Sharing lessons learned from cancer

Since my diagnosis of prostate cancer, I have done a lot of reading on the internet and would like to pass some of it on in the hopes of even preventing one death from prostate cancer.

While there is some controversy about PSA (Prostate Cancer Indicator) tests, it is still suggested that men over 50 get them yearly and over 40 yearly if there is a family history of prostate cancer. Even earlier if there are any urinary problems or blood in the urine.

The PSA ratio is usually considered a more important number than the general PSA number. If the ratio number is above .24, the chances of having prostate cancer are fairly low. When my PSA numbers were in the 8s and 9s, my ratio was still above .24 so no worries. When my PSA ratio dropped to .20, I had needle biopsies done. The biopsies showed cancer in half the prostate but at a very low level, so still no worries.

But then my PSA jumped. An MRI showed a lump in the prostate that may have gone partially out of the prostate. Treatment options are to have it removed or take radiation therapy. If you have radiation therapy, you cannot have the prostate removed later.

But here is the point. Normal prostates are 15 to 30 cc. My prostate is 87 cc. I have no urinary problems. If it weren’t for the PSA tests, I would have no idea that I have prostate cancer. You don’t even have to diet for a PSA test, it is just a blood sample from your arm.

Do prayers work? They have for us in the past but not for my prostate cancer or my wife’s memory loss. But a good friend of ours has had two daughters with miracle cures and my mother had one. We all attribute the miracle cures to all the prayers from many people. For sure, prayers will not make things worse and maybe you will be the next miracle cure. Prayers can provide hope.

Even most medical personnel recognize that hope and a positive attitude usually provide better outcomes. Jim Zinkhan, Regina