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During the next week, I received a large package from my
Urologist containing a video and articles about PC. My wife went to
the public library and checked out 3 books written by 3 men who
also had PC.
The information from my Urologist and the 3 books helped me began to learn what I needed to know about
my disease and treatments to me. In this business of having PC,
KNOWLEDGE = SURVIVAL.
On August 20th, my wife and I went for a consultation with my
Urologist. He advised us the results from a recent bone scan were
negative. He informed us about my 2 options, surgery or radiation
and answered all of our questions.
TREATMENT
Before I arrived at my Urologist's office on August 20th, I had
decided I was going to have the surgery rather than the radiation
treatment, provided the bone scan test came back negative.
After we had left his office, we decided to let him perform the surgery in our local hospital, Mary Washington
Hospital, Fredericksburg, Virginia. The surgery was scheduled
for September 19th. By waiting 4 weeks, this allowed me to donate 3
pints of blood with the American Red Cross.
Because I had self-educated myself by researching a vast amount of PC
material, and talking to others who had had the surgery, it only took
me a very short time to make the decision to have the surgery. Once I
made my decision, I never looked back, or tried to 2nd guess myself.
Remember, KNOWLEDGE = SURVIVAL.
You may be wondering why I did not seek a second opinion
from another U. When I was in my U's office on August 20th,
I asked him if I had a second opinion, would I also have
a second biopsy? He said, "No." The second U would use a
copy of the original biopsy, and since my Staging score was a T2C, and my Gleason score was in the average range
of 6, I decided a second opinion from another U would be
of no value to me.
Why did I choose the surgery? I was in excellent health.
I was 62 years old, and all the statistics I had reviewed, indicated
surgery would offer me the best cure.
At 6:30 AM, On September 19th, I checked into the hospital to have
the surgery. The first thing my U did when he opened me up was remove
specimens from the lymph nodes for a biopsy. They waited until the
results were returned from the pathology department, which indicated
the cancer was localized within the prostate and had not spread into
any of the surrounding lymph nodes. Then my U finished removing the
prostate. I understand if cancer had been found in the lymph nodes,
he would not have removed the prostate. He would have just sewn me
up, and I would then become a candidate for some other form of
treatment. The lymph node biopsy is only done when surgery is
performed. Only the surgical patient will know if the PC has escaped
the prostate.
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