The Blue Wrist Band And Ignorance About Prostate Cancer

I purchased a dozen blue wrist bands from the Prostate Cancer Foundation that signal prostate cancer awareness. I've been wearing one since I received them and will continue to do so until the day I die.

Today, while standing in line at a coffee shop, a guy behind me asked what the blue wrist band signified. I told him and also was openly honest about my surgery. I was stunned at his reply. Basically, and I paraphrase, he told me that "prostate surgery is pretty common and not all that difficult to recover from." Instantly I had to calm myself and put this guy straight about the fallacy he had just related to me. When I asked him if he had had a PSA test recently (I judged him to be in his late 50s), he told me, "I'm in perfectly good health, good shape, and feel fine. I don't even get a physical." I don't know if I changed his mind, but I implored him to please get a PSA test, and told him this cancer was completely arbitrary. I was in top shape too, felt fine, but ended up with an aggressive cancer that, by all indications, was caught early enough. Somehow I don't think he'll get a PSA test, and it just goes to show how much ignorance there is out there about this cancer that has affected us here.

Angry and sad.

reply moved to..>  ziggy9's page... Post Edited By Moderator (bluebird) : 11/25/2007 7:42:12 AM (GMT-7)

JCL,
I wear the ribbon on the lapel. I also include a "Proud Supporter: www.prostatecancerfoundation.com" On my business emails. I have had about 6 responses. Only one I thought was insensitive. I flew right by it. I did say to him that he, too, may learn a bit more about this disease at some point in his life. I told him that it would best suit him to get tested. But I just let it be. At first, when I told people about my medical condition, it was common for people to say it's the "good one". Still is. They tend to be surprised now when I tell them that it's the number two cancer killer and most who get it never had a single sympton. I seldom go into any details about my situation anymore. Instead, I direct them to search the web pages on advanced prostate cancer. I remind them that people close to me are members of that club and that they could use their support. Not much else to say.

Tony

uncledan you are overstating PCa deaths by almost a factor of 10. According to the CDC 29,554 men died from prostate cancer in 2003, which is the latest year for which complete statistics are available. The number you gave is the yearly total diagnosed with PCa. Still too many deaths, regardless.

Another reason to keep up with the forum!  I did not know about the blue and had even wondered why there wasn't something like that.  Thank you for the information and yes we all get the "oh is that all?" look when we tell someone the type of cancer that we have, but never from someone who has ever had any type of cancer.  When a celebrity dies it gets a little play for awhile  but then the public forgets.  It's probably too morbid but I wonder if there is a site that lists celebrities who have died from PC.  I can think of several and maybe looking at a list like that would get a little attention.  Just an idea and probably a bad one. 

I try to be careful and balance encouragement with the bad, but here's something about my experience that I probably have not mentioned elsewhere and this may be a good spot.  Last year (2006) my psa was 1.  This year it was 4.5, which still doesn't sound terrible, especially when the biopsy only found one sample that was "definitely cancerous".  I put off surgery for two months after that due to family stuff that you can read about elsewhere.  How slow moving is PC?  Postsurgery results:  the prostate had well developed cancer throughout.  The surgeon said that radiation without surgery would not have taken care of it.  More luck:  the cancer was not outside of the prostate, the nerves were spared, my new results I just got last night-PSA was .1.  My point is do the lab work, just do it!  Every year!  There are no symptoms until it's too late.  I was in pretty good shape for 58.  I'll brag a little and say that I would pass for 40 easily.  No smoking, no drinking and I had a decent diet for your average MWM.  I have Parkinsons, but no other health problems.  Don't wait for your doc to tell you that you are overdue for lab work, you tell the doc that it's time to do it.  A simple test saved my life.

Being a sports fan, I can tell you that Joe Torre (former manager of the NY Yankees), Bob Gibson (former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher) and Robin Cole (former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker) are all prostate cancer survivors. Robin Cole is very active in prostate cancer awareness, and holds a golf tournament in Pittsburgh every year that benefits prostate cancer research. Cole's father died from prostate cancer and two of his brothers are prostate cancer survivors.