Next Decision Day - July 19th, 2007

This past week I received another important invitation; I have to go a visit Dr. R. on July 19 in the afternoon. I will need to provide yet another sample of blood to see were my PSA level is at prior to this appointment. Dr. R. is the Urologist who performed my operation and specializes in prostate cancer. He also is an professor at Dalhousie University. He credentials are very good.

But probably his most important gift (at least for me) is ability to make a serious problem (like the monster) more personal. "A" and I had my first meeting with Dr. R. a couple of weeks before my booked surgery and he outlined the issues VERY clearly to me. His number one priority was removing the cancer. He would NOT perform nerve sparing surgery that would have increased my erection odds. No sir ... the monster had to go; fooling around took a back seat.

What cinched the deal for me was Dr. R. comments about his personal situation. This is a young guy, however, he indicated there is history of prostate cancer in his family. Although he made it very clear the decision was mine to make, he indicated that if he was in my shoes (and he expected to be there someday) he would go with surgery. He said this would give him the best chance to recover and this action would provide him future options as well (radiation and hormone therapy if necessary). This was a very powerful and calming statement. It provided me clarity.

Therefore when I meet with Dr. R. on July 19, I will be asking him what I should do regarding radiation therapy ... go or no go. The PSA reading and what he tells me will have a big impact on what I do in August.

If the PSA is detected, I will do radiation.

If Dr. R. tells me he would do the radiation, I will do radiation.

If Dr. R. tells me to implement the watchful waiting strategy, I will get my PSA checked every 3 months for a least a year. If a PSA reading is detected and/or increases, I will get radiation therapy.

The advantage of the 3rd option is to allow my plumbing connections the time necessary to heal properly. Also not doing radiation also eliminates the possibility of damage to the colon.

For now, I am shying away from the short term hormone therapy. But this can change if there is a positive PSA reading.

Until then, I will do more studying, meet with more people and come up with a list of questions to ask Dr. R.