Welcome a new friend- sv

sv posted for the first time in another thread. Welcome to HW, thank you for sharing your story with us. I hope you will stay with us and continue to share your journey.

He said:

Last September I too was a Gleason 9 and after careful research determined that getting that beast out of my body asap was critical. A recent convert of integrated medicine, we immediately took out of our diet all sugar, dairy products, red meat and switched to a completely organic diet of fresh fruits and vegetables with delicious meals of wild caught cold water fish, chicken and eggs. We also loaded up on cooked tomatoes for licapene and a variety of other antioxidants like green tea and blue berries. What actually worked? We don't know but we do know that we ate like my life depended on it. And so it did.

Added to that was a rock solid belief that when disaster strikes us, we are given the tools to prevail...the choice is ours--to stand and fight or lay down and die. Which will you choose?

Next was finding the best surgeon in our area because a DaVinci robot meant nothing to us in the hands of someone without at least a few thousand surgeries under his belt. We chose Dr. Mark Kawachi at City of Hope near Los Angeles. During the five weeks between diagnosis and surgery, via meditation and super positive attitudes, we convinced our bodies, souls and minds that the beast was in fact, in remission.

The morning of surgery, as I shook hands with Kawachi while nurses were busy plugging needles and tubes into my nether regions, I looked him in the eye and said that as far as we were concerned my cancer was in remission and that I was only going along with this to humor him. The staff was further surprised when I added that my post surgical biopsy would reveal a lowered Gleason score.

Eight days later when they removed my catheter, not only was I water tight but three nights later we had sex with a 3/4 erection compliments of vitamin V. Best of all...post biopsy Gleason went down, not to an 8 but a 7! All margins and lymph nodes were clear and completely organ confined. First lab test was with Bostwick and the second was City of Hope so an error was nearly impossible.

Your bone scan showing suspicious blobs? Forget about them until something is conclusive and then, even if there is a problem, your fight is far from over. It is just beginning. But I say to you my brother in our battle with this hideous monster, THINK POSITIVE AND DON'T YOU EVER DARE GIVE UP!

This is an interesting report. Sounds like your doing some things very right. Do keep us posted. Happy New Year!

Cajun jeff

I’m not sure we’ll hear back from SV—I hope we will—but in my last post I acknowledged his efforts in both diet and stress reduction , two of the “ big three ” which have been shown in a recent medical study at UCSF (Dr Peter Carroll, PC surgeon and head of urology dept; this study previously discussed in depth here) to reduce PSA (as a marker for PC) in men already diagnosed with prostate cancer (other studies have focused on prevention ; this study was unique in that it focused on progression ).   I also asked for SV’s comment on how he was addressing exercise (the 3 rd component of the “ big three ” from the UCSF study). Even moderate amounts of exercise—taking regular walks, for example—reduces overall mortality rates in men with PC; however, the more vigorous the exercise, the greater the benefit.   (By the way, these are not my words; read this:   LINK ) SV appears to be an excellent example of what we would call “ thrivership ” (as opposed to “ survivorship ”)…read this: What is thrivership? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines thriver as one who progresses toward a goal despite circumstances, and flourishes.  The diagnosis of prostate cancer can lead you in one of two directions. Some will react to this diagnosis with a sense of resignation and fatalism.   This view can lead to helplessness — waiting for the other shoe of cancer recurrence or progression to drop.  On the other hand, thrivership puts you in the driver’s seat — making you as vital to your care and treatment as any doctor or nurse. You may have had prostate cancer, but now you are in charge of your life, adopting new healthy habits and enjoying each day to its fullest.  As a prostate cancer thriver, you can use the latest knowledge about nutrition and exercise to improve your overall health and quality of life.  Your diagnosis of prostate cancer can be the beginning of a healthier lifestyle.     No, I didn’t invent the word “thrivership.”   The term, and the quote above, comes from a document (free online) published by the Prostate Cancer Foundation ( PCF ) titled “ Nutrition, Exercise and Prostate Cancer .”   This is a document that I would recommend for all PC patients ( attention moderators:   excellent site sticky opportunity ) .   Here’s the LINK to the PCF document, which I invite all to read.  It even includes a section on making, and sticking to, a commitment to bring about a  change in lifestyle…which many men find hard to do, despite the documented evidence that the “ big three ” can bring real, documented benefits (re-read the UCSF study) in men with PC.   If you didn't set a New Year's resolution yet...here's your chance to set one (exercise) that might make a significant difference in your life!

James...huh?

David,
I think your personal issues with Casey are affecting your responses to his posts. He has laid out some evidence that many of the top specialists in PC also agree with. It's your choice to ignore them, but other patients may be interested in persuing them.
JT

David,
Do you have anything to say to our new member? Your posts in this thread have been addressed in a negative manner to Casey and are not on topic to the subject matter posted. If you do not have anything to offer for a new member as the goodwill of this post intends, then please do not use this thread for a personal vendetta.

Casey's post in not a bad post by any means. It is posted with a welcome to a new member and some insights that Casey has shared that I do not disagree with.

Please be supportive, and please try to be courteous when a new member is being welcomed.

Tony

sv said "THINK POSITIVE AND DON'T YOU EVER DARE GIVE UP!"
Awesome advice, buddy. I love it.
steve

Tony...that was cold, dude...stone cold.  To imply that David of all people is not courteous and supportive to new members is way off base, IMHO.  Personally I think you crossed over the moderator line on that one.

And, sv, welcome.  Glad you have such a positive attitude and I hope your recovery goes well.

Tudpock (Jim)

David,
Thank you for taking down the posts. I apologize if you don't think they were inappropriately placed. And I certainly don't mean to indicate you are not supportive here, it just seemed to me that you were just a bit more focused on controversy with Casey than you were supporting sv in the posts you removed. But I forgive and forget. Your last post is what this thread was about.

On your question:
"Tony, you are saying that you agree with Casey that stress reduction, diet, and exercise can reduce or reverse PC progression? That is what he plainly stated above. I think all these things are good and can help with all cancer patients, but I don't believe for a minute that it reduces or can reverse progression."

Yes. You and I will have to disagree on this one. I believe that positive lifestyle changes can be a very productive weapon against prostate cancer, or any cancer for that matter, and I have seen examples. And if not life saving there is a quality of life improvement as well because diet, exercise, and other complimentary therapies promote a healthier person. I truly believe that the best way to approach treating prostate cancer is by treating the mind, body, and spirit. It's not just about treating tumors.

Peace,

Tony

David,
There is compelling evidence that being healthy and by improving ones immune system you can indeed reduce tumor sizes and even prolong life. In some cases, even induce a remission and extend it. This is the very basis for immunotherapy research.

I am open to anything that could do the same for me, too.

SV:
I was treated at the City of Hope, too. They have a terrific prostate cancer program. Tim Wilson was my surgeon and four years later he has agreed to come out to Las Vegas and will be doing a guest speaking spot for our UsTOO prostate cancer support group. I believe they have a very caring staff. They have a nutritionist on staff and I also believe that they have an oncology team that specializes in an integrative approach. I think it's a good idea to look into it. Here is a link to the Society of Integrative Oncology (SIO) that shows some of the very best at it:

www.integrativeonc.org/index.php/Integrative-Oncology-Practices/

Peace, and good healing!

Tony

very well written post, clock. i applaud you.

James,

I'm very open minded about the effects of diet.  I wish I could motivate myself to be more careful in that area.  There seems to be plenty of evidence, anecdotal and otherwise, that show that certain kinds of diets can have an effect on cancer:  either promoting cancer growth or hindering it.   And I really applaud both you and sv for your multi-pronged attack on the cancer:  mind and body.

The part that makes me nervous is where he says that during that 5-month period between diagnosis and treatment he attacked the cancer with meditation and positive thinking and convinced himself that the beast was in remission. 

I'm glad things worked out so well for him, but do you know of any studies that demonstrate a link purely between "positive thinking," "meditation," and cancer reduction?  And what about all those courageous warriors who have lost their battles with cancer?  Were they lacking in positive attitude?  Did they not meditate sufficiently?  A positive attitude never hurts, but I'll bet the secret to your success and sv's is in the dietary aspect rather than the meditative aspect.

'

 

Tony,
Reading your post, I don't find a thing I disagree with. I know I prayed like crazy after being diagnosed. I called on every saint and the spirit of every deceased relative to help me though this.......to at least give me the strength to deal with what I knew I would have to go through (though a miraculous cure would have been preferable). I meditated. I pictured the cancer tumor as the enemy, and I imagined my body attacking it and destroying it like PacMan devoured the little electronic images on the game board.

Whether the benefits of meditation are scientifically demonstrable, or whether it just helps a person cope and continue with a "normal" life, then it ain't all bad.

I certainly didn't mean to be critical in any way of sv's approach. His is an amazing story of courage. I just always get nervous when anything is said that might give the impression that those loved ones (e.g., my father) who have lost the battle have lost it because they failed to have sufficient "positive attitude" or perhaps didn't pray or meditate sufficiently. We all do what we can, and I think we should all do as much as we can in our struggle against the disease.