Oh, for the Good Old Days!

...could these be the good old days?

As time goes by it seems that I associate with more and more old people (at least what most of society defines as old). All my friends from school and college are now septuagenarians (I always wanted to use that word in a sentence). Even the new friends I meet through travel and clinical trials mostly fall into that category.

Although 70 years may sound like a long time, it really isn’t. And I consider myself extremely fortunate to be alive and active and even able to reminisce (or ramble incoherently) after all these years. The technology in my life has run the gamut from that tiny farmhouse with no electricity, no plumbing, and a small two-seater outhouse just out of sight to wifi, 50 inch plasma TVs, iPhones, and blogs!

Like me, most of my fellow oldsters are living with at least one medically challenging condition. Be it heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, one of the many types of cancer, crippling arthritis, hearing loss, and more. Yet I hear very few complaints (maybe my hearing is worse than I thought and I just don’t hear them). Certainly advances in medicine account for some of that. But I like to think the biggest part is the grit and determination of these people living their lives. “I can—probably.” “I will.” “Just do it—only slower this time.”

Life is great and there is no doubt in my mind that the good old days are now!

axman

My 100th Prostate Cancer Blog Entry! Big Deal or What?

Why would anybody in their right mind do this?

It took me three and a half years to get to 100 blogs. Others write that many entries in a few months. So speed wasn’t my strong suite.

I started out to provide short articles with the newest prostate cancer information, share my experiences with medications, side effects, and clinical trials. And I added a cartoon to almost every one to add a touch of humor—not necessarily politically correct. A few times I published a guest blog. Sometimes I summarized new information from cancer research. Most of the blog entries related at least partly to me, my life experiences, my friends with prostate cancer,  and I must confess to the odd complaint (some side effects really suck).

By the time I started the blog I already knew my prostate cancer was incurable. I had just published a book about prostate cancer and my ongoing story. Writing and drawing cartoons has long been a good outlet for me. It has helped keep me positive and focused (most of the time) for the nine years (so far) of my journey.

I had few expectations when I launched the blog (launched may be pretentious—mostly I chose a name and clicked on an icon).

·       I assumed not many people would read it—true, but the numbers are getting better.

·       I assumed it would be fun for me to do—true, and it has continued to be.

·       I assumed it wouldn’t make me rich or famous—true (so far) and I have no illusions of future fame or fortune.

·       I assumed there would be breakthroughs in cancer treatment—true, and that’s good news for me and a couple million other men.

My expectations have changed a little. With my slowly growing knowledge of Internet technology I found ways to share information with more people. I even know what tweet and text mean. So, in the near future here’s what’s going to happen:

·       My book, Real Men Get Prostate Cancer Too, is being updated (2nd Ed.) and will be republished soon. A lot has happened in the prostate cancer world (and mine) in four years. I even added some new cartoons.

·       My other book (sounds impressive, eh?) with co-author Dr. Tom Beer, Cancer Clinical Trials, will also be published soon.

Both books should be available by mid-April.

If you are reading this on my blog site, you can look to the left and become a ‘follower’ by clicking on the ‘Join this site’ icon. Then you’ll get a notification whenever a new blog entry appears. Or not.

axman

Some Days are “Less Better” Than Others

Or maybe it just seems that way

Is it better to know or not to know? That, of course, is part of the great PSA debate I’ve talked about before, but also a question for those of us who are five or 10 years down the prostate cancer pike.

For the past nine years I have had a PSA exam at least once every three months. After surgery it told me that they didn’t get it all. My PSA doubled every three months for the year after surgery. Then there was radiation therapy and the same thing happened. Two possible cures that weren’t...It happened and I adjusted.

Since then I have tried experimental drugs (Clinical Trial) and a bunch of hormone therapy drugs—pills and injections. My PSA has slowly gone up and slowly gone down—generally within the rather small range of 2.5 to 4.8. Not bad as far as I’m concerned. So when there was a bigger increase over a short period of time it was a bit unusual.

My last PSA jumped (almost doubled over six weeks) a bunch. It was already on the rise so I shouldn’t have been surprised (but of course I was). I know some meds work for years, some for months, and some not at all. I really did know that. I also know that there are more meds to try and surely one will bring my PSA back down and my comfort level back up.

Would I have been better off had I not known all those numbers? Would I have been more comfortable just assuming all was well? Not a chance. Ignorance is not bliss. What do you think?

axman