Pratoman said...
I get what you are saying regarding treatment regret. I have to say though, for me, right now, if they find it, even if its G6 (i'M USUALLY not that lucky in life) i already have plans to see Samadi and Tewari, and pick onE. I'm just not built for AS, I will be miserable.
Who knows though, if it happens, and sh** gets real, maybe I'll change my mind.
I appreciate your response, and wisdom.
Up to you, of course, Pratoman. Keep these two things in mind:
One, just getting your prostate cancer diagnosed and treated does not mean a doctor has saved your life, or even given you longer to live. The science in the studies simply has not shown that to be true. I am please that those who have had a diagnosis are glad they went through the ordeal and feel it has made a difference for them, but I listen with bemusement when they go around preaching that their life has been saved. While many, many men are unwittingly rushed into a drastic operation without a full understanding of the consequences, they defend their surgeon (the one who did the rushing) with the notion that he "saved their lives," when in fact for low-risk patients the surgery probably had no impact on their longevity.
Two, life on Acitve Surveillance can actually be quite good. Dr Lawrence Klotz (probably the world's leading expert on AS) was asked to comment on this in a recent panel discussion. He was asked if men on AS suffered from high anxiety by deferring treatment. Dr Klotz responded that their anxiety in the early years was about the same as anxiety for patients undergoing treatment, but that men on AS frequently were "ebullient" after being on AS for a few years; they looked at the side effects their friends were enduring who had had active treatment, and they were delighted they had NOT gone that route.
And finally, remember this old saying: "Prostate treatment may not help you live longer, but it will make your life feel longer."