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It's great to have you back UBUP!
Thanks for posting this superb information! DH's dad had prostate cancer but no one in his family is familiar with this treatment. Thanks for making it easier for folks to research and learn about appropriate and helpful options.
Most of all, thanks for bringing your great personality back to the forums! And glad you got to work on your golf swing while you were in the midst of everything else.
@Anonymous wrote:It's great to have you back UBUP!
Thanks for posting this superb information! DH's dad had prostate cancer but no one in his family is familiar with this treatment. Thanks for making it easier for folks to research and learn about appropriate and helpful options.
Most of all, thanks for bringing your great personality back to the forums! And glad you got to work on your golf swing while you were in the midst of everything else.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with my golf swing...I go 18 holes under 80...
(if it gets any hotter than that, I just leave my clubs at home, and merely "water" myself at the nineteenth hole)
Thanks, beamMEup...it's good to see you, too! And I hope all is well with DH's Dad.
I thought someone here would appreciate my "18 holes, under 80" joke.
Tough crowd.
Or maybe I need new script writers...
You know, prostate cancer isn't something guys talk about among themselves. It's not a comfortable subject.
I told very few people about my prostate cancer. A very close friend that I did tell happened to hear about one of his friend's relatives with that same diagnosis. He asked if he could give my number to that man so we could talk. I said OK. This was several months ago.
The man called, and we spent several hours on the phone. I told him everything I'd found about treatment options. He'd done his homework, too, but had not heard about proton therapy at all. When I'd explained what I had learned and experienced, he seemed hopeful, but still somewhat skeptical (and I don't blame him for that).
I'm posting this now because I received a call from him just yesterday afternoon. He's been accepted for proton therapy treatment, and is going to be receiving the proton therapy at one of the eight facilities in the U.S. that offers it. This man is from Germany.
He thanked me so much I had to tell him to just stop, it was embarrassing. But I also asked him to pass on what he'd learned from me, and what he'd learn for himself as he moves forward on this, to other guys in the same situation.
I have never felt so good in my life as I did when he told me "Thank You! You really helped me. You saved my life."
This is a guy I don't know, and I'll probably never meet, but I really feel I made a difference in his life. I only hope that you can feel that same joy in helping someone else as I felt yesterday.
And that help you give can be anything you choose.
You can make a difference in someone's life, today. Most of the time, we just don't realize that we already do that, for good or bad.
(Good is better, though!)
Sentimental blabbering is now over. Carry on...
FYI -
Proton therapy is not for prostrate only, it is for all cancers that are contained in one location... ala, tumors. There are NINE facilities in the US. Because of the radiation (protons, neutrons, and electrons make up an atom) and the immense concrete needed to house the proton machine, the facilities are expensive to build and operate.
http://www.proton-therapy.org/documents/dotmed511.pdf (for more information)
I just found this post today, and ironically, had written an article on proton therapy a few weeks ago due to a minor child having the therapy done.
As an aside, it is very awkward for men to discuss this aspect of their bodies which is sad in and of itself. In this day and age when breast cancer is mainstream, so should the prostrate be.
Congrats on your recovery!!!! (and golf swing)
Thanks for posting that article, Hopelives2! I expect the debate over cost vs. benefits, effectiveness of modalities of treatment, etc. will go on for quite a while. For me, and I'm sure for your child, too, the debate is over. I thank God every day that I learned about proton therapy, and that I was finally accepted for treatment.
I saw quite a few children being treated with protons. In a lot of cases, it appears that's the only viable option for young bodies still developing.
As you said, this therapy is not limited to prostate cancer. Cancer of the eye is another major condition in which protons are, IMO (albeit a non-medical one), the best (if not only) acceptable treatment.
I toured the synchroton, spoke with physicists and techs, even met with company reps from Belgium. The technology is astounding. But for reasons pointed out in the article (cost, lack of long-term data), proton therapy will continue to be available to only a small fraction of the population.
The financial cost (my insurance paid out a shade under $300,000 for my treatments, as I discovered when reviewing the statements) is more than just the medical bills. Travel, housing and emotional costs are involved, too. But I feel, as I'm sure you do, that receiving the absolute best treatment available for yourself or a loved one is worth the cost...at any price.
The biggest problem with proton therapy is that not many folks know it even exists, and I've found that my numerous doctors never even mentioned it. Misconceptions abound, the info that's out there is outdated by many years, or perhaps treatments aren't mentioned because those treatments are not readily available in that doctor's venue. I believe that if people were given the information and the choice, they would choose proton therapy over surgeries or other forms of radiation, at least as it pertains to prostate cancer.
Thank you so much for getting into medicine! And I wish the best for you, your family and your "proton child", whom I'll now consider a younger brother (or sister?).
Edit for this P.S. - I'm posting a link here for anyone needing more info about proton therapy for prostate cancer. Hope this is allowed. The testimonials are amazing. But I cannot stress strongly enough that every man should do his own homework and make his own choice. I AM NOT A DOCTOR. My comments and my opinions are mine alone.
Blatant bump up.
After all, I've never said I was shy...
Hope this helps someone!
@Uborrow-Upay wrote:Blatant bump up.
After all, I've never said I was shy...
Hope this helps someone!
Yes, we need to keep this topic alive. In fact, I was talking about this with a very good friend of mine at breakfast this morning. The more we discuss what each one has gone thru, the better chance those who get cancer, and act quickly, will be able to beat it down the line much faster. Again, my hat is off to you my friend for bringing this message front and center. Hope you are still doing great.
Another well-known and accommodating proton therapy center is IU Health Proton Therapy it is one of nine centers located in the US. [dropping the link so you can check out the facility- hope that’s okay]
Proton Therapy, in and of itself is an amazing alternative cancer treatment, especially for prostate cancer. This therapy center is especially interesting because it’s located in a college town: Bloomington, the city that is home to Indiana University. That means, as soon are your treatment is done you can spend your time recovering around campus- that means scheduling your tee time and everything!
Thank you, LizLady!
Informed choices are the best choices, and I truly appreciate your contribution to this thread.