tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post2961914369563436516..comments2024-01-23T13:10:25.332-05:00Comments on Nails and Sawdust: Milestones, Bladder Stones and a Hail Mary Pass.Mike Silviushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406468736304441962noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-57869250999206715682018-12-06T09:48:38.165-05:002018-12-06T09:48:38.165-05:00A really good article on the different diagnostic ...A really good article on the different diagnostic options available:<br />http://paact.help/adding-multiparametric-mri-to-prostate-cancer-screening-will-save-lives-and-money/Mike Silviushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406468736304441962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-80273283301117181342018-11-28T21:05:35.663-05:002018-11-28T21:05:35.663-05:00Hey Glen, yea it was a wretched roller-coaster. I ...Hey Glen, yea it was a wretched roller-coaster. I hope it is over as well. We still have to do the MRI in April thankfully that is nowhere near as invasive. The doc did say that in about 15% of the cases he still finds something at that point as the shiskebob treatment is only at best a glorified 80% accurate Easter egg hunt. So though the stress is greatly reduced the demonic ride might not quite be over yet. Mike Silviushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406468736304441962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-36575458285677112642018-11-28T20:42:05.267-05:002018-11-28T20:42:05.267-05:00Holy Mackeral - that IS a roller coaster! Hope the...Holy Mackeral - that IS a roller coaster! Hope the ride is over, M!Glen Filthiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03256741311142364722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-73894448085832725222018-11-27T07:32:35.512-05:002018-11-27T07:32:35.512-05:00Hi Matt, thanks for the prayers, I truly appreciat...Hi Matt, thanks for the prayers, I truly appreciate it. Knowing I had folks bucking for me helped to keep me going during the most stressful part of this frightening ride.Mike Silviushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406468736304441962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-64399935087787090082018-11-27T01:50:24.813-05:002018-11-27T01:50:24.813-05:00Good to hear that so far so good. Prayers for the ...Good to hear that so far so good. Prayers for the six month checkup!!MattBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504997985698408360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-31845010078307560812018-11-26T11:46:23.196-05:002018-11-26T11:46:23.196-05:00that second line was meant to read; "antibiot...that second line was meant to read; "antibiotic resistant sepsis"Mike Silviushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406468736304441962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-91581468339372945362018-11-26T11:45:04.786-05:002018-11-26T11:45:04.786-05:00Hi Richard:
The Three Tesla MRI is the most advanc...Hi Richard:<br />The Three Tesla MRI is the most advanced of the new science being used for cancer detection. It is great in that there are no needles, no blood, no risk of antibiotic sepsis, and best of all much less stress on the patient. It not only consists of the equipment used, but the whole program that surrounds it. All of it represents a multi million dollar investment for the provider. Apparently the equipment is available here in Maine, literally a few hundred yards from my house. I could walk to it in five minutes. Just got a call a half hour ago to schedule for an MRI for April. But I do not know that the whole program of the multiple computerized image overlay, along with the qualified program to interpret it is available here at MMP, or if it is of the same breadth and quality as that available at Brigham and Women's in Boston. Getting the healthcare system to adopt new science is like making a sharp turn with an aircraft carrier. It does not happen easily. Basically if we live long enough we will have issues with that confounded organ. So we will all face the nightmare at some point if we live long enough. On the other hand some great advances in the science and treatment of it all are being made with more coming down the pike as we speak. Specifically the individual targeted ablation of cancer cells in order to preserve the organ as much a possible. The key to it all is early detection. And of course a much stronger faith than I had throughout the ordeal. If there is one thing that came from it all, it is that I definitely need to work on the faith aspect of things. There surely will be more challenges to come in the future. For some it comes in the form of classic religion. I know for me that is not likely to work so much, as I don't have that foundation. I don't reject classic religious belief itself, and do in fact welcome it, but I struggle with simply accepting the whole story in anything other than some sort of allegorical writing, which by it self is good value. But it is clear to me now that faith in its spiritual sense I definitely need to work on if I am to get stronger in coping with this sort of adversity in which I don't have any control or influence. Mike Silviushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406468736304441962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-37372927107983846372018-11-26T11:19:26.630-05:002018-11-26T11:19:26.630-05:00I did find that most accounts on the internet are ...I did find that most accounts on the internet are either presented as miracles or absolute horrorshows so I did like your account and also learned about different types of MRI which I did not know about. Richard Blisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07783384410058896184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-87614033419012851362018-11-22T18:06:11.534-05:002018-11-22T18:06:11.534-05:00Hi Don, fortunately you are of an advanced enough ...Hi Don, fortunately you are of an advanced enough age, and I am told that in 90% of the cases prostate cancer is of the slow advancing variety, on the ten to fifteen year scale, so that usually something else gets you before this progresses enough to go to the full blown metastasis stage as it did with dad. He simply neglected to get himself checked for something like twelve years until he started hurting more than normal. His own stubborn fault. He was 83 when diagnosed and had a a PSA of 650. Normal for most of us should be nothing over 4. So some run a bit high and it means nothing. Some also have no rise in PSA and have cancer. By they time they diagnosed dad the cancer had spread though out the body and nothing but palliative treatment could be offered to slow the progress of the disease. That in itself is brutal. Prostate cancer growth is stimulated by testosterone so the usual course of action at that point is to eliminate all of it possible. Put simply chemical castration. And all the drugs for that are exorbitantly expensive on the rate of five to six thousand dollars per month and have a very brief span of effectiveness on the order of less than six months. So then they put you on to the next more aggressive and poisonous one. It is a brutal treatment to undergo. Think menopause to the power of 1000. Debilitating. Quality of life is shit. And the end is down right cruel. The treatment bought dad an extra year and a half. In that sense, as Deb above says, if it comes to yanking it, do so, but is does not come without some serious compromises. That little walnut performs many duties, it is a gland, a muscle, a valve, part of the central nervous system. The hormones it produces regulate your personalty and mood. Way too much going on with it. As much pleasure (ecstasy?) as it can provide it also can provide an equal if not greater measure of pain. Fortunately new developments are coming down the pike. If you are ever diagnosed with a bump or rising PSA insist on the 3-T MRI as an initial protocol for diagnosis. Do not take no for an answer. The human pincushion experience is terrifying.<br /><br />Mike Silviushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406468736304441962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-29528202031346764702018-11-22T17:26:07.995-05:002018-11-22T17:26:07.995-05:00Thanks for your insight.
I am in my mid 70's a...Thanks for your insight.<br />I am in my mid 70's and I know for certain that I will not go to any exploratory procedure.<br />Thanks for the reminder. Don Hamiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02196716496290812673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-71609057894425812272018-11-21T18:24:34.553-05:002018-11-21T18:24:34.553-05:00Dairy I don't do as I am lactose intolerant. B...Dairy I don't do as I am lactose intolerant. Bread and pasta yes much harder to do. They also say red meat is one to cut out. Much harder to do as well.Mike Silviushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406468736304441962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-30184959268536076442018-11-21T18:21:25.768-05:002018-11-21T18:21:25.768-05:00Hi Deb. For now we are not quite ready to go there...Hi Deb. For now we are not quite ready to go there and so long as there is no cancer there is no need to. But when we get to that point we will be exploring all the options. Hopefully we can buy ourselves a few years with the active surveillance and there are new procedures being developed currently. Specifically the 3T MRI imaging paired with targeted individual cell ablation. Mike Silviushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406468736304441962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-47465796748154680822018-11-21T17:09:00.320-05:002018-11-21T17:09:00.320-05:00also avoid dairy foods and 'white' foods s...also avoid dairy foods and 'white' foods such as pasta and bread hard to do eat many veggies, raw if possible really try to cut back or cut out dairy and pasta type foodsdeb harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05110992898072146282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-36936677589563543222018-11-21T17:03:17.698-05:002018-11-21T17:03:17.698-05:00husband had it i know you are young but GET RID O...husband had it i know you are young but GET RID OF IT do not have the robot surgery with the 4 little holes have regular- cut- you -open surgery and get rid of it now it will never do you any favors better alive than dead and sexydeb harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05110992898072146282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-15010017876967493022018-11-21T16:36:53.067-05:002018-11-21T16:36:53.067-05:00I have pretty much resigned myself to the fact tha...I have pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I will be on the "active surveillance" protocol for the condition for the rest of my life. Even if everything turns up clean with the MRI in six months time. I figure I am lucky if that is all that comes from this given the circumstances. I don't want to go the way dad did. It is difficult to go against the flow especially when you don't know all the options and the machine just wants to push you in one direction. You walk a narrow edge between frustration and gratefulness. One more factor to fray your emotions. But sometimes you need to "game" the system to make things go in the direction you need it to go. A friend of mine prompted by my experience got himself checked, they found "issues" and is now going through the same nightmare scenario. Doing what I can to help him through it all.<br />On the diet side of things the other salt-less flavoring I discovered recently is Garam Massala. A mild Indian spice with no salt. I use it on cubed chicken thighs. Stir fry, serve on flour tortillas with lettuce or cabbage, poppy seed salad dressing, pickled onions and avocado. Awesome healthy. Need to do a post on it some time.<br />Mike Silviushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406468736304441962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-27471914790360763872018-11-21T15:34:00.201-05:002018-11-21T15:34:00.201-05:00Good thing I'm a decent cook. A lot of low sal...Good thing I'm a decent cook. A lot of low salt versions of foods are bad enough that I just cook something else instead. <br /><br />When stuck in the medical system it helps to be a "bad" patient. Ask too many questions. Take up too much of the doctor's time. Do a lot of research. I find it helps to fine something to do, even if it's prayer or meditation. One of the things I keep telling myself: I'm looking forward to looking back on this.Sixbearshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15572224383041421400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-84652470402678038772018-11-21T10:10:16.286-05:002018-11-21T10:10:16.286-05:00Like I said to Richard above, I need to work on th...Like I said to Richard above, I need to work on the faith aspect of dealing with adversity. If nothing else perhaps it will give me the serenity to cope with the helpless feeling and see my way clearly through the challenge. And that beyond the bewildering invasiveness and pain is the predominant element in this and most medical interventions. The helpless feeling that comes from learning that there is nothing that you personally can do to influence the outcome of the situation. It is definitely not made any better by the limitations imposed upon us as patients by the hacks in the entire system that decide what you are to have or not for a treatment. So, in your case, if cutting salt out of your diet is one thing that will help then do it. It is most certainly not easy. I am a salt fiend. Sweets? not really. Salt I crave it. But if that is the one string you can pluck then pluck away cause that's the one thing you have the power to influence.<br />Mike Silviushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406468736304441962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-75065061819254404402018-11-21T00:42:31.568-05:002018-11-21T00:42:31.568-05:00I feel for you man. It's tough being caught in...I feel for you man. It's tough being caught in the medical system. We have the worse of the free market and the worse of socialized medicine. At least the prayers seem to be working. It's good to have something spiritual to fall back on in times of need. <br /><br />Billing departments don't know what to do with me. Today I just figured out I'm actually worse off than I was back in July when I first starting seeing doctors. Any more "progress" and they'll kill me. However, I've hopes for the current treatment. It's a stepped up version of what worked for me two years ago. Also, this has been a real wake up call as far as diet goes. <br /><br />My dad passed a couple years ago from bladder cancer. Meds never got ahead of the pain. I spent the last couple months living with him as he was dying. Dad and I were always close, so I was blessed there. I'm glad I was there for him, but I would not want my own kids to suffer though what I did with dad. I told them to put me into hospice. <br /><br /><br /><br />A good friend of mine was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of prostate cancer. He was strapped to bed, flipped upside down and they operated with robots. He had an amazingly good outcome. Avoided all the horrible things that can go wrong. Sometimes they do get this stuff right. <br /><br />Hope things continue to look up for you. Who's got time for this crap? There's stuff to do.Sixbearshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15572224383041421400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-27425873518301788492018-11-20T20:38:26.768-05:002018-11-20T20:38:26.768-05:00Yes, beyond keeping a journal for my own benefit a...Yes, beyond keeping a journal for my own benefit and future reference, in a way I was hoping to provide a different account from most I came across when researching the subject. One that perhaps ends in a bit of hope for others facing the same frightening news. One of the things I was disappointed in was how they trivialized the procedure and made it sound like no big deal. I would much rather they had told me this crap is going to really hurt. But you will get through it. As to the aspect of faith, I need to work on that more. I need to find a better way to cope with this sort of adversity as there are surely more to come in the future.Mike Silviushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406468736304441962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-68746314695545215532018-11-20T19:57:20.119-05:002018-11-20T19:57:20.119-05:00Great news. Now it is just a great story to gross ...Great news. Now it is just a great story to gross out new friends with. Richard Blisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07783384410058896184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-67336655448538149772018-11-20T17:58:28.574-05:002018-11-20T17:58:28.574-05:00You are a good man Gorges and we both thank you. I...You are a good man Gorges and we both thank you. It was comforting to know you were standing beside me.Mike Silviushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406468736304441962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4229172837911249933.post-46696984968939524242018-11-20T17:28:41.605-05:002018-11-20T17:28:41.605-05:00Prayed.Prayed.Gorges Smythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777621500611603786noreply@blogger.com