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Posted 12/9/2008 12:45 AM (GMT 0)
Hi guys and gals. How are we all doing tonight. Good I trust. This is Todd's Latest news. Just to recap. On my last post my onco told me that statisticaly speaking I have 36-40 months left to live. That was last week and my wife is still crying herself to sleep each night. She cant hold me or allow herself to be held. I fired my onco. Demanded a second opinion  and requested a referal to a prostate cancer specialist. (never tell me the odds)rof****. Where does this guy get off. He is not God. The only thing we advanced guys have is hope and faith and a positive attitude and this s.o.b. just took a crap on it. That is why he is only practicing medicine. I intend on being here to prove to the next batch of advance guys that it is not a death sentence. Todd
Posted 12/9/2008 1:05 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Todd,

I love the fire!  You are right.  Statistics are for a general practice, but they don't apply to everybody.  Each and all of us a different as is our experience with prostate cancer.  I know of guys that have done well when they were told to get their things in order.  The fact is that no one can predict how one might react to treatments.  Especially clinical trials and investigational trials.  I believe you may want to learn about them.  I have listed the current search of over 200 prostate cancer clinical trials at the National Cancer Institute...Clinical Trials ~ Click Here!

Also, there are more friends that may help you at The New Prostate Cancer InfoLink.  I am an active member there.  In addition, I can hook you up with the prostate cancer list-serv mailers.  If you are interested, just call me and I'll walk you through it. 

The InfoLink: www.prostatecancerinfolink.ning.com

Always your friend!

Tony

Posted 12/9/2008 2:12 AM (GMT 0)

 I admire your good attitude.  We are all on board for a limited trip.  Three and a half years is still quite a long ways away and many things can happen to extend that time. 

Heck, I keep looking ever my shoulder to make sure I don't get run over by a garbage truck.

So, keep on truckin.. so to speak. yeah

Posted 12/9/2008 2:15 AM (GMT 0)
Good luck to you and your wife Todd. I am just starting this process with my husband. I am so thankful to have found you guys here. I too admire your attitude. I believe you will beat this cancer with that kind of attitude. I know how your wife is feeling as well. I hug my husband any chance I get but know the fear she is dealing with. I look forward to reading about your journey/fight.
Posted 12/9/2008 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
As a surgeon who does lots of cancer operations, I can say that people rarely die at the statistical average. I've known two colleagues who had bad tumors (one metastatic lung, one metastatic tongue) who had "statistically less than 6 months to live" that both lived more than 10 years from that point. I've also known relatively small low risk cancers to metastasize early and shorten the life expectancy considerably from what one might have predicted. Mathematically speaking, the standard deviation for life expectancy is pretty large for most cancers. Secondly, published studies that have any sort of follow up were done a moderate time ago. Often current treatments have been modified and ongoing studies are not complete. If one lives for a year or more, there is a good chance that therapy will improve and there is no predicting what treatment and successes will be available at that time. I think it is misleading and inaccurate to make any non short term life expectancy determination with any accuracy beyond "probably weeks", "probably months", or "probably years". You may be hit by a bus tomorrow. I've had two cancers myself and all I can say is that live is much more unpredictable than people wish to think.
Posted 12/9/2008 4:24 PM (GMT 0)
Good for you Todd, that had to feel good. Did your former doctor have some guide book with your name on it, telling an endtime with such specifics? You are you, and your fight is yours alone, and it sounds like you been doing a hell of a job thus far. I feel for your wife in this situation, as I know how brave mine has been through this whole process, yet I know it's just eating her up alive inside.

David in SC
Posted 12/9/2008 5:06 PM (GMT 0)

Todd my prayers with you , however the only way to beat ANY CANCER is atitude and fight , most PC are survivable  even if advanced , the basic preventive treatment is usually good Nutritions , and i would offer my 2 cents and say to change your diet immediatly to nutritional fruits and vegies diet, then go see a good Uro  asap.... and please keep posting for us to hear the good news ...

Good Luck  and god bless you !!! smilewinkgrin

Posted 12/9/2008 8:35 PM (GMT 0)
With all due respect, while bad nutrition hinders the body in lots of ways, the diet proposed would have little to do with prognosis. Even being a "fighter" has little to do with live expectancy, beyond a very small influence. Most of disease has to do with physiology and that fact we are humans that age. The reason I mention this is that sick people are often told they didn't fight strongly enough, didn't have enough faith or prayer, didn't do yoga or eat enough vegitables, etc. I think eating right, being the right weight, getting exercise, and reducing stress help general health; but they are no guarantee against illness or even survival. Even children occasionally get cancer through no fault of their own. (bad genes or some fluke in dna repair).
Posted 12/9/2008 9:22 PM (GMT 0)
"My doc gave me six months to live..When I told him I wouldn't be able to pay his bill, he gave me another six months." Laughter is my favorite medicine...Beats the heck out of crying
Posted 12/9/2008 9:52 PM (GMT 0)

Todd,

I wasn't supposed to make last Easter. My "New" oncologies has as much hope and faith that I do. Tony is right about checking for clinical trials. I am on one now. I am taking Abiraterone. I am only two weeks into it. But after having failed at all other treatments, including chemo, we are moving forward. I plan on being there with you to greet the new guys. Having PCa is no piece of cake. With the bone pain and side effects from treatment drugs, life does change. But our faith keeps us strong and our love for, in my case my sweet wife Johnnie, keeps me moving forward. Life goes on. We are planning on going on a cruise in January.

Keep up the fight. You have team members here to do some blocking for you. You can block when we carry the ball.

Love, peace, and WAR EAGLE, baby

Walt 

Posted 12/9/2008 10:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Todd,

Remember what Mark Twain said about statistics. "There are lie, darn lies, and statistics". Good luck to you.

Don
Posted 12/10/2008 12:42 AM (GMT 0)
You have the fire in your soul and an obvious determination to win. The type of person who makes the most of their life. Statistics are individually meaningless being just an average of a group of numbers. This life is a bumpy ol' ride at times so all we can do is hang on tight and enjoy it's many little pleasures.
Bill
Posted 12/10/2008 7:00 PM (GMT 0)

Hi guys,

   I met my new Doc yesterday. Wow! What a difference. He is the husband of the head nurse at the onco unit and was actually retired. He came out of retirement to treat me at the request of his wife. I must have made a good impression. Already the difference in my care is like night and day. He is a doctor who I can believe in because he also believes in me. He ordered a whole round of scans and bloodwork and found three trials he wants to try me on before I ever start chemo. He believes in total healing. Mind, Body, Spirit, and is writing a treatment plan that includes working out and diet. Todd

Posted 12/10/2008 8:07 PM (GMT 0)

Hey Living,

That's great news on the new doctor.  That does make all the difference in the world.  I have had the same GP for almost 15 years, he knows me inside and out, the same oncologist since 2000, and I ended up with the reputed best Urologist/Surgeon in my small state.  This should change your attitude about what you are dealing with bigtime.  I don't like dr. that are game show hosts, I like them to be up to date at all time in their field, and don't like things sugar coated, I can only react to reality, not fantasy, even when that reality sucks.  Good luck to you ahead.

David in SC

Posted 12/10/2008 9:31 PM (GMT 0)

I want to thank everyone here at hw for all the support and understanding that you all give. I wish I could hang out with all of you. Maybe we should have a healing well convention somewhere where the water is blue and we can drink margarittas all night long. Thank you all. Todd P.S. age at dx was 42 on 6/3//06

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