PSA test strategy

David:

True. But the reality MIGHT be that certain dietary changes MIGHT lesson the chances of a BCR. But the literature is still nebulous about all of that.

I do think some folks drastically change their diet. I don't have the willpower to do that and I have to add that my wife is supportive of eating healthy but NOT supportive of truly making drastic changes. For example, birthday celebrations were not a big deal in my family but are with hers. So, we do celebrate birthdays -- with her immediate relatives and our kids and grandkids. This means about 10 parties a year when I also add some holidays. At each of these, we can expect a lot of cake and ice cream. I have suggested that maybe we should discuss eliminating that part of the celebration. The answer is "no way; we don't do it that often."

But, I think we do.

Anyway, other than social pressures, there is nothing to prevent me from declining the cake and ice cream. As I said, I don't have the willpower!!

But, David, some folks do and I salute them

Mel

Casey,

As usually, you assume to much, and love to answer for other people. I never said that what Red was doing was wrong, I doubt he would laugh in my face for having a differing opinion. It would take someone really condenscending and rude to do that, wouldn't it? Why is it, that you think you are 100% on every post you post? No one is 100%, a lot of what is discussed is very opionatee and subjective at best, and that is ok.

"Keep in mindthat your local doc in Mayberry..." Another cheap shot and condenscending remark. I would hate to be a co-worker of yours, geez, you got some serious judmental attitude going there.

Your tone often, is that of someone correcting another person, we are all adults here, that's not really needed.

David in Mayberry, South Carolina

Post Edited (Purgatory) : 9/7/2010 4:00:53 PM (GMT-6)

This is getting interesting!

Casey, one really off the wall therapy is the Gerson Therapy which is about cleansing the system with a coffee enema, then juicing veggies and saturating the system with only juiced veggies. It claims to have a 50% survival of some of the worst cancers. I don't trust it and certainly don't recommend anyone try it but it's the ultimate in trying to actually cure cancer through food, intensely. I watched the DVD "Healing Cancer" by Mike Anderson and found it interesting, but unbelievable.

Casey, my friend who has been on AS for 7 or 8 years was born in China. I don't know when he came to this country, but you are right about him having a head start in life. He certainly didn't go to McDonalds or eat donuts as a kid. He is an example of an Asian man getting PCa after living in this country for many years and adopting many of our cultural eating habits. He has now gone back to his roots and eats soy, tea, pom juice, and avoids sweets, red meat, etc., and does not cheat at all.

Red,

I did some accounting consultiung work for a Hypnotherapist, that swore that with Coffee Enemas and his hynotherapy, that he could stop any cancer in the body. He was all the time begging to let him work on me for free, as a cancer patient. I politely turned him down, and took regular American money as payment. The sad thing, this man totally believed he could cure cancer, as he felt that cancer was more about an attitude in how one thinks, than an actual disease.

Casey, my wife is a vegan, but I am not. I'm closer to a vegetarian, but not a strict one by any means. She has loads of recipes but they are from cookbooks, not online. So sorry, no food bookmarks. We really live simply. We seldom, almost never, go out to eat because we simply do not trust resturant food or their cooking methods. While we live in a great place for dining, we prefer to eat at home and in that way have control over the quality of our food. Most of our food is grown by me and cooked by my wife.

I must sound like a crackpot, but we simply do not trust the food supply. Ever wonder why the veggies in a supermarket look so perfect? Sprayed bigtime and much of it is imported from countries without rules. If you think I sould like a conspiracy theorist, then you should watch that DVD I mentioned previously, 'Healing Cancer'. Those people believe the entire medical establishment has been corrupted and in the bag so to speak, to be able to pay for all the expensive hospitals and technology, while simply eating juiced vegetables will cure what ails us. Holistic medical methods are basically laughed at in this country, but we think nothing of putting our trust in our doctors who may be conflicted and biased. Hardly a doctor exists that would recommend a holistic cure for anything. That would be bad for business.

Now, be nice boys.

Yes. But I have to admit that the ground sirloin burgers I grilled today along with the baked beans were DELICIOUS. But I did have a slice of tomato with it!

Mel

^^^^Casey59- A great book. I send copies to friends as they get diagnosed.

Casey, I'm surprised how much Amazon just let me read of the book. I'll try to get it from the library. I'm cheap!

Mel, since you had a tomato with the steak, you get a pass! No crack on the knuckles with the ruler this time.

I'm still here! I've started the no meat, no dairy diet a few months back. I was at 210 lbs. I'm now down to 170! I feel great and light on my feet. I go up and down stairs with no loss of breath. Sex is better too. :D I've been doing this long enough to feel like my weight loss will taper off at about 155 to 160, and that's close enough to my ideal BMI. The only way for me to know if this diet will slow the progression of my cancer is to go at it full bore, and I DO NOT CHEAT! What's the point if you cheat? I am closing in on my October PSA test. We will see if I was able to coax the horse, or cow, or whatever farm animal Purg wants to talk about, back into the darn barn! lol If not I feel good knowing I will be in TOP physical form, BEFORE taking on any of the treatments available. Keep fighting!!! Just keep fighting!!!!!

Jim:

Congratulations. You just won the HW prize for being the most industrious of us all.

Your prize is about to be mailed to you, but Omaha Steaks needs your address.

Mel

Jim,

The expression "cow is out of the barn" is not patented by me, nice sarcasim there. That analogy has been used by many a doctor I have spoken to about the subject. Even an oncology dietician used that phrase some years ago when I was battling other cancers.

I am happy you are getting in shape, losing weight, sounds like you are having a real positive mental experience there, these are all good things, and can only help your health in general. No one would argue against that.

Just remember, you made your choice on what you thought was best for you, and that is cool, and I support that with everyone. But there are plenty of studies and plenty of experts, that would rebuke the change your diet going to make your cancer better thinking. In the end, we believe what we want to believe.

Good luck, no need to trash me though

David in SC

P.S.  You are fortunate to have a low grade dose of PC going on, and the ability to have AS.  You haven't suffered through the surgery, the complications of surgery, and in my case, being on 21 catheters for well over 400 days, having your surgery fail, going through grueling salvage radiation, and having that go terribly wrong leaving me in moderate to severe daily pain for nearly 11 months now, and still not knowing that the salvage is going to work.  Easy to see why I might not be Mr. Optimist like you.

Post Edited (Purgatory) : 9/15/2010 1:15:59 PM (GMT-6)

I think somewhere in this spirited discussion that it is logical to ask the QOL question. Maybe it is a stupid, selfish uneducated way of thinking, but darn, I have been forced to give up sex and maybe a tad on the contine3nce issue with an occasional drip in my pants,

I have been on a low carb diet plan which would make the animal protien naysayers wince, but I have been able to drop 35 pounds, drop my cholesterol, and enjoy a sense of feeling good.

As a Gleason 9, maybe I am on a little different journey. The odds aren't with me in many ways. My chances for BCR are pretty strong.

There is what I would call anecdotal evidence on diet and PC. It is a really hard trial to conduct with a bunch of 50 yr old plus men who have had cancer, have had varied eating habits and environmental exposures, and drink water and breathe air in different communities. Even if we could put them in a bubble for a year, it is tough to filter out all of the variables.

I salute those who are able to change their diet and life styles to such a radical extent. As a 2 month exercise, I am interested in Johns little experiment. But we have seen men's PSA vary by 1 or 2 points here with no changes. A change of .01 or .02 would be hard to say that it was a direct result of diet change.

I guess I am foolish enough to say that I am not willing maybe even not able to give up the one thing that I enjoy, and that is my quasi-normal eating habits, which I have come to enjoy. It really is a QOL point with me. If I am destined to ultimately die with this darn disease, I am least going enjoy my remaining years living as close to normal life as I can.

Sex may niot be what it was, but it is good, continence may not be what it was, but it is good, and eating is still very good. The PC can take away a few things, but darn it, not all of it.

goodlife said...
If I am destined to ultimately die with this darn disease, I am least going enjoy my remaining years living as close to normal life as I can.

I've got news for you brother...you are unlikely to die from this disease, at least for long, long time. 

You've got plenty to do to get ready for the next third of your life.  Eat healthy, exercise, see the dermatologist, get your colonoscopy, maybe even more PC treatments in the future...you're going to be busy.  You might want to think about how you can simplify your life in your next third because there may be new issues popping up that are not even on the horizon for you now...so, what can you change now to make that next third better?

End of sermon.

Rev. Casey