"Open Conversation" on prostate cancer ~ In Miami, Fla. May 9th

And whom might that be Tony,,,,,,,,,,,,anyone we know??

Bob,
Every doctor I have talked to candidly has said yes in both questions. I doubt it will be any different at the event. Many patients after hearing they have this cancer fail to listen to everything a doctor says afterwards. It's natural. In addition, many patients take a doctors suggestion as a directive as opposed to suggesting what HE does for this condition. There are some who over extend their treatment options, including those oncologists who suggest ADT3 for Gleason 6, PSA 4, and 1 of 12 core disease. But anyone who does not do their own treatment research cannot blame the evil empire.

Tony

Anyway good luck, we can't wait to see the video since we cannot make it there. Got any idea what you might ask???

Bob,
I am being asked questions. My role is to provide the patients perspective. I am a panelist and will be providing my own insight to questions I am asked. After the show I will be attending a dinner and perhaps then I can become the audience and ask away. But the audience will have selected questions, and we can see what and who will provide the answer. Mike will have a one on one with Dr. Schellhammer. I am very interested in how that goes... From my perspective it is an honor to be in the group. These guys (and gals) are in my opinion far more qualified than I.

Tony

Well this is shaping up to be quite interesting. The conflicting studies released in the New England Journal of Medicine have caused quite a stir. 4 of the signatures will be there on the panel as will I, a hopeful candidate for being the exception (or confirmant depending on which study you believe). Stay tuned...

Tony

Hi, Tony
At least you get a free meal out of this deal. Don't get a sunburn. I'll be at David's (FLHW's) disc golf tournament and finally get to meet him. I'll catch the webcast and then drive over to Kansas.
Good luck,
Bob

Day one was pretty easy. Except the flying across the country part. My accomodations are nice. A very nice room at a Turnberry in Miami. We had a dinner plan that included me sitting at a table of doctors and PhD's talking Twitter...LOL. I actually don't use Twitter but at least one of the doctors does. One of the highlights of the night was an intense discussion between Dr. Gerry Chodak and PCa advocate Mike Scott.

I also met a PhD (Rhonda Fine) who specializes in sexology. She is an advocate in prostate cancer because she believes that a sex therapist should be part of the treatment process. And get this ~ she thinks it should be BEFORE treatment that a patient should see a sex therapist. After the discussion, it was clear to me she is probably right. She thinks it's wrong that we guys settle for the thought that men who undergo prostate cancer therapy should wait or not worry when sex does not come back in short time. Thus her reasoning is to keep trying. And don't be afraid to try new things. Mostly, be vocal about it and don't sweep it under the rug...She has worked with patients treated in many ways. And ED affects most she said whether with surgery patients right away, or RT patients start having issues at year 1 or 2. And there isn't much that can be done with a patient on hormone therapy. She did give me some hope when she talked about guys getting at some restoration of their sex lives a year after ADT. I like that because I may stop all treatments next week. It's been two years without intercourse for me because of my advanced therapies.

Anyway. Day one was definately a learning experience. Now on to Day Two ~ The show. Camera crews have arrived and did the setup today. I was given my list of interview questions. So if I put my foot in my mouth, you'll know I had time to think about it first. The crew is comprised of the broadcast group for Pat Robertsons CBN. The director is a prostate cancer survivor (as is Robertson). Show starts at 9:00.

Tony