What is the main reason why you keep coming to this list?

I voted other......I have faith I will have a long life. I am just paying it forward.

I only come here for the polls. KIDDING

Yes, John T is a great poster and has a wealth of knowledge. His story is very unusual but very informative. The man helped me in my early days dealing with this insipid disease.

He, among others, is why I treasure this site.

I have been thinking about this thread for the last two days and trying to find the right words as to why I still come to the site to read posts on a daily basis. I guess I am in the all of the above group.

Like many, I came here upon diagnosis, trying to learn all I could from the patient perspective on how to deal with it. I had already been involved with cancer for three years because of my wife. In that time I learned the absolute responsibility of the patient to be informed and be proactive in their treatments and plans. Many times we brought info to the docs that they did not possess. I have done the same over the last almost four years with my cancer and my docs.

Even today I still learn new things daily. These things make me go and do my own research. There have been so many advancements and changes in the last four years that you have to be involved to stay up on them.

But we have many here who are the intelligence and technical side of dealing with this crap. That is not the thrust of why I am still here.

It seems that my strength and purpose is continuing to preach the message of “Every Day is A Bonus”. And how you approach each day be they good or bad, is how you live and enjoy life while dealing with this crud.

I have made friends (and I do not use the term lightly) here that will last my lifetime. Like Cajun Jeff, my attendance at all but one of the GFMPH gatherings and my trip around the country last summer, has afforded me the opportunity to shake hands and get to know 60-70 of you folks. There are many of us who talk on the phone almost daily. As I said once before, there were holes in my soul that I did not know existed until they were filled by the friends I have made here.

I visit daily to check up on my friends, to offer support where I can and talk about enjoying the hell out of life while dealing with this stuff.

This place offered me an endless supply of support over the last four years, it is my hope that I can in some small way pay it back and forward to those that are still here and those yet to come.

It is not always about Pca, it is about the people who are dealing with it.

Sonny

Other - all the above.

Another excellent discussion! Thank you all for participating!

There was a good response to the survey, suggesting that the topic was seen to be an important one to a lot of you. The questions above were, I hope, representative of what I thought would be some important concerns for most of us, but they were by no means representative of all possible concerns. And the "other" box was well used to give us the opportunity to bring up and discuss other very valid reasons for coming to this list, which many of you did very well.

As it turns out, the distribution of answers is sort of what I expected it would be, and the fact that no single question really dominates in number of votes received seems to me to say something very good about this list.

It says to me that this list is successfully addressing a good number of different concerns that people have when they come here, that many of us with different concerns are nevertheless finding what we need here, because of the wonderful variety of information that can be found here.

That says much about our list, that it is able to address such a diversity of concerns for many different people, and keep them coming back for more.

I thought it was also significant that so many of you wanted to click an "all of the above" button, which actually would have been a meaningful choice.

(For my part, I should have realized that most everyone who comes here already "gets it," so that that particular question in the survey would have been better replaced with something on the order of, I think, "I come here because I do care about my fellow list members." A much better question. I'm sure that it would have gotten a good number of votes, too).

I especially liked English Alf's comparison of the socialization that goes on here to dropping into a pub and chatting with the fellows there. A colorful comparison, I think, and one which largely captures the spirit of the social life of this list.

I also liked A Yooper's Pay Forward/Pay Back philosophy, such a useful function that any of us can perform. Any of us can indeed do this, because while each of our situations is unique, they nevertheless share such common elements that, when described in the posts we make, may very well be of assistance to others.

But all the posts made in this discussion have been helpful and informative, and when taken together they have told us so much about ourselves and what is important to us.

A great discussion! Thank you all!

I should have thought of that, Todd, you're right, my bad!

I migrated through all of those choices at different points of my PCa journey. At first, I needed info. Then, experiences of others. Then, talk freely. Now, give advice/support. (And, still need info/experience now and then.)

-Gedman

eggbe,

Ain't that the truth. Guys that tough should be allowed to legally sign their credit card slips as "Jason Bourne".

>>>>>>>>>>>>

Gaining medical knowledge is low on my list here, as we have real doctors for that, and I feel strongly that there are a handful here that push the rule at HW about dispensing medical advice.

And I am not liking the recent trend here at HW PC of turning a support site into an academic debate group.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Welcome back

You have a point. But, speaking generically,  my real doctors often disagree with your real doctors. Hence, plenty of topics for discussion. It would be nice if there was a true accepted protocol on treatments, timing, diet, supplements, etc. Most of the HW participants, while not doctors, are quite intelligent and knowledgeable about this disease. I learn a lot more from reading information, including the HW posts, than I do from many of my doctors.

Regarding the last sentence, I'm not even sure what that means.

Mel

David:

I said, "speaking generically." I was not referring to my specific doctors and your specific doctors.

I meant that we all often get different -- sometimes very different -- advice from our doctors. This is because there is such a huge grey area. It can make for interesting conversations.

David, folks here have been pretty good about presenting ideas for newcomers. I haven't found anyone I consider extremely overbearing. While we should not be giving -- or even appear to be giving -- medical advice, keep in mind that most of us are now quite experienced and knowledgeable regarding PC. There is nothing wrong with sharing this knowledge. I agree, sometimes the line gets blurred, but not that often.

Also, that's why the Moderators make the big bucks!

Mel

Though I don't check in often, I voted "To gain technical knowledge about PCa". Like John T stated above, and because of folks like John T, the "knowledge base" has increased quite a bit over the past six years I've been around.

Also, I find it comforting to see that many of the fellows I started with, like Ziggy and Tony, are still doing well.

When I do check in, I find the constant bickering between some of the more regular posters off-putting and tend not bother checking in again for quite some time.

no dag nabit....your all wrong. It's because I am here. lol