Hmm....

Hours BEFORE I read the news on Tuesday about the gaping holes in our screening of breast and prostate cancers, I had already decided to postpone the second biopsy I had scheduled in December.

Weeks after the first one was done, I am still dealing with the after-effects which, for me, have been disorienting and depressing. 

 I'm not "announcing" this as some sort of manifesto on American health care or the state of the prostate cancer industry. Rather, I'm passing the news along because I have discussed these issues here and because I believe I am making an informed decision, while, at the same time, taking into consideration the effect all of this is going to have on me mentally. I was practically despondent last week wondering when these after-effects would be behind me. And the thought of starting all over again in December was giving me absolutely nothing to look forward to.

 All I could imagine was how I was going to be feeling around Christmas time and how this was going to impact on my family -- since Christmas has always been a special time for us.

 After he gave me the results of the first procedure, my doctor had recommended doing the second in January. I thought -- for some reason -- that it might be better, for insurance reasons, to have both procedures done in the same year. But that was before I realized how miserable I was going to be.

 I've read many personal accounts online from patients who bounced back from their biopsies in a day or two and others who dealt with the after-effects for months. I called the doctor's office on Wednesday to cancel the December appointment and I hope to talk personally to him soon.

 

 I've done a lot of research in the last couple of weeks and there are certain things I hope to do this year to see if I can drastically reduce my PSA number. I have a few things on my side at the moment: no history of prostate cancer in my family; no other symptoms; no detection of cancer in the first biopsy; and the fact that this is a slow-moving cancer. (So slow, in fact, that in some cases doctors decide not to do any aggressive treatments at all.)

 I am not trying to influence anyone on how they should approach their care. Nor have I made my decision based on desperation -- although, let's face it, I AM pretty desperate. I have read as much as I can on the subject; I have discussed the matter with friends who are doctors; and I have discussed the matter, at least from a practical standpoint, with friends and family.

 I would still urge all men in my age group to be screened and find out their PSA score, to weigh their doctor's recommendations and to -- when necessary -- get a second and even third opinion. Medicine saves lives and doctors do their best, but sometimes you have to bring a little something into the mix as well. 

 Reading about how these screenings often miss serious cancers, and how over-monitoring -- with endless unnecessary procedures -- is causing great distress to prostate patients has made me feel comfortable enough to at least wait until January.

 I think I am making the right decision. And, as always, I appreciate your concern and kind thoughts.

: )

Comments

[lwt]

i would never contest your right to make an informed decision, which you have. in our ever-changing world of technology, medical tests and treatment can change drastically from one appointment to the next. i just heard a teaser on the news about prostate cancer treatment using sound waves. this sounds non-invasive and hopeful. let's hope you never get to the stage where you have to decide on a treatment, but if you do, this looks promising. good luck, god bless.

[Linda]

I don't know what to say, except thank you for sharing that with all of us. I admit I never gave much thought to what males have to go through with their bodies.

And Christmas...I've been thinking about that too. The first without my mother. To move or not to move. I don't even know where I'll be living.

Just know we're all here for you. I'd even give you my blood if you needed it....and guarantee it will make you twice as funny as you already are.:)

[lwt]

bill--my husband swears by saw palmetto. all of the research he has done on it have indicated it does what it claims to do.

[Darleen]

Bill, I agree with you and I think you made a well thought out, informed decision.

[Evelyn]

Over-monitoring is something that I believe drives up costs in medicine for very little benefit. If all of us had the screenings that various organizations want us to have, we'd spend little time but in the waiting room - and, personally, I suspect more of us would just die from the effects from some of the screenings and the medications we need to have them done. In the case of both prostate and breast cancer, the danger from the cancer declines with age. In some cases, patients with active cancers die without ever being effected by them of having their lives shortened because they are living with them. Yet I can tell you stories about young women that live in fear because of an abnormal PAP and the result of the invasive testing that is done as follow up, including procedures that are as invasive and threatening to fertility as actual cancer might be. What is the point of screening 80 or 90 percent of the population for a disease that might affect only 1 percent? Yes, it might "save" another 1 percent with early treatment, but what happens to the other 88 percent that would have been just fine and have been exposed to radiation or just plain old diseases from the doctor's office? Certainly makes me wonder.

[Evelyn]

Just one other thought - we complain about the ever-rising rate of caesarian and pre-term birth in the US, without any real changes or improvements in the rate of infant mortality. How many mothers are monitored and pushed to having early births or c-sections because the doctors are worried about the potential for lawsuits rather than the best health of the mother and child?

[Caroline Del Piano]

Russ had his biopsy a month before you did and he's still not 100%. I agree with you about waiting until January. Good job! I love you! xoxo

[Debbie from Lyndhurst]

Bill...I couldn't agree more with your decision.Go with your gut and don't do anything rash!!! Please keep us posted!

[aubreeze]

i agree with your decision. you know yourself and your limits more than anyone.

i am one of those wacko parents that all the (american) dr's don't quite get, because i choose to spread out and delay shots for my children, so i can relate.