.

Peace and Love to All

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

2009-08-15T07:40:00.008-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Good Morning Everyone,

I thought I would post a few questions you should ask your doctor about prostate cancer:

1. What additional tests do you recommend?

2. What is the clinical stage and Gleason score (grade) of my cancer? What do those mean in my case?

3. What is my expected survival rate based on clinical stage, grade, and various treatment options?

4. Should I consider watchful waiting as an option? Why or why not?

5. What other treatments might be appropriate for me? Why?

6. Among those treatments what are the risks or side effects that I should expect?

These are just some of the questions you should consider asking your doctor. You should come up with some of your own as well. For example you might want to ask about second opinions or about clinical trials.

That's it for today. Breathe deeply and give your belly a big laugh.

Peace and Love to All

Fun

2009-08-14T21:00:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hello Everyone, I hope every one of you is doing great and ready for the weekend. I am going to make this post a fun post. Why? Because I can. LOL.

Here is today's joke:

Lesson 4 An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, 'Can I also sit like you and do nothing?' The eagle answered: 'Sure, why not. So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, j umped on the rabbit and ate it. ---Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.
So remember to breathe deeply and laugh long and hard.

Peace and Love to All

Love

2009-08-13T18:13:00.007-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hello Everyone, I trust all of you are well and enjoying your Summer. If you have noticed my joy scale has stayed at the wonderful 10/10. I am trying to look at life, mine included, in a calm and loving manner no matter what is going on around and in me. I think that whenever you experience tension or conflict you can meet it with love. I/We have a choice. I think I mentioned this before, but I read a book called, Daily Meditations For Practicing The Course, by Karen Casey. Every day I find that the day's meditation matches exactley what is going on in my life. I think that is a very powerful sign to keep reading the book on a daily basis. Love is the key to all things. I know I will be practicing with love.

Go and take a deep breath, let it out, and laugh like there's no tomorrow.

Peace and Love to All

Lazy Day

2009-08-12T00:27:00.006-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi Everyone, Hope you are all well and happy. Sorry i missed yesterday. Today is a lazy day for me so I will post my usual funny picture and a joke.

Here is your joke:

Lesson 3: A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they fi nd an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish..' 'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world. Puff! She's gone. 'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep.. 'I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.' Puff! He's gone. 'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch. ---Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say.

Breathe deep and laugh long.

Peace and Love to All

Radiation

2009-08-10T23:55:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi Everyone,

I hope this Monday was a good day for you. I know how Mondays can be tough after a good weekend.

I thought I would briefly talk about radiation treatment. Modern technology has allowed the radiation to be aimed more precisely and thus be more effective. One area that radiation is used is when prostate cancer is confined only to the prostate. One technique is when radioactive seeds are injected into the prostate and external radiation treatments are done for approximately six weeks. The seeds can also be injected without the external radiation. Another way is to have just the external radiation. The ability to aim the radiation more precisely increase effectiveness and reduces the side effects.

Now everyone take a deep breath and laugh out loud no matter where you are.

Peace and Love to All

Sunday

2009-08-09T09:00:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hello Everyone, Here is todays picture and joke. Tomorrow I will start my regular post again.

Here is your joke:

Lesson 2: A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg. The nun said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?' The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. The nun once again said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?' The priest apologized 'Sorry sister but the flesh is weak. Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way. On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, 'Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory. ---Moral of the story: If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Peace and Love to All

Saturday

2009-08-08T17:06:00.005-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10
Hello Everyone, Today is another funny picture and joke post. May you all have a beautiful Saturday.
Here is your joke:

Lesson 1: A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, 'I'll give you $800 to drop that towel. After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, 'Who was that?' 'It was Bob the next door neighbor,' she replies. 'Great,' the husband says, 'did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?' --- Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Peace and Love to All

Next 3 Days are Joke Days

2009-08-07T12:11:00.006-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi Everyone, For the next 3 days I will not be available to do the usual posts. I do, however, will be able to post my usual image and will throw in a joke or 2. Have a wonderful weekend.

Today's joke: Keep in mind I didn't write these I am just the delivery man.

CREATIVE PUNS FOR "EDUCATED MINDS"

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it tuned out to be an optical Aleutian.

3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from an algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.

5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his orders.

6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationary.

7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.

12. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

13. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'

14. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

15. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep Off the Grass.'

16. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'

17. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

18. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

19. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

20. Don't join dangerous cults. Practice safe sects!

Peace and Love to All

Happy Day

2009-08-06T19:11:00.005-04:00

JOY SCALE: 11/10

Hello Everyone, Today I had my 3 month appointment to check my PSA levels and implant my hormone treatment. MY PSA level was 0.01!!! WOW. YEAH. That low of a level means that the hormone treatment is still working. I met with one of my doctors to go over how I have been feeling since I last saw him 3 months ago. I told him everything is basically the same as before. He was glad that I keep track of any unusual symptoms like hot flashes, diarrhea, etc. My blood readings are all normal except slight anemia. The doctor said the anemia could be from post operative surgery, but nothing to worry about. All in all one heck of a good day.

That's it for today. Breathe deep and laugh long.

Peace and Love to All

PSA

2009-08-05T13:41:00.008-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10
Hello Everyone, PSA stands for Prostate-Specific Antigen and blood is tested for PSA levels. PSA is a substance made by the normal prostate gland. Men's semen contain the most PSA, but a small amount is found in the blood. A PSA level under 4 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) is found in most men. Prostate cancer generally will make the PSA level to go above 4. If you PSA is between 4 and 10 you have a 25% chance of having prostate cancer. If it is more than 10 you have a 50% chance and increases as your PSA levels increase. It is important to know that around 15% of men with a PSA below 4 will have prostate cancer.
There are other factors that can affect your PSA levels. The levels can increase with noncancerous enlargement of the prostate which can happen as men get older. The levels can increase with an infection of the prostate gland called prostatitis. The levels can go up slowly as you age without any prostate gland abnormality. Ejaculation can cause a temporary increase in PSA levels. Some medications can affect the levels-Proscar or Avodart may falsely lower your PSA levels and require your doctor to adjust the reading. Herbal preparations that are labeled for prostate health could mask an elevated PSA level. Saw palmetto is an herb that does not seem to interfere with the measurement of PSA. It is generally taken for high blood pressure.
Your doctor may recommend a prostate biopsy if your PSA level is high. However, there are other types of PSA tests that are new and your doctor may want you to have those tests. They are Percent-free PSA, PSA velocity, and PSA density.
A high PSA level can mean you have prostate cancer, but it can't tell you how dangerous the cancer is.
My story (also in earlier post) started when I had my first PSA test 4 years ago. It was 3.5 and the next test was 2 years later in 2007. That reading was 28.5. Of course that level raised a few flags and I was treated first for prostatitis and then scheduled for a biopsy. On May 23rd, 2007 I was told I had prostate cancer. Later a bone scan showed that the cancer had spread to several bones. Some of these tumors have shrunk due to the hormone treatment and other holistic treatments. The rest of the story in posted here in my blog.
The majority of the information in this post was taken from the American Cancer Society's Quick Facts Prostate Cancer.
I have kept you entertained enough for one day.

Watch your Thoughts, they become words.

Watch your Words, they become actions.

Watch your Actions, they become habits.

Watch your Habits, they become character.

Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny.

Breathe deeply and laugh long.

Peace and Love to All

Shrink Your World

2009-08-04T19:59:00.008-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hello Everyone, Sometimes it seems when I try to view the world my eyes are like the cat in the picture. Things seem crosswise and do not make any sense. That's when I stop and try rethink my situation. First of all I shrink the world to a size that isn't so scary. For example after shrinking my world the size is just big enough to contain all my loved ones and friends and a little extra space for anything that might come up. I know all this sounds goofy, but hear me out. What I am try to say is to shrink your world to a size that is easy to manage and enjoy. Why? To reduce stress. It is hard enough to live in this crazy world when you are basically healthy. When you have cancer the stress levels shoot through the roof. That's why I suggest you try to shrink your world down to a manageable size. The rest of the world will keep on turning regardless if you are a part of it or not. So a small world equals reduced stress equals more room to enjoy life. When your world is smaller your cancer is more manageable. I know it might seem hard to do, but it is worth the effort. Cancer doesn't have you. You have cancer. You decide when you are completely healed and when you are healed you still enjoy life. You still keep your stress levels down by keeping your world to a manegeable size. Low stress equals better health, mentally and physically. Now go out there and laugh your head off. Oh yeah don't forget to breathe.

Peace and Love to All

Sleep Talk

2009-08-03T20:28:00.011-04:00

JOY SCALE:10/10

Hi Everyone, I hope this post finds you all enjoying the Summer. You have read my posts about getting adequate sleep. We are all different and our sleep habits are different as well. Back in the agricultural days most every one's sleep habits revolved around the sun. Today life is much more diverse and the 24/7 life has taken over our lives much more than the sun. Considering our differences we all have to find the right amount of sleep for our own needs. Once the amount of sleep is established the time to get it needs to be determined. A regular pattern is the best way to achieved the proper amount of sleep. Some people would recommend that you go to bed at 11 pm and get up at 7am. I believe that it doesn't make any difference when you go to bed as long as you get the required amount of sleep.For example: If I need 8 hours of sleep I can decide to go to bed anytime as long as I get my 8 hours of sleep. If I go to bed at 1 am I should sleep until 9 am to achieve my 8 hours and I should try to maintain my schedule until it becomes a habit. Another example: Let's say I go to bed at 3am. I need to sleep until 11am to get my 8 hours of sleep. One last example: if I go to bed at 9 am I should get up at 6 am. OK enough of this sleep talk. It makes me tired. If anyone has any other ideas about sleep please let me know.

Breathe deep and laugh hard.

Peace and Love to All

Choices

2009-08-02T19:41:00.005-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10
Hello Everyone, As you can see I am still up there on the JOY arena. I have found that when you have cancer information seems to come from everywhere claiming to help you stay alive longer. Some of it sounds crazy while others ring true: supplements, red meat, sleep, coffee, etc. Sometimes you can feel overwhelmed over the choices. I have found that no matter what information you come across your state of mind is the the determining factor. If you can't maintain a calm and steady mind, then all the help in the world won't help you get better. The deep breathing exercises I gave you will help you relax and stay focused. Even if you didn't want to follow the advice that claims to help you live longer-remember there are no guarantees. I believe that a calm and focused mind will help you fight your cancer just as good as anything else out there. Remember that this is only my opinion. In the end we all have to find our own methods of fighting our cancer. I do know that proper breathing and lots of laughter will help you go a long way towards healing.
Peace and Love to All

Joke Day

2009-08-01T19:56:00.006-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hello Everyone, I thought I would skip talking about cancer and throw a joke in here. Ready?

Clean joke...
Two brooms were hanging in the closet and after a while they got to know each other so well, they decided to get married.
One broom was, of course, the bride broom, the other the groom broom.
The bride broom looked very beautiful in her white dress. The groom broom was handsome and suave in his tuxedo. The wedding was lovely.
After the wedding, at the wedding dinner, the bride-broom leaned over and said to the groom-broom, "I think I am going to have a little whisk broom!!!"
"IMPOSSIBLE !!" said the groom broom.
Are you ready for this? Brace yourself; this is going to hurt.
**********
"WE HAVEN'T EVEN SWEPT TOGETHER!"
I don't make them I just post them.

Well I think that's enough for today. Don't forget to Laugh, Love, and Breathe deep.

Peace and Love to All,

The Four Stages of Cancer

2009-07-31T18:23:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hello Everyone, I hope you all are enjoying the Summer and telling your loved ones that you love them. I thought that today I would briefly go over the four stages of Prostate Cancer. There are four categories for describing the prostate's tumor's (T) stage. They range from T1 to T4. Most of these have subcategories, but i will not cover those today.

T1: Your doctor can't feel the tumor or see it with imaging such as transrectal ultrasound.

T2: Your doctor can feel the cancer when a digital rectal exam (DRE) is done, but it still appears to be confined to the prostate gland.

T3: The cancer has begun to spread outside your prostate and may involve the seminal vesicles.

T4: The cancer has spread to tissue next to your prostate (other than the seminal vesicles), such as the bladder sphincter (muscle that helps control urination), the rectum, and/or the wall of the pelvis. The subcategories of T4 include spreading of tumors to the lymph nodes and bones.

I am diagnosed with T4 prostate cancer with bone tumors.

As I said at the beginning of this post there are many subcategories to the T stages; however the descriptions are numerous and lengthy. My favorite reference book for cancer information is, QuickFacts Prostate Cancer, What You Need To Know by the American Cancer Society. I mentioned this book before and I will probably mention it again because it is such a great reference book. Please remember the T stages as there will be a 3 page written essay and exam on them next Tuesday. Just fooling.

That is it for today. Remember to treat yourself kindly, laugh out loud, eat good food (not the cheap stuff as the cat pictures says) , and breath deep.

Peace and Love to All

Love Like There is No Tomorrow

2009-07-30T01:40:00.008-04:00

JOY SCALE: 11/10

Hello Everyone, Yesterday was my in-laws fifty first wedding anniversary. Imagine that, being with the same person for that many years. Due to my age I won't make it that long with my lovely wife, but I am going to try for the max years I can squeeze out of this relationship if she doesn't kill me first. LOL. The old saying, "It takes two...." applies. Whenever we visit Mom and Dad-my parents have long since passed so these two are my new parents-I watch them in action. I watch how they give and take. I watch how they pick their battles. My personal favorite is to watch them is when one of them thinks they are in charge when in fact the other one is the boss. Can you guess which one? I suspect our relationship share many of same characteristics that Mom and Dad share. I hope that my lovely wife and I manage to learn how to survive as gracefully as Mom and Dad. We will if we keep an open mind. Thanks Mom and Dad for giving us the opportunity to see true love in action.The lesson today is love like there is no tomorrow and don't forget to laugh loudly while deep breathing. Ha ha. Ha ha ha.

Peace and Love to All

Short and Sweet

2009-07-29T09:36:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE:11/10

Hello Everyone, Yes you read my Joy Scale right. It is possible to be happier than some arbitrary scale.Stopping to taste the roses is a great way to step out of this hectic life pace and slow down. Pausing to reflect why you paused is a good start to slowing down. It's a really simple concept. The hard part is doing it. So go and taste the roses, or daisies, or dandelions...........

Peace and Love to All

Still Flying High

2009-07-28T18:19:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi Everyone, I'm still flying high from my camping trip. I am sure the residual energy from spending all that time outdoors with Mother Nature and my Grandkids will stay with me for quite a while.

I put this cat picture up because I am OCD and I share the kitty's frustration with crooked pictures. When I was a young lad OCD wasn't recognized at all. There were many of us OCD adults and children populating the world adapting to life without the use of drugs. Today drugs are the main treatment for Disorders. I am thankful that I wasn't plied with drugs to treat my OCD. Why? No drugs for my OCD helped me adjust to life's problems in a natural way. i followed my OCD heart. If a picture was crooked I straightened it. If the clothes in my closet were a mess I lined them up with various schemes such as by color or by type of clothing. If my room was messy I organized it until I was satisfied it was right. What I am trying to say is that growing up with OCD and naturally adjusting to it has helped me to be resourceful and adaptive in my life. I am sure that it is the same for all the other OCD people out there from my time and beyond. If you look hard enough you will see that there is always good from bad. That's how I look at my Prostate Cancer. There are many good things that have come out of this cancer. One being my appreciation of moments instead of saying that next week I will have fun doing..... Another is my adaptation skills have improved many fold because of all the changes that I am going through and have gone through. There are a few more good things, but I have already made this post longer than I wanted.

That is it for this post. Don't forget to laugh hard and look for the good.

Peace and Love to All

I'm Back!!!

2009-07-27T21:44:00.006-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi Everyone,

Well I made it back safe and sound. Spending eight days with my Son, Daughter-in-Law, and Grandkids camping in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The camping was in tents in a camp ground right on the Pemigewasset River. We did a river run with kayaks, climbed the Flume, took a tram up Canon Mountain, and went to Six Gun City and Fort Splash, fishing, swimming, and just plain relaxed. I caught up on my sleep by going to bed around nine or ten and getting up by nine in the morning. I thoroughly enjoyed all the activities with my Grandkids. Most of the time my inner child is at the forefront getting me into trouble. It was easy to relate to the Grandkids on their level. I arrived home thoroughly relaxed mentally and spiritually. Physically I was worn out, but in a pleasant way. My lungs got a good workout during the climb through the Flume. Next time I will remember to bring my inhaler camping. Al in all my camping trip was a resounding success. Between my Daughter-in-Law and myself I believe we took over 6700 pictures and several videos.

The picture in this blog reminded me that most of the time my attempts at disguise are like the cat blatantly hanging out of the lamp. Like the cat I hide almost nothing of myself. I am not shy about talking about the past and my present. My wife is the exact opposite. Maybe that explains the age old law that opposites attract. My put it all out there ways have got me into trouble a time or two, but that is the way I roll. One benefit of letting it all hang out is that you don't have to keep things inside and let them fester in some cases. I think it is healthy to purge and not keep it all in.

Well enough for tonight. It is good to be back. Don't forget to breath, laugh, and treat yourself right.

Peace and Love to All

Heading Out of Town

2009-07-16T22:57:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 8:10Hi Everyone, Tomorrow I head off to the jungles of northern NH. Well actually I am staying overnight at my Son's place before we all head north. I am really looking forward to getting back to Mother Nature-I hope she still likes me. My wife is slowly on the mend. She might heal faster if I wasn't around getting in the way. I hope everyone is having a great Summer. I will be back posting either the 25th or the 26th. There will be plenty of adventures with youwith four grandkids to help me have fun camping. Perhaps I will share some of them with you. For now everyone take a deep breath and let it out slowly through your mouth. Do that five times and then have a good belly laugh.

Peace and Love to All

Camping

2009-07-14T21:55:00.009-04:00

JOY SCALE: 8/10

Hi Everyone, I don't have much to post. My mind is elsewhere planning for a camping trip with my Son, his wife. and their four kids, AKA my Grandkids. I am going with them to northern New Hampshire for a week of camping fun right on the river Pemigewasset River. Say that fast three times. LOL. The camping dates are from the 18th to the 24th. Of course I will fly there on the 17th. I will try to post before I leave, but no promises. One thing is certain that after a week in the wilderness I will have some funny, and maybe even scary stories to tell. I will post something before I leave, but for now enjoy life and laugh a lot.

Peace and Love to All

Sleepy Time

2009-07-13T02:55:00.006-04:00

JOY SCALE: 8/10

Hi Everybody, It is 3AM Monday morning and most of you are in dreamland. This is the time i usually head for the bed. I am not sure if I am a night owl or an insomniac. Maybe a little of each. I have given this late night/ early morning bed a lot of thought since it is a bone of contention between my lovely wife and me. She believes that a good night's sleep help my body fight the cancer. That makes good sense. I, on the other hand, feel that it doesn't make a difference what time I go to bed as long as I get adequate sleep. Keep in mind that every person doesn't always need eight hours of sleep. Some need ten or more while others, like me only need three to five hours of sleep. There is another factor in my late nights and early mornings. I don't want to miss anything. I don't know when my time is up so I want to live life as much as possible. If I could I would stay up 24/7. I will admit that time flies when I am at the computer and before I know it it is 3AM. Well a couple more things to do and off to bed. Sleep well for soon it will be time to get up and get ready for work. LOL. Enjoy the cat picture as it reflects a little bit of what we covered in this post except She/He has covered both sides of tonight's discussion. She/He is in bed and She/He is also having fun (not sleeping)! Ha-ha.

Peace and Love to All

The Hurt Game

2009-07-11T23:54:00.007-04:00

JOY SCALE: 8/10

Hi Everyone, My joy scale is down today because my lovely wife has a fever and doesn't feel well. I call it sympathy pains. I have heard the term, "Happy Wife Happy Life." From my experience I believe that is true. Sometimes those of us that have cancer forget that our loved ones suffer just as much, if not more, than we do. You might wonder why would they hurt more than us? They live with us day after day sharing our pain and feeling our frustration. Also you must remember that when we go to the other side our loved ones are still here living, coping, and picking up the pieces. I am not suggesting that you constantly worry about this. I just don't want you to lose sight of what is really going on and that there is more to living with cancer than yourself. I have said enough for tonight. How about a big old belly laugh.

Peace and Love to All.

Distraction

2009-07-10T23:42:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi Everyone, The weekend is here and it is summer. The little kitties are having summer fun why don't you. A quick explanation of how I deal with the massive pain I go through 24/7. There is always the Morphine from my implanted pump and Morphine tablets for break through pain, but the next best thing to Morphine is coping with pain by Distraction. An example of Distraction would be when I play my computer games, or Xbox 360 Live, I get so involved and immersed in them that I forget about everything except the game. This technique involves living in the moment. I am sure you all have had moments like this other than playing computer games. For example gardening, fishing, and other hobbies.. It works well except that you can't do whatever it is you do all the time. Nevertheless the Distraction method is a handy technique to know.

For now I think you all need to enjoy the summer. Now go get a squirt gun and get your neighbor all wet.

Peace and Love to All

2009-07-10T01:54:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hello Everyone, I want you all to stop what you are doing-unless you are in surgery- and take a deep breath through your nose, hold it for a few seconds, and slowly exhale through your mouth. Do this several times and each time try to hold your breath a little bit longer. You should feel relaxed after this breathing exercise. Now go find something to laugh about and look for my post tomorrow.

Peace and Love to All

Watchful Waiting

2009-07-09T04:23:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

Hi Everyone, I would like to talk about a method called "Watchful Waiting." This information was taken from a book called QuickFacts Prostate Cancer When You Need to Know-Now by the American Cancer Society. It is an excellent reference book and one i used almost exclusively. Now "Watchful Waiting" occurs when prostate cancer grows very slowly. Some men-especially those who are older or have other serious health problems-may never need treatment for their prostate cancer. This is when the doctors call this expectant management, or "Watchful Waiting."In Watchful Waiting PSA testing is used without any active treatment such as surgery or radiation therapy. One reason that PSA testing might raise a red flag would be when the PSA level doubles in less than three years.If you are younger, then Watchful Waiting is generally not an option especially if the cancer is aggressive. I will talk about that scenario in another post.I hope everyone is taking the time to laugh and enjoy their time on this earthly plane.

Peace and Love to All

Laugh

2009-07-07T23:15:00.005-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10
Hi Everyone, Did you hear about the two cannibals eating a clown? One cannibal said to the other, "Does this taste funny to you?" Badabing Badaboom. Sorry about that I am in a fun mood. Maybe the posted picture brought it out in me. Laughing has great healing powers as I have mentioned before. That's it for now. Go out and laugh.
Peace and Love to All

Fun and Relaxation

2009-07-07T01:22:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

Hi Everyone, I proclaim this day a day of fun and relaxation. Now go out and have some fun will you.

Peace and Love to All

Emotions

2009-07-05T20:17:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi Everyone, I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. My Sister and her husband left for Vermont this morning and I miss them already. Now you are probably wondering why is my joy scale maxed out if my Sister just left and I miss her. I am learning that when an emotion comes up in my life you can do one of two things. One, you can deny the emotion and hope it goes away or two, you can acknowledge the emotion and accept it as it is, just an emotion that is neither good nor bad. When you completely accept the emotion you experience it fully without judgement. That is precisely what I did, experience the emotion fully. Doing that allows me to continue to enjoy all that life is and not get hung up with denying emotions. On a daily basis I have many wonderful things to be thankful for and when I acknowledge them sometimes my joy scale gets maxed out. Let me repeat that I am just learning to deal with emotions and I still have bad days because of the way I handle my emotions. So everyone I have shared a chapter in my lilfe and I hope you might get something out of it. Enjoy life for what it is.

Peace and Love to All

Life is a River

2009-07-04T19:29:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi Everyone, I trust you all had a happy Fourth of July. I spent all day with my beautiful wife, my Sister, and her husband. Tomorrow my Sister heads back to Vermont. It will be a sad time. I hate goodbyes, but I try to remember that I will certainly see them again. Hellos and goodbyes are a part of the fluid life we live. We can go with the flow or go in the opposite direction. One way is the easy and best way and the other the harder way. Which direction are you going?

Peace and Love to All

Fourth of July

2009-07-04T00:09:00.005-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

Hi Everyone, I want to wish you all a happy Fourth of July. Please take the time to remember how we got here. Without our Independence we would be nothing more than slaves.

Now a quick take on the posted picture. I have said this before, but we all need the proper amount of sleep and especially so if you have cancer. There is tons of information out there about sleep and how to obtain it. We all are different and it follows that we all need different amounts of sleep. Don't forget about rest as well. If you can't get the sleep you need at least try for the rest. Naps are a good way to get rest. Now do a big, hearty belly laugh and then take a nap. That's what i am going to do.

Peace and Love to All

Enjoy the Picture

2009-07-02T20:50:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE: 8/10

Hi Everyone, There isn't anything I need to say tonight except to enjoy the picture.

Peace and Love to All

2009-07-01T19:49:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

Hi Everyone, I am back from vacation and ready to go. Go back on vacation that is. LOL. Vacations are always too short. Oh well that's life. This will be a short post. See that funny cat picture? Exercise is good. A good brisk walk two or three times a week is suffcient to get things moving inside your body and brain. Now laugh at the picture and then go out for a walk.

Peace and Love to All

Vacation Time

2009-06-23T18:45:00.007-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi Everyone, I am going on vacation for several days. I will try to post a little something, but don't count on it. I will be busy playing with my Grandkids. I will check back here from time to time to see if anyone has any comments, suggestions, or questions.

Learn from the picture I posted. Slow down.

Take care of yourselves.

Peace and Love to All

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T23:04:00.005-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10Hi Everyone, No post today except for the fun picture. It is Father's Day and all you Fathers enjoy.

Peace and Love to All

What you Eat

2009-06-20T20:13:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

Hi Everyone, This humorous picture sets the tone for my next topic when you are living with prostate cancer-Diet. Common sense prevails what you put in your body. There are many people out there say they have the perfect diet for you. A variety of fruits and vegetables along with some protein garnered from beans, rice, nuts, pasta, and breads contribute to the ideal diet if you have cancer. As a matter of fact it is a great diet for anyone because it also prevents cancer. Animal protein is not good because studies have found that the protein feeds the cancer. There is an informative book called The China Study by T. Colin Campbell that investigates why a good diet helps both in the prevention and in the fighting of cancer. I personally have started to switch to this diet thanks to my lovey wife. I have found that I really don't miss many of the bad foods. It is just a matter of substitution. Replace good food for the bad. Once in a while a bad food like a hamburger or steak won't do much harm as long as it is not very often. Currently the food manufacturers have made hugh inroads to creating excellent veggie burgers, Italian veggie sausages, veggie breakfast links, etc. Just about anything out there is made with the veggie ingredient which is usually soy based. Here is a funny story about veggie line. Believe it or not the veggie line of foods tastes very good. My wife tricked me by giving me what I thought was Italian sausage in a bun with sauteed mushrooms and onions. It was delicious. Then my wife informed me that the sausage was a Italian veggie sausage. I was tricked, but in a nice way. Now I like those sausages.

Peace and Love to All

Need I Say Anymore?

2009-06-20T01:25:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

Hi Everyone, This funny picture is a reminder to keep up with your personal hygiene. A clean body helps you to relax. It also keeps the flies off of you when you meditate. LOL. Seriously there is much truth in the saying, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." Good hygiene is yet another piece of the puzzle when it comes to dealing with cancer. Think about it.

Good night

Peace and Love to All

Don't Hold Your Breath

2009-06-18T23:17:00.008-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

Hi Everyone, This is fun finding funny picture to put on my posts. They make me laugh and I hope you do too.

Today I would like to talk briefly about proper breathing. Years ago I found an article Learn to Breathe Like a Yogi.........And be as Serene as a Yogi by William Wittmann. One of the fastest ways to regain your composure and/or peace of mind is by breath control. Watch someone when they are sleeping or meditating and you will see a deep even breathing. That is how you should learn to consciously breathe when you want to calm down. Learning to breath consciously this way takes years of practice, but here is a technique that will have you feeling as calm and serene as a yogi in a few minutes. It is used by the Russian Navy Commandos (their equivalent to our Navy Seals). They used it to help them develop breath control so that they could hold their breath for longer periods of time. This technique can be used anywhere. You can use it just before bed to relax you before going to sleep. The author of the article that teaches this technique feels that it could help sleep, insomnia and possibly sleep apnea.

Here is the techniques. Get a normal drinking straw. Now put the straw in your mouth, plug your nose, and breathe through the straw. Simple huh? Most people will feel a touch of panic because it doesn't feel as if you are getting enough air, but you will accommodate to it quickly. Keep breathing this way for as long as you wish. You will find that you will get more and more relaxed. After you have learned to use one straw effectively tape two straws in a chain. That is tape the straws end to end. Later you can add a third. The author doesn't feel the need to go beyond three straws. The extra straws will deepen your experience even more. Give it a try.

Peace and Love to All

Frustration and Humor

2009-06-17T22:05:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE: 7/10

Hi Everyone, Frustation is the emotion for the day. It seems that I can't do anything right today. I weeded out the wrong plants. Boy was I berated for that. There were other mishaps spread out during today. It is all part of the mood swings and life in general. The mood swings seem to amplify my emotions. A lot of laughter is called for. We watched a sitcom called, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." I am not sure of the grammar when the title of a movie is written. I say screw it. The sitcom made me laugh and that is all that counts. I tell you humor heals all. Remember that.

Peace and Love to All

Mood Swings

2009-06-16T20:47:00.012-04:00

JOY SCALE: 8/10
Hi Everyone, Did you laugh today? Today I am just going to quickly talk about mood swings. When you are on hormone treatments one of the side effects is mood swings. I believe I briefly discussed this in an earlier post. Some of the things that can happen when you have mood swings are irritability, depression, crying over nothing, and a feeling of being overwhelmed. Irritability affected me all day. Little things got me upset. Big things got me upset. Oh heck everything got me upset today. Guess what I used to calm me down and get right? Humor. Works every time. Laughing does wonders to eliminate irritability.

Peace and Love to All

A Change

2009-06-15T19:50:00.002-04:00

JOY SCALE: 8/10

Hi Everyone, I have decided to add something new to this blog. I am a firm believer in using humor to help in healing. My blog has lots of room for different kinds of humor, but I am settling on one type for now. It will be a daily picture of animal humor, specifically cat humor. Since we have seven cats and three dogs it is only fitting to use cat humor. Around our house the animals constantly entertain us. Laughs come easy around our house. I think every house should be full of laughter with, or without, animals. Nothing beats a good session of laughing. I often find that I laugh at myself because of something crazy that I did. If at all possible try to get in either a good belly laugh or a tear producing laugh. those are the best healers. So people get out there and find something to laugh about. Start healing.

Peace and Love to All

Where It All Began

2009-06-13T23:00:00.005-04:00

JOY SCALE: 8/10
Hi Everyone, Today is an important day for me. Forty years ago (I remember this as if it were happening right now) during the Vietnam War I was a 19 year old soldier in Cambodia doing a Search and Destroy mission. During that mission our point man was shot and a couple of us managed to get to him back to the rear and put him on a medical chopper. Our small unit was taking a break when all of a sudden we were surrounded by North Vietnamese. We all returned fire and the next thing I remember was looking at my right forearm and seeing a big hole in it. At the same time my face felt like someone had hit me with a baseball bat. Blood was pouring from my face and onto my M-16. I was going into shock, but I managed to summon a medic to help me. He patched me up as quick as possible and got me onto a medical chopper. I remember everything right up until I went into surgery back in a MASH unit in Vietnam. Later I found out that I was shot in my back, my right leg, my forearm, and my jaw. My jaw was the worse one. I lost part of my lower gum, teeth, and the front of my jawbone was shattered. At first I was devastated over what had happened especially about my face. It was all swelled up, black and blue, and my jaw was wired up. The rest of my gunshot wounds were bad, but l could handle those much better than having my face disfigured. Then I realized that I was still alive after being shot four times. All of my gunshots managed to hit me at an angle. That is because of the position I was during the shootout. If I had of been in any other position the bullets would have penetrated vital organs. I was one lucky soldier. I was alive for a reason. My vanity slipped away and gratitude took it's place despite the excruciating pain. I spent six months recovering in Chelsea Naval Hospital near Boston Massachusetts. My wounds slowly healed, but the pain was relentless. The doctors told me that I would have pain for the rest of my life. I was retired medically from the Army and given 100% temporary disability for two year which then was reduced to 60% permanent disability. Over the years I tried to ease the pain with drugs and alcohol, but that never seemed to work. I was depressed most of the time. Fourteen car totals and two suicide attempts later I gave up drugs and alcohol. I eventually learned to live with my pain and that seemed to lessen it a little. I now realize that all those years of pain were preparing me for living with the terrible pain created from my bone tumors. The Morphine that is pumped into my intrathecal space 24/7 only works on my mind. My mind tricks me into believing that my pain is less even though it remains at the same level. My advice when it comes to pain management is to accept and learn to live with the pain if at all possible. Embrace the pain. That modality compliments any medication program. I'm not saying that your pain will stop, but you never know. Trust in the process. Take a leap of faith.
Before I go I would like to share a funny story from the time I was in the MASH unit. Well actually at the time it wasn't so funny, but now I can laugh about it. Before my surgery I was laying on a gurney waiting for an Xray. My IV was hanging on the wall next to me. A nurse came up and started to wheel me into Xray, but there was a problem. The nurse had forgotten about my IV and I was frantically trying to get her attention. My mouth was so damaged that speaking was out of the question so all I could do was grunt and move my head in that direction. I was watching the IV tubing get tighter and tighter and just when I thought my IV catheter would be pulled out she finally noticed and stopped. Whew. Wait my story isn't over yet. When she got me into Xray the technician leaned over the end of my gurney to get an Xray plate . When the technician came back up and over my gurney with the plate in his hands he accidentally dropped the Xray plate on my crotch. Ouch! What a time I was having.
I also learned that Agent Orange had been used in Vietnam and Cambodia. I was put on an Agent Orange Registry. AO is known to cause quite a few diseases one of which is prostate cancer. Could this be where it all started?
Thanks for sharing in another one of my emotional yearly celebrations. I expect to honor June 13 for many years to come.
Peace and Love to All

Another Gift From My Cancer

2009-06-12T21:45:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 7/10
Hi Everyone, When my cancer spread to my bones the tumors eat away at the bones. Parts of the affected bones become hollow until they start to grow back. Unfortunately when the tumor eats into the nerve layer of my bones there is no regrowth. The nerves are exposed and that is where the GIFT of PAIN comes from. The pain is excruciating and the doctors try various medications and treatments to try and lessen the pain. Some of the treatments are the application of hot and cold, TENS unit which stimulates the nerves, and nerve blocks. All of the treatments failed. The medications consisted of Fentanyl, Gabapentin, Morphine, Oxycodone, and other pain killing chemicals. Some of the medications worked, but I was a zombie most of the time. I could doze off anywhere and anytime. My beautiful wife, who is also a nurse, did some research and discovered that the medical field used pain pumps that where implanted under your skin layer. I went through the usual test to see if I could handle a pump and I passed with flying colors. Several weeks later my pump was implanted in the lower right abdomen under my skin. The pump has a small diameter tube that is also implanted under my skin and routed around my side and up into the space that surrounds my spinal cord. This space is called the Intrathecal Space. Pain pumps are generally filled with Morphine and are programmed to dispense the medication 24/7. Mine was no different. Pain pumps usually take a few visits to the doctor's office to adjust the rate of flow so that your pain can be relieved as much as possible. I tried the pump at higher doses, but I didn't want to go back to being a zombie. I have my pump adjusted so that I don't doze off like I did before. That means that my pain level isn't reduced as much, but it is worth staying awake. I will say more on the Gift of Pain in the next post, but I would like to share a story about my pain pump. When I first had my pump implanted I had it set to dispense the Morphine at a low dose. That setting didn't work so I went back in to have it increased. That setting didn't work either. I kept going back twice a week for two months and each time the technician would increase the dose 15% to 25%. My pain remained the same. After two months of pump adjustments with no change in pain levels the doctor decided to do some investigating. I went through a few tests, but none of them were conclusive. However the general theory was that the tube that connected the pump and the intrathecal space had become disconnected at the pump. My pump was a new model and had a new snap-on type connector. The old connectors were sutured in place and very rarely became disconnected. It took a month to get my surgery scheduled. While waiting for my surgery my wife called the pump manufacturer and asked them if the new type connector could be sutured in place. They said yes. When they did the surgery their theory turned out to be true. My tube had become disconnected! The doctor sutured the connector to the pump and sewed me up. What a difference it makes when all the parts are working together. End of story.
Peace and Love to All

Food for Thought

2009-06-11T21:30:00.006-04:00

JOY SCALE: 8/10
Hi Everyone, I have asked all of you to email me, leave a comment, or use a carrier pigeon to ask any questions that you have. Guess what? No questions so far. I am patient and so I will wait. Sooner or later someone will ask a question(s).
I would like to share a story with you that a close friend sent me. Please read it. Read it every day until it is memorized. Some of you have already seen this because I had sent it out a couple of days ago to a few of you that are also in this mail group. It is worth receiving twice. The story says it all.
Here it is:

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked up a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car.

In anger, the man took the child's hand and hit it many times; not realizing he was using a wrench.

At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the child saw his father.....with painful eyes he asked, 'Dad when will my fingers grow back?'

The man was so hurt and speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times.

Devastated by his own actions.......sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches; the child had written 'LOVE YOU DAD'.

The next day that man committed suicide. . .. Anger and Love have no limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life.....

Things are to be used and people are to be loved, But the problem in today's world is that, People are used and things are loved...

During this year, let's be careful to keep this thought in mind: Things are to be used, but People are to be loved ...

Be yourself....This is the only day we HAVE.

Have a nice day Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits they become character; Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Peace and Love to All

What Happenned?

2009-06-09T20:10:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 8/10

Hi Everyone, This post will be another short one. The subject for today is height. Before I had cancer I was a robust five foot and seven inches. Two years later I am five feet and six inches. What happened? I have three theories. The first being Osteopenia which is a precursor to Osteoporosis. Osteopenia can, but not always, cause loss of bone density. The second theory has to do with my metastatic bone tumors and their interaction with my bones. Metastatic tumors are cancers that started in another location and spread to the bones. In my case my prostate cancer caused the spread of the cancer to my bones. The tumors destroy bone density. The third theory is radiation. I had radiation directed at bone tumors in a couple of areas. The end result so far is reduced heights. I am shrinking! You can bet that I will be keeping track of my height much more closely than before.
Peace and Love to All

Forget About it

2009-06-08T23:21:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi Everyone, Today's post will be short and sweet. I find that if I keep busy doing the things I love I actually forget that I have prostate cancer. So get going, find out what you love doing, and do it. Forgetting that you have prostate cancer reduces stress levels. Low stress levels frees up the body so that it can fight the cancer more effectively. Easier said than done? Nope. It really works. Try it.
Peace and Love to All

Don't Quit When the Hormone Quits

2009-06-07T21:10:00.006-04:00

JOY SCALE:9/10

Hi Everyone, A few posts back I discussed my hormone treatment and all the crazy things it did to me. Don't worry folks it is still doing crazy things to me. LOL. What I do want to talk about is when the hormone treatment can't do its job any more. Prostate cancer feeds on testosterone and the hormone treatment stops the testosterone production. Eventually the prostate cancer somehow finds a way to carve it's destructive path through the body without the fuel of testosterone. The time frame for the cancer to bypass the testosterone varies widely. Statistics say it can happen between six months and five years with two and one half years being the average. Of course that is only if you belive in statistics. I have heard of some men lasting ten tears before the hormone is bypassed. I personally believe that your mind can overcome anything including a testosterone bypassing cancer. So keep those positive thoughts coming no matter what.
Peace and Love to All

A Slice of Advice

2009-06-05T22:53:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

Hi Everyone, This will be a short post that deals with hobbies. I have discovered that since the discovery of my cancer my stress level has increased enormously. Why wouldn't it? There are many ways to reduce stress, but one very effective one is to find a hobby. A hobby allows you to live in the moment. For example one of my hobbies is computer gaming. When I am playing a game I am in the moment. Time has no meaning. My stress level is as close to zero as possible. There are many hobbies out there and I am sure one of them will help your stress level.
Until next time I wish you all good health and low stress.
Peace and Love to All

Your Body is Speaking to You

2009-06-03T19:30:00.007-04:00

JOYSCALE: 8/10

Hi Everyone, An important area that we all sometimes neglect is listening to the body when it speaks and it is even more important when you have cancer. Your body is smart and inherently knows what you need. Remember your body takes quite a beating just between the medication and the cancer let alone anything else you put into it or do to it. So when your body says sleep try to get some as soon as possible. Another example is when your body craves orange juice or some kind of citrus fruit. Your body is telling you it needs Vitamin C so find some OJ or eat an orange. I know that between work and other obligations not everyone has the same amount of time to respond to their body's request right at that moment, but they should try as soon as possible. Listen, listen, listen.

Peace and Love to All

A Little Introspection, Absorption, and Advice

2009-06-01T17:40:00.006-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

Hi Everyone, Today has been a day of looking inside of myself and absorbing all that I learned this weekend. I look forward to this two year program with excitement and commitment.
My healing from the operation is coming along great. I still can't do heavy lifting or bending over, but I have other allowable things I can do. My doctors say that I am already hooked into pain management, oncology, and primary care so there is nothing else to do. So I am enjoying each and every day.
My prostate cancer is very quiet and in some cases improving. Some of my bone tumors have shrunk down to nothing. Yeah! I know that all the prayer, medication, supplements, healing drumming, my wife's wonderful care, good thoughts, and my positive thinking that have contributed to my improvement. I would like to thank those of you for your prayers and healing thoughts. There are many days that I forget I have cancer. Of course my pain manages to push me back to reality, but that is ok. I am getting better and as I said before I am enjoying every day to its fullest.
I am open to questions from anyone out there. Treatments for prostate cancer, mainstream or holistic, still have lots of room for improvement. The most important thing you can do is be proactive in all stages of your cancer. Be proactive.
That's it for tonight.
Peace and Love to All

A Long Day, But Worth It

2009-05-30T21:59:00.003-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

Hi Everyone, Today was a long one. My beautiful wife and I spent from 10 am to 6 pm learning things that we will need at sometime during our two year apprenticeship. I prefer not to tell you what our apprenticeship entails at this time. Just know that what we are learning is no easy task, but worth every second. I am sure that later I will divulge what we are doing.
I want to thank everyone for taking time from their busy day and reading my blog. This is a first attempt and I will make mistakes. That's ok because sooner or later someone will benefit from the information I have shared in this blog.
I am tired and need to get ready for a long day tomorrow.
Peace and Love to All

A New Adventure

2009-05-28T21:54:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE: 8/10

Hi Everyone, My lovely wife and I will be starting a new adventure that begins Friday evening and runs all day Saturday and Sunday. I can't promise you much posting during this time. Just know that if something important comes up I will let you know.
Peace and Love to All

Today My Daughter Would Have Been 30 Today

2009-05-27T12:17:00.004-04:00

JOY SCALE: 7/10

Hi Everyone, Today is a sad day for me. My Daughter, Heather, was taken from us on April 21, 2005 in an auto accident. It still seems like yesterday. She was a beautiful, vibrant, and compassionate young woman. I have to believe she is in a better place and that she is happy. Several people who travel in those esoteric circles have told me that she is very happy where she is. They have also told me that Heather is always watching over me. I talk to her all the time. The two pictures above are a couple of my favorites. The one on the top is when she was in beauty school a year before she died. The one on the bottom is many years ago when she was approximately two and I was a youngster of about 30 (about the same age she would have been today). Notice that her and I are wearing the same kind of flannel shirt. I can still feel her arms around my neck. I miss you Heather, but I know ou are safe and happy. I love you Heather.
That's it for today.
Peace and Love to All

A Good Day

2009-05-26T17:52:00.007-04:00

JOY SCALE: 10/10

Hi Everyone, Not much to say today. I had an appointment with my surgeon this morning. All is well concerning my surgery, but I still have to wait 2 more weeks before lifting anything more than ten pounds. Right after that appointment I had another with my psychologist. My session with him was a very productive one. I see a psychologist every two weeks. I think that anyone with cancer should have some type of counseling. The sessions can give you tools to deal with your cancer. Sometimes just talking with someone impartial can help. I am lucky because I feel that I have an excellent psychologist. He has helped me answer a lot of questions. He has also given me many tools for dealing with my cancer. Two great appointments equal a good day in my book.
Let's see what tomorrow brings.
Peace and Love to All

I Honor all The Men and Women That Gave the Ultimate Sacrifice This Memorial Day

2009-05-25T12:08:00.013-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

This will be a short post due to the holiday. I am spending the day thinking about all the men and women who have served past and present and have given the ultimate sacrifice. Just about an hour ago a fighter jet from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base suddenly appeared, flying very low, over our house. We actually heard the jet before seeing it because it was low, directly over our house, and very loud. My beautiful wife said that it was a fly over to honor me on this Memorial Day, but I said this day is to honor all the dead who served.

Peace and Love to All

The Lighter Side of Hormone Therapy and Some Serious Talk

2009-05-24T10:29:00.005-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

Hi Everyone, Every three months I go to the VA hospital and a kindly nurse sprays an area on the lower left side of my abdomen with freeze spray. While the area remains cold she takes a needle the size of a pencil eraser and injects it into my belly and releases the hormone implant. It really doesn't hurt. Now I know what a dog goes through when the veterinarian puts in a chip. The difference is the dog's chip goes into the fleshy part of his shoulder . Ok, let's get back to the hormone implant. It's sole purpose is to stop testosterone production. Remember that testosterone feeds prostate cancer. Just like any drug there are side effects. There is always a trade off. I think that being alive is well worth the side effects. Let's just say that without testosterone my feminine side comes out. Now I love to go shopping-I actually can outshop my wife! I cry for no reason. I change my mind frequently. And here is the best one. I am developing gynecomastia. Boobs! Man boobs! Help me Jesus. I didn't sign up for that change. You can bet that this summer you won't catch me without a shirt unless I am at home and no one is around. The worse thing about growing my little friends is that they are sore as heck. I always knew women were the superior to men in many ways. I am even more convinced every time I bump my new found boobs. I now have an idea of what girls experience during puberty and just before their periods. I have trouble playing my guitar. When I holding my guitar to play it hits my little buddies and I have to hold my guitar out from my body. I am sure most of you guys are laughing right now and you women are smiling in understanding. Maybe many of you think I am crazy for revealing such a private side effect, but I think that if one decides to share his life with cancer then it has to be all or none regardless of how sensitive, or embarassing, some of it is. My wife has great fun at my expense, but I don't mind because I know she is having fun for fun's sake. She is thinking of developing a line of Man Bras. They will have trucks, tools, camo, and other manly objects imprinted on them. If any of you out there have any other ideas please leave them in your comments or email me.
It's time to pop the old balloon and get serious. Along with the the total cessation of testosterone production comes another side effect, impotence. That is a tough side effect to deal with, but being alive is more important. Like most problems in life you adjust to it. I am very lucky because in our marriage our love has transcended beyond the physical and into the spiritual. Are we lucky or what? That's it for the side effects of the hormone treatment. If there are any more side effects I will let you know.
There are two treatments available if you have prostate cancer and it has spread to your bones and/or organs. Hormone therapy, which I covered above, and an Orchiectomy. An Orchiectomy is castration plain and simple. Ouch! The second treatment is the hormone therapy. In some cases the hormone treatment can last 10 years or more: however sometimes the prostate cancer can learn to grow without testosterone. Since my cancer has spread to my bones I had these two choices. As you read at the beginning of this post I chose the hormone therapy which is a chemical neutering. If you have prostate cancer and the cancer has remained in the prostate gland there are several methods of treatment. There is gland removal, radiation, radioactive seeds are placed in the gland, and usually a year of hormone therapy-the same as what I am on. I know I have repeated a few things here and on other posts, but I feel that they bear repeating.
With that I wish you all a good Memorial Day.

Peace and Love to All

Supplement Addition, Some Nice Things at the Hospital, and Other Goodies

2009-05-22T18:30:00.006-04:00

JOY SCALE: 9/10

Hello Everyone, I apologize for missing yesterday's post.

The picture above is one that will be on my Son's motorcycle during Rolling Thunder. There is a more detailed explanation at the end of this post. I don't like sharing pictures of myself, but I felt this time was acceptable.

I added a new supplement to my previous list. The supplement is called Citrus Bioflavonoid Complex. It has a substance called naringenin and what it does is stimulate DNA repair in prostate cancer cells, it is an antioxident, it inhibits the secretion of Hepatitis C in infected cells,and could offer a new approach for treating the disease according to a Harvard Medical School study. Here is the link if you would like further information:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FDN/is_4_10/ai_n15969621/

I told you all that I would share some nice things that happened to during my hospital stay. I met a couple of very caring and experienced nurses. They explained everything that they were doing to me which satisfied my insatiable curiosity. In one particular instance one of my many doctors prescribed a drug called Reglan. I asked what it did and he said that it gets things moving along (he was referring to my bowels and diarrhea). I refused the drug because I wasn't that mobile and to be struck with a case of diarrhea didn't appeal to me. I had visions of pooping my bed and having a nurse's aid clean me up. I prefer to remain the independemt man that I am and take care of my own bodily functions. With that being said I somehow got into a conversation with one of the nice night nurses about this Reglan. I told her that I refused to take it and she asked why. I told her what the doctor had said about getting things moving along-diarrhea. She laughed and proceeded to tell me what Reglan does. She said that the drug works on my digestive juices in my stomach. Well that sound much better than the drug giving me diarrhea. It just so happenned that the doctor showed up a few minutes after the night nurse's Reglan explanation. I told the doctor that I will start taking the drug and the reason I refused it before was because he said it got things moving which meant diarrhea to me. The night nursec ame back to my room while the doctor was there and stood against a wall. She was listening to everything the doctor said and she motioned to me that her explanation was the correct one. In retrospect I think the doctor and the night nurse both were right in their explanation of what Reglan does, but the night nurse had the better one. I really appreciated the night nurse's help and I consider that event a nice experience. Another nice thing that happened to me was what a very thoughtful and caring nurse's aid did for me each and every day. She would come into my room at scheduled hours and ask me if I wanted fresh water, a clean blanket, etc. My bed constantly had clean sheets and pillow cases. She would also carry on a pleasant conversation that would make you feel like you were sitting at a table with her and having a cup of tea or coffee. Another nice thing was my main doctor and surgeon. A few days before my operation he took the time to thoroughly explain what was going to happen and what could possibly happen. His bed side manner was excellent. He joked around at all the right times. He showed compassion and looked you right in the eye whenever he talked to you. Another nice thing was the food. No I am just kidding. It was terrible. Yech! I bet if you had insurance and was in an upscale hospital the food would be much better, but this is the VA and you get what you get. Some of the interns were very nice and caring even at 4:30 in the morning. I know that there a few more nice thing, but all this medication has messed around with my memory.

It has been brought to my attention that some people have been having trouble leaving comments. I am not sure what causes it, but I can suggest a couple of ways to work around the problem. The first is that in the "Select profile......." box you can select "anonymous". Sometimes that works. The second thing you can do is to just email me your comment and I can reply to it. In any case please try and if you find another way that works let me know so I can share it.

Well people I wish each and every one of you a safe and fun Memorial Weekend.

Please remember our Veterans.

Speaking of Veterans I belong to a motorcycle club called Granite Vets. All the members except me reside in New Hampshire. The GV is a club for Veterans and we adhere to a very strict code of conduct. Some of the GV members are going to Rolling Thunder and I was supposed to go with them this weekend, but my surgery prevented that trip. I am bummed, but there is always next year. My Son Jesse has a picture of me that he is keeping on his motorcycle during the ride. That way I can be spiritually there. He will also take lots of pictures to share. The picture is at the top of this post.

Peace and Love to All

A Short Post

2009-05-20T23:12:00.008-04:00

JOY SCALE: 8/10

Hi Everyone, Today I would like to start up a Joy Scale. I got the idea from my lovely wife and it seems very appropriate to use instead of the Pain Scale. I am very tired of doctors and nurses asking me what my pain is on a scale from one to ten.
I would like to announce that I had my blood drawn the other day to check my PSA level. Well my PSA score is 0.01. Yes that's right 0.01. Yeah. What that means is that the 3 month hormone implant-Zolodex-and the Casadex. So I am feeling good about that. Statistics say that prostate cancer patients can tolerate the Zolodex for approximately two to five years, but I am not a fan of statistics and I belive my body will tolerate it much longer. My reasoning is that everyone is different and reacts different to medicines.
That's it for today.
Tomorrow I want to share a few nice things that happenned during my hospital stay.

Peace and Love to All

The Supplements and Prescriptions That Keep Me Going

2009-05-19T22:22:00.009-04:00

Hello Everyone, I mentioned that I wanted to share what supplements and prescription medicines I take on a daily basis. I will mention that the supplements and medicines might not work for every one. This list is a guide only. I encourage any of you that want to try the supplements to test one or two out at a time. I will say that if you have any questions about the supplements or medicines please email me, leave a comment, or message.

Following the supplements and medicines I will give a brief description of what each one does. The items that have prostate cancer as a description means that the item has been studied and found to help combat prostate cancer. In the prescription medicines description you will see a couple of drugs that reduce testosterone. Testosterone is fuel for Prostate Cancer. If you have further questions you can also go to Swanson Vitamins at:

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/

5/09 Prescriptions, Vitamins & Supplements

SUPPLEMENTS

Acidophilus 2 capsules-digestive health and immune system

St. Johns Wort 1125 mg-mood enhancer

Flax seed meal 3 TBS-prostate cancer

Grapefruit Pectin 800 mg-prostate cancer

Alpha Lipoic Acid 100 mg-heart health and antioxident

Garlic 1000 mg-heart health and cholesterol control

Vitamin C 2000 mg -antioxident

Calcium 300 mg-bone health

Vitamin D 1200 IU-prostate cancer and bone health

Zinc 50 mg-prostate cancer and antioxident

Milk thistle 1000 mg-prostate cancer and liver

Fish Oil 2000 mg-heart health

Turmeric 720 mg-prostate cancer

CoQ Enzyme 100 mg-heart health

Vitamin E 400 IU-heart health and antioxident

Selenium 200 mcg-antioxident

Lycopene 20 mg-prostate cancer

Astragalus 940 mg-prostate cancer and immune booster

Ginger 540 mg-nausea

Echinacea 1200 mg-immune booster

Red Clover Extract 430 mg-prostate cancer and immune booster

Kelp 225 mcg-iodine

Copper 4 mg-organ health and trace mineral everyone should have

Pomegranate 480 mg-prostate cancer

Vit. B complex 125 1 tablet-immune system and stress reducer

Potassium 99 mg-prostate cancer

Magnesium 1000 mg-heart health, bone health, and pain

Niacine 500 mg-heart health and cholesterol control

Citrus Bioflavonoid Complex 2 Capsules-prostate cancer

PRESCRIPTIONS

Tamsulosin HCL .4 mg- once daily-PM -AKA Flomax-helps urinary flow

Provigil 200 mg- AM/then 200mg-noon-combats opioid induced sedation (morphine makes me sleepy and this helps to keep me awake)

Omeprazole 20 mg-once daily-AM-Prilosec-acid reducer (I have Barrett's Esophagus)

Casodex 50 mg- once daily-AM-reduces testosterone produced by adrenal glands

Zolodex 1 implant every 3 months-reduces the majority of testosterone

Gabepentin 900 mg TID-pain and hot flashes (hot flashes are a result of low testosterone in my system.)

Docusate 250 mg –once daily-lunch-laxative (morphine will constipate you)

Senna 50 mg Docusate/8.6 mg Sennosides-laxative

Morphine 15 mg PRN every 4- 6 hours-pain

Morphine 21.241 mg daily delivered through intrathecal pump-pain

My lovely wife is responsible for researching the supplements. They change from time to time depending on whether they work or not. The prescription medicines have been trial and error and have lead to this current regimen.

I think this information is enough for now. I bid you all a wonderful evening and I will continue tomorrow with some more interesting stuff.

Peace and Love to All.

Every Day is Better Than the Day Before

2009-05-16T18:44:00.007-04:00

Hi Everyone, My recuperation is advancing nicely. Everyday I can see and feel my body healing. Yesterday I had my three month Hormone implant so I am set for another three months. Monday I will call the VA and get my PSA results. The PSA score should still be well within acceptable limits. So for now all is well on the Prostate Cancer front and the recuperation front.
I would like to share a couple of events that occurred near the end of my stay. On the seventh night of my stay a very good night nurse give me a new IV because the old IV that had been in me for one day was starting to infiltrate which made the medicine burn in my vein when it was administered. By medical standards an IV can only be in a person for three days. Any longer and one can contract Phlebitis which is an infection of one's veins. Ouch! Back to the story. The IV that was put in by the good night nurse almost three days ago was starting to infiltrate. Well the day nurse on duty decided that I needed a new IV and commenced to removing my old one. She left to get supplies and six hours later she shows up! During the six hours I had pressed my nurse's call button three times because I needed the medication that was administered through my IV. Each time I asked for help the nurse would say that they would be right there. When the nurse finally showed up I asked her what took so long. She said that they had an emergency in the next room. I couldn't believe my ears. For six hours I was without my medicine. Liquid Morphine, Pepsid, and Phenergan that needed to be administered through an my IV. Needless to say I was in a lot of pain while I waited. There is no way that the hospital was shorthanded enough to not have enough nurses to take care of business whether it be major or minor. I know that there were enough nurses because I noticed how many there were when I did my daily walk around the halls. I wanted to share this story with you so that you can see that hospitals don't always run smoothly and there are a few bumps along the way.
Next time I post I would like to share what daily supplements and prescriptions I take to combat my cancer. For now I want to settle in for the evening and enjoy a movie with my wife. I will say that my wife spent much time doing research on supplements and cancer. I was her little guinea pig, but we found a regimen that worked. It is very possible that the supplements could work for most anyone who has prostate cancer. Of course the usual cessation of alcohol, caffeine, and red meat also help your body to fight off the cancer. I know that there is a major shift in one's living habits, but I think it is definately for the best. After all don't you think being alive is worth it? I balked at first when it came to giving up all of my favorite foods, but my life was worth more than a nice juicy BBQ steak. LOL.
My lovely wife had a couple of sayings that I want to share with you. She called all the changes that I went through my "New Norm." She also used to tell me, "Inch by inch life's a cinch. Yard by yard life's hard." Perhaps when things get a little crazy you can think of these words of wisdom. Maybe they will help you cope. They sure helped me.
That's enough for today people.

Peace and Love to All.

Eleven Days and Finally Set Free

2009-05-15T23:22:00.005-04:00

Hi Everyone, After my surgery I spent 2 days in ICU. I don't remember much about ICU except for the nurse's aid that forgot to tell me that the wipes she gave me had soap in them. Consequently when I wiped my face I got soap in my eyes. I told her about my eyes burnng and she just laughed and said that she forgot to tell me about the soapy wipes. After her laughing spree she took the time to find me a washcloth without soap. Ahhhh.... relief for my eyes. The only other thing I remember is that the nurses want me out of bed the day after surgery. They wanted me to fart so that they could remove the tube from my nose. Try as I may I couldn't fart and, given my history of being a great farter, that was unexpected. They also wanted me to try and have a bowel movement. All this lower attention was to make sure that all my plumbing was working and not leaking. Later on the second day in ICU I was moved to a semi-private room. Even though I couldn't fart the nurse removed my nasal tube.
So here I was in a semi-private room with an IV for liquids and a catheter to drain the liquids. My room mate was a decent sort who was in the hospital for pneumonia. Every day was like the one before except for the daily visits of my lovely wife. She made sure that I had what I needed. She gave me a sponge bath every day and powdered me with Anti Monkey Butt Powder. My wife even made up my bed with clean sheets. How about that for quality care. I should mention that my wife is a nurse and she knows how to take care of her patients. She called me her 'naughty patient.' She called me that because I didn't breath enough, walk enough, drink enough, and eat enough. I ask you out there would you feel like doing all those things if your guts had just been sliced and diced? Well some of you would because you would take my wife's side, but I thank those of you brave enough to take my side. I know my room mate took my side. Eventually my room mate and I strolled around the halls with our IV poles on wheels. I started to drink a bit more, but the nausea really took me for a spin for most of those eleven days. Lots of morphine and other various drugs to relieve this and prevent that.
Finally I had enough. The next time I saw my surgeon I told him I was ready to go home. There were too many things in the hospital that didn't agree with me and I was ready for some good old home care and recuperation. The doctor had my paperwork cleared and I was ready to go the same day. I am at a loss for words to explain my feelings about going home. Home to my beautiful wife. Home to my 4 legged children-7 Siamese, 1 Pomerian, 1 Long Haired Chihuahua, and 1 Miniature Sheltie. Home to my Stuff.
Well I think that is enough for tonight. The rest of my entries will be much shorter as I cover the rest of the days of my recovery. I will say that today I had to go back to the VA Hospital for my Hormone implant-it keeps my bone tumors and my prostate cancer from growing.
Goodnight all.

Peace and Love to All

My Hospital Journey Begins

2009-05-14T21:38:00.007-04:00

Hello Everyone, It is April 27th, 2009 and approximately 0715 hours. Previously I was told by my doctor that I would be able to tell how extensive my surgery was by the presence of a simple nasal tube. He said that as I was wheeled out of the recovery room to take notice of any tubes coming out of my nose. If there were no tubes, then my appendix was all I would let them have. If there was a tube(s), then I left more of me behind than I wanted.
Just before I was wheeled into the Operating Room I kissed my lovely wife and told her I would see her soon.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock.
I vaguely remember a tube down my nose when I was wheeled out of the Recovery Room. The importance of the tube didn't hit me until I was in ICU and my wife told me the details.
I was in surgery approximately 8 hours. One can deduct an hour while my appendix was at the lab and the doctors waited for the results. I suspect that while my doctors waited they had my body covered with a very chic picinic tablecloth and were eagerly munching down deviled eggs, cheese, and a nice bagette. LOL. I think not. Ok, ok back to reality. My appendix, it turns out, was hiding a small carcinoid (a malignant tumor arising especially from the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract). The doctor decided that the prudent action would be to perform a Right Hemi of my large colon. That means that my entire right side of my colon was to be removed. Break out the chain saw and zip there goes the right side of my colon. Finish up by stitching the ends back together. Now on to the other good stuff.
Back in 2001 I had an incisional hernia repaired. A couple of years prior I had to have approximately ten inches of my left colon removed. Yes I know, I am not very lucky when it comes to colons. Back to the hernia repair. To repair a hernia a screen is inserted between the muscle wall and the intestines to prevent the intestines from bulging through the muscle wall. I had a little trouble recovering from that repair, but nothing too serious.
Back to the present. When the doctor had me open he noticed that the hernia repair mesh had separated into two pieces and that some of my small intestine had grown between the layers. My intestines had also became stuck to the mesh. My doctor tried for quite some time to separate my intestines from the mesh, but to no avail. The next step was to cut away the useless parts of my intestines and restitch the ends back together. I found out later that that particular make of mesh had been recalled due to that same problem of separating.
Whew what a trip. Here I am in ICU, sore as hell, and wondering what hapenned. Did they get the bus that hit me? Now you have the background and the rest of my stay at the hospital will go fast, but I will wait until tomorrow to tell you that tale.
Goodnight everyone and sleep well.

Peace and Love to All

Hello I'm Back

2009-05-10T21:21:00.006-04:00

Hi Everyone, I returned home on the 9th of May from an unexpected and prolonged stay at the local VA Hospital. Please give me a few days to gather my strength and thoughts. I promise you lots of exciting and true medical adventures sure to have you gripping your chair, or some other anatomical part. while you wait please relax and enjoy these beautiful May days. I will be back before you know it.

Peace and Love to All

Taking a Break Until After My Surgery on Monday the 27th

2009-04-25T23:08:00.007-04:00

Here is a little information about my upcoming surgery on Monday. About a month ago I had a CT Scan to follow up on a spot on my right upper lung and a spot on my liver. Every six months I have a CT Scan to see how my little friends are doing. Well the spot on my lung has disappeared. That is a relief since I used to smoke heavily. The spot on my liver hasn't grown so that is good news. Now here is where the fun starts. As the doctor was examining the CT Scans he noticed that my appendix was swollen. He called it a Mucocele which means my appendix is producing extra mucous and it will keep growing unless it is removed. If my appendix keeps swelling it will eventually press on the organs in that area. There is also a small chance that the Mucocele could be cancerous and could spread to my colon. With those things in mind I opted to have my appendix removed. I asked my doctor if it was his mucocele would he do the same and he said yes he would. While I am still on the table the doctor will send a sample of my appendix to the lab. The test results take about an hour. If the test sample is cancerous I will have to have the right side of my colon removed. This procedure is called a Right-Hemi. The reason the entire right side of the colon has to be removed is because of the blood supply. If the sample comes back benign, then all is well. I will only be missing my appendix and I will be home on Tuesday. Jeesh all that just for a little old appendix. What is this world turning into? My saga will continue either Tuesday or Wednesday depending on how I am feeling.

Peace and Love to All

The Saga Continues

2009-04-22T21:43:00.007-04:00

It felt good to finally have found someone who cared in the medical field and at the VA to boot. Now to find out what was causing this terrible pain. All the CT scans and lab work at the Air Force base showed nothing because they were concentrating on my abdominal area.
The blood work from the VA came back and the reading was high at 28.5 to say the least! Previously I told you that a normal PSA reading was 4.0 or lower. 28.5 raises a few flags one of which is the old biopsy routine. I was scheduled for a biopsy of my prostate in 2 weeks. Sometimes a high PSA can mean a man has Prostatitis which is an infection of the prostate. In case that is all I had I was put on a high dose of antibiotics for two weeks. The day before I was to go in for my biopsy the VA called and said both of their biopsy machines were down for repairs. Imagine that. Since we were still in with the Air Force hospital I managed to get my biopsy done several days later. On May 23rd I was told over the phone by the base Urologist that I had Prostate Cancer. He ordered a bone scan to see if the cancer had spread to my bones. Prostate Cancer likes to spread to the bones.We picked up the bone scan results up before my appointment with the Urologist. the report indicated that the cancer had spread to my bones. The term used for this is called metastasizing. So I had Prostate Cancer with bone mets. Oh boy. I reported to my Urologist to hear what he had to say. Since my wife and I had already got the results we knew what he was going to say. Unfortunately once the cancer leaves the prostate and get into the bones there aren't many treatment options available. He suggested that I have an Orchiectomy. I would suggest if you are a layman, with emphasis on MAN, that you sit down before I tell you what that procedure is. Every man sitting down? An Orchiectomy involves two deft and precise cuts in your scrotum whereby your two little friends are removed and disposed off. No you can't bring your testicles home in a jar. I know because I asked. Before I agreed to that procedure my wife spoke up and asked if a chemical Orchiectomy would be better to do. Now let me clarify a couple of things about my wife. She is a nurse and an avid reader. We also used the internet to find out a lot of interesting information on prostate Cancer. Google is our friend. When she found out that a high PSA score could be indicative of Prostate Cancer she immediately got as many books on Prostate Cancer that she could take out of the library. My wife and I consider ourselves to be proactive when it comes to our health. Apparently this particular doctor was not used to someone questioning him about medical procedures. He said the Orchiectomy was better. My wife tried to ask him a few more questions, chasing him out of the room, but he didn't have the time. Here I am just being told I have Prostate Cancer and he didn't have time to answer a few questions! Thank God we still had the VA. We thanked the doctor (I don't know why) and left. We would call the VA and make an appointment with a doctor there and see what they suggested we do. Thanks to my wife I now can suggest the best book to read if you have Prostate Cancer or are just curious about it. It is a book from the American Cancer Society called "QuickFacts Prostate Cancer." The book gets right down to business in a simple and understandable way. This saga to be continued. Thanks every one for taking the time to read about my adventures.

Peace and Love to All

All Days Are Good Except Some Days Are Better Than Others

2009-04-21T22:21:00.004-04:00

Hi, This will be a short entry. The reason for today's title is that today is the anniversary of my daughter's death from an auto accident in 2005. Needless to say it is a sad day for me. Nothing comes close to the pain and grief I feel on these days. I won't ramble on except to say no one should live longer than their children. Goodnight all. Tomorrow is another day.

Peace and Love to All

From the Beginning

2009-04-19T12:23:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone, First I want to thank my beautiful wife Karen for inspiring me to write this blog. I am blogging about Prostate cancer to help myself and, hopefully, others. So without further ado here goes.
I am a 100% disabled veteran with Stage 4 Prostate Cancer with bone mets (bone tumors). This journey started around January 2007 with a visit to my primary care doctor at Wright-Patterson Air Force base, Ohio. I was seeing my doctor because I was having lots of abdominal pain on my right, lower side. On the pain scale my pain rated a nine. This pain had been going on for about three months and I finally had had enough. Well this doctor's visit didn't go quite as I had hoped. My doctor decided that I was constipated! I was subjected to her brand of treatment for constipation and my pain continued. I saw her a couple of more times with the same end results-no relief from my pain.
Then in April I was getting some dental work at my local Veteran's Administration Medical Center or VA for short. I have all my dental work done at the VA wherever we live and any other medical procedure at either a military base or a Tri Care approved civilian doctor. The reason being that I had heard many of the rumors of bad care at some of the VA hospitals and I wasn't going to take any chances. So I have never had any treatment other than dental at the VA hospitals. I let the VA take care of my dental work because I was service connected for dental (I was shot in the mouth) and have always had excellent work done at the VA hospitals. When my dental work was done I was asked to go down to Primary Care and get vested. Vested means to pick your Primary Care doctor so you can be treated at the VA if you so desire. Even though I already had a primary care doctor on the air force base I decided that it would be a good idea to have an alternate doctor especially since the base doctor wasn't resolving my pain. So I went down to the VA Primary Care clinic and signed up. The PA (Physician's Assistant) was a young lady who was very thorough with my exam and questioning. She did the usual physical exam and ordered several labs. She asked me if I had ever had a PSA test. PSA stands for Prostate Specific Antigen and it is a screening tool for Prostate Cancer। I told her negative on the PSA test and she ordered one for me. I discovered later that I did indeed had a PSA in November 2005. That PSA reading was around 3.7. A PSA reading of 4.0 or below is considered normal. I was not told after the 2005 reading that I should have a PSA test every year. During the course of her questioning she discovered that I was in Vietnam and Cambodia where they used Agent Orange. I had read where AG can cause Prostate cancer. She set up a meeting immediately after our current exam with the Agent Orange representative. She also examined where my abdominal pain was and scheduled an appointment for me with my brand new primary care doctor I thanked her for being so thorough. I went across the hall to meet with the AG Rep and I signed the AG register so that I was recognized as a veteran that was officially exposed to Agent Orange. I left his office feeling like finally found someone who cared.

Peace and Love to All

Prostate Cancer For Veterans

2009-04-12T23:26:00.000-04:00