My PSA

Great drop, may the trend continue!

Our best,
Jake

Very happy for you. Keep it headed down.

Bud:
Excellent diminishing numbers- go for the low!
Very happy that you are happy - congrats!!
Bronson

"The Incredible Shrinking PSA" would make a great movie title.  It's also great news.  Congratulations, Bud.

Hi Rad, great stuff!! may the downward trend continue.

Mal.

What great news. I hope it continues to drop.

Dropping like a rock...!  That's what you want to see!

This data milestone is a good chance to look back and assess your embrace of lifestyle changes in an effort to not just "survive." but to also "thrive." 

You said, in a response in your first thread, that, "We (myself, wife, daughters and son-in-law) are looking to “stack the odds in your favor” for the best possible outcome.  Sometimes in the day-to-day we forget or lose sight of our bigger goals...and this data point can serve as a "checkpoint."

How are you coming on completing changes in the "big three?"

Thanks all!

We (family) have been very very happy with this drop - wife,daughters and son-in-law - and yes me! - are all greatly relieved.


Art - Member of Zero Club - On the way there:) If this drop keeps up - by April I should be able to apply for membership.

Casey
The big three - diet, exercise and stress reduction. I've actually been reporting the first two to my medical team with each appointment. Working backwards

Stress Reduction - ok this one is really hard -
A. my brothers and sisters here in Healing Well contributed so much to the stress reduction - thank you one and all!
B. My family - My ladies (wife, daughters) and son-in-law...
C. At first when the Doc said to be very careful as the left femur could fracture very easily - I stopped my hobby (RC Planes), when the Radologist said my bones were in good shape - I went back out to the flying field - felt much better! - A Hobby - or something with no relation to PCa - is very important!

Exercise
At first me and the lady wife were walking each day, we had a series of rain days - made that harder. Plus I needed more than just walking hence I joined the YMCA and go 3 times a week - should I be doing more - Sure:)

Diet.
Much more healthy now, Moving to a Mediterranean Diet, have cut out all fast foods.
Though I must admit when we were on the cruise I fell off the wagon on diet and exercise - but the cruise was great for stress reduction <laughs!>

It is a beautiful day - my RC Planes are in the car - I'm off to work on "stress reduction!"

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Bud

Raddad said... Casey The big three - diet, exercise and stress reduction. I've actually been reporting the first two to my medical team with each appointment. Great, Bud. Making comprehensive, permanent lifestyle changes/improvements can be difficult (you are probably familiar with the adage, “change is difficult”), and a lot of people have too much momentum in their lives to overcome their own internal resistance to change, but your “home team” (wife, daughters, etc) sounds like they are providing excellent motivation & support for your choice to make smart choices/changes. It’s baffling to see what people will subject themselves to (cut, burn, poison) to stop or slow their cancer growth while not undertaking the far less radical steps (“the big three”) that are within their direct grasp and have been shown in studies to slow (or stop) cancer growth, prolong life, and improve quality of life . Sadly we continue to see evidence of some (dare I say ‘negligent,’ or just ‘slack?’) doctors, dietitians and other roles in the medical profession who remain clueless on the “big three” complementary/integrative medicine techniques to help “stack the odds” in the favor of their patients.   Unfortunately some likely continue to look at it as being paid only for the pills they prescribe and procedures they perform to fix what goes wrong (rather than educate & encourage patients about prevention or risk reduction…but I won’t digress into what’s wrong with US healthcare).   Truly sad to see this happening when there is so much knowledge and information out there…which is why we suggested to you on day-one to educate/advocate for yourself (and to follow the mountains of data/evidence). The studies show that a little bit of (lifestyle) change is good but more is better , so I want to encourage you to keep working on your commitment of the “big three. ”   In the summary words of one report, “…how well a man adheres to diet changes, exercise, and stress reduction predicts how much protection against cancer progression he will experience.” best wishes…

Not my words...I'm just passing on the helpful words of the prostate cancer experts who have performed the studies.

I've had to say this before, and maybe I should say it again: diet, exercise and stress reduction won't CURE cancer in everyone. Everybody is different, but the results in population studies show an average improvement in PSA as a marker for PC for the test group versus an average degradation in the control group which did nothing different.  Most men are interested in SLOWING prostate cancer progression through "the big three."

Besides these studies, it's also a common sense approach...

It might be easiest and most helpful for me to simply copy/paste some of the meaningful words of the medical professionals who are the real gurus in PC…this should completely answer your question, but again not in my words; I’m only passing on their words: In the summary words of one report, “…how well a man adheres to diet changes, exercise, and stress reduction predicts how much protection against cancer progression he will experience.” I don't think it gets much more clear than this.    The phrase " stacking the odds in one's favor for a more favorable outcome " was indeed originated by me to descript ively capture how embracing (and acting on) "the big three" helps (in the ways described by the PC gurus) to reduce the risk of PC progression and improve quality and longevity of life...feel free to re-use the phrase with my permission.  Simply deposit $0.05 to my account for each usage.      It is interesting, but perhaps intuitive, that another medical study has shown that those who already are at least partially committed to a healthy lifestyle will be most compliant to further changes when presented with evidence of effectiveness.   The flip-side of that statement is that those who may need it the most tend not to comply (and they likely work hard and "burn a lot of mental BTUs" to rationalize their maintenance of an unhealthy lifestyle).

Muz

Thanks:)

I spent over a hour on the phone with our eldest daughter (Dr Son-in-law wife) last night - she is very very relieved and extremely happy.
My wife has been beaming and she says we are going to beat this - note the we <grins>
Youngest daughter (28) claims (with a wide grin and a wink) the drop is due to the Vegan Pizza she made us the night before the test - along with the two bottles of red wine me and her drank.

Guys - on the lifestyle changes - I look at it is the simpliest way - overall the healthier you are the better off you will be. Scoffing down fast food, being a couch potato is not good for anyone's health.
The leading cause of males death in the USA is heart related diseases followed by cancer (of any type).

Really the lifestyle changes I have made have been, looking back, relatively easy. Than the "I think I am doing something each and every day to battle this PCa" - in my opinion is invaluable.

Talk with all on tonights chat

Bud