Baylor Foundation: EveryMan™

I drive a 2007 Toyota Hybrid Camry. I've had it a month shy of two years now. It only has 9,973 miles on it. Pretty nice low number, right? Previously, I drove a 2001 Range Rover. It only had 53,000 miles when I traded it in. I guess I really don't drive much, but with every car I've owned (only 12 cars since 1973), I could tell you how many miles were on each of them. It’s a guy-thing, I think. Most men know how many miles are on their car, but most men do not know their PSA score. Do you know yours? Mine is now undetectable. And that's a really good thing since my surgery. I need to continue to check my PSA regularly for some time to ensure the cancer did not metastasize and land somewhere else. That's something to keep thinking about, huh?

So last week I let you know that I had surgery. It was a wild ride when the doctor first told me. I learned that one in six men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. Those who do get it will live for another 10 years on average. But I wanted more than that. I needed to make a decision. When I first met with my urologist following "the call", he explained the outcomes. The recommended treatment is sometimes based on age—that is, someone diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 75 may have a different approach than say, a 52 year old in Dallas, Texas who feels as though he has at least 30 years left to love his wife, his daughters, and be around to perhaps tease some grandchildren.

I was leaning toward surgery. Still, I had two options. Traditional surgery is what my urologist performed and from what I could tell, he was very experienced and had performed hundreds of radical prostatectomies (the operation to remove the prostate gland and some of the tissue around it). He also informed me of a robot-assisted prostatectomy.  He shared with me that the prognosis was identical for each type of surgery and the post-surgery after effects were very similar. The only difference between the two was the recovery time. It was about one week quicker to have a catheter removed, which meant less discomfort, and of course, I could return to work sooner. I needed to know more.

But, he did not perform them, and you know, I was beginning to bond with this guy. He had provided me good counsel, seen more than anyone should see of me, and was very calming at this critical time. So he introduced me to another urologist who belongs to the same practice, Urology Clinics of North Texas, and shares the same office. I was told that this surgeon had performed hundreds of procedures. That was very important to me. I didn't want someone using this newer technology with little experience and I didn't want to be a patient who gives a doctor practice. Needless to say, the new urologist became my go-to-guy.

I scheduled surgery as soon as possible, but I had to wait five weeks after the biopsy. I had my surgery on September 15, 2009, and one day after my 53rd birthday. It was a heck of a birthday present...

In closing, most of us know that used cars with low miles are more valuable than cars with high miles. We know golfers with lower scores win more than those with higher scores. There are lots of these analogies: a major league pitcher's ERA, a hockey goalie's Goals-Against Average, and lets not forget a team's points allowed per game. All of these with a lower number is more important.

How many miles are on your car? I'll bet you know the answer to that, but knowing your PSA level could save your life. 

Get screened.

Get Informed.

You deserve it to know and you owe it to your family.

Next week, I will discuss the after effects of my surgery. Please stop back.

Best,

Jim