Johnny
Appleseed and Betsy live in Texas, USA. He was 51 when he was diagnosed in March
2009. His initial PSA was 7.4 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 3+4=7 and he was staged
T2a . His choice of treatment was Robot assisted laparoscopic surgery. Here is
his story.
In January 2009 I went in for a basic check up. The doctor
said that he felt a small nodule during the prostate exam. A few days later, we
received my PSA results, which were 7.4. I was referred to a local urologist for
a biopsy. I first asked to re-take the PSA test. The second test came back at
6.9. I then scheduled the biopsy. The results of the biopsy showed that 5 of the
12 core samples contained cancer. The 5 cancerous cores ranged from 15% to 75%.
This amount of cancer in the core samples is considered significant.
After
much research and prayer, I decided to opt for robot assisted laparoscopic surgery.
A business acquaintance recommended Dr. Randy Fagin in Austin, TX. Even though
he's less than 40 years old, Dr. Fagin has performed more that 1,600 of these
surgeries. My acquaintance absolutely raved about his surgical experience with
Dr. Fagin.
Dr. Fagin is a very busy man, but easy to understand and extremely
professional. He said that I had significant cancer and that the amount and location
of my cancer (near the Apex of the prostate), would increase the likelihood that
I would experience incontinence and sexual difficulties. He said that since a
significant portion of the cancer was on the right side of my prostate that it
would be unlikely that he could save the nerve bundle on that side. This would
reduce my chances of regaining the ability for sexual intercourse.
Surgery
was scheduled for mid-May 2009 (7 weeks after my biopsy). The surgery went very
well. I had very little pain and quickly adjusted to the catheter. I returned
to see Dr. Fagin 8 days later to have the catheter removed and to learn the results
of the final pathology report. Since the pathology report showed that cancer had
escaped the prostate, I was labelled as stage 3 cancer (T3a). Dr. Fagin said that
it was a good thing he took out a larger amount of tissue on the side that the
cancer had escaped. However, no cancer cells were found in this additional tissue.
This most likely meant that the cancer cells were hiding somewhere.
After
a tremendous amount of research (Dr. Patrick Walsh's Guide to Surviving Prostate
Cancer is a great resource), I began drinking Pomegranate juice every day. My
primary doctor also recommended taking Vitamin D supplements (1600 IU per day).
I also read an article in a medical journal (Emory University in Atlanta) about
how Magnolia Bark Extract supplements had been effective at destroying prostate
cancer cells in mice. So I immediately added these over-the-counter supplements
to my daily intake.
Eight weeks after surgery I went to my local urologist
for my first PSA test. The urologist warned me that since the final pathology
report showed that the cancer had escaped the prostate, there was a very high
probability that I would need radiation treatment to wipe out the remaining cancer
cells. He said that if the PSA test showed anything above zero that I should begin
radiation in the very near future. He said that he would recommend radiation 5
days per week for 7 weeks. My wife and I were preparing for the bad news, when
we received a call from the urologist to say that my PSA test came back at 0.0.
Praise God! The urologist was stunned that the test came back with no measurable
PSA. He said that we would check the PSA again in 90 days.
90 days after
my first PSA test, I returned to the urologist for my second test. He again said
that since I was stage 3 cancer, he thought that I would probably need radiation
treatment if the PSA results were anything above zero. Amazingly, the PSA came
back at 0.0 again!
My next PSA test is now scheduled in six months. I pray
that I will continue to receive good news. In the meantime, I strongly recommend
that anyone with prostate cancer take these simple over the counter steps [Johnny
is not alone in taking supplements like these, but be aware that there are no
published studies that demonstrate their effectiveness on men with prostate cancer]
:
Drink at least
10 oz. of 100% pure Pomegranate juice every day. You can buy it at Walmart. It
tastes a little bitter, so you might want to mix it with green tea or another
juice.
Make sure
you are getting enough Vitamin D. Most people need an additional 1600-2000 IU
per day. This vitamin is best absorbed when taken with calcium. Be sure to check
with your Doctor for the proper amount for you. He can provide you with this information
through a simple blood test.
Take 600 mg of Magnolia Bark Extract per day. You can buy this at your local Health
Store, or online at Herbal Extracts Plus.
Virtually everyone (including
the Doctors) has been amazed at my recovery. I strongly recommend the robot assisted
surgery and I believe Dr. Fagin is one of the best (if not the best) surgeons
in the country. Remarkably, I was able to achieve an erection two days after surgery!
This was while I still had the catheter in. Before the surgery Dr. Fagin had told
me that it might take more than a year (if ever) to regain an erection. He had
prescribed Viagra, but said not to expect anything to happen at this point. Even
though the information that we were given from Dr. Fagin recommended that patients
wait at least four weeks before even attempting anything sexual, my wife and I
had intercourse less than 3 weeks after my surgery. The erection wasn't extremely
hard, but it worked. Astroglide
lotion was very helpful at that point. My wife and I have been having regular
intercourse (3-4 times per week) since that time. I am now only taking the 2.5
mg Cialis tablets every other day.
As for incontinence, I was using 2 pads
per day immediately after having the catheter removed. After three weeks, I was
down to one pad per day. After 6 weeks, I was simply using some of the menstrual
pads that my wife had on hand. I still use the light day pads, even though I really
don't need them.
I hope you find this information helpful. Keep the faith!
Johnny's
e-mail address is: davetillery@hotmail.com
