2. What were the clues?
I am often asked by men (and women) what it was that caused me to get checked out and eventually diagnosed with cancer. That's a fair question, and could literally mean life or death for some men.
It's been said that every man will eventually have Prostate Cancer if they live long enough. It is a relatively slow-growing cancer that in older men may not even be treated because it won't be the eventual cause of death. That information might be comforting, but it also might be life-threatening if the type of prostate cancer you get is not the slow-growing type but rather an aggressive type. Unfortunately for those of us in that category, our cancer goes undetected and untreated until it is too late to be cured.
In my case, I have been a pretty healthy guy who avoids doctors as if they are the cause of illness rather than the carriers of cures. Many years ago I had a physical where I endured my first DRE. Digital Rectal Exam. I wish that meant they used a computer program, but it actually means the doctor shoves his arm all the way up to his elbow in your #2 orifice. I am only slightly exaggerating even though most women roll their eyes and say "how cute" when men describe the awful suffering they experience during a DRE. (Who knew fingers were also called digits?)
During my first one, the doctor mentioned that my prostate seemed slightly enlarged. He asked if I was experiencing symptoms from that and I wondered what those symptoms might be. He said that an enlarged prostate would restrict flow from bladder to exit causing weak flow and incomplete emptying of the bladder, in turn causing the urge to go more frequently since the bladder is effectively operating at half capacity. At the time, I hadn't noticed much difference, so he suggested I watch for the symptoms and return if the symptoms became obvious. Since the medications for what we now refer to as BPH are intrusive in some ways, it might be better to delay taking them until the symptoms are more intrusive than the cure.
This past year, it seemed those symptoms became more pronounced. I knew I ought to go in for another DRE, but now I knew digital did not mean computer code. So I put it off. A friend of mine who had experience in such matters said to stop being a baby about it and go get it checked out since it was not something to mess around with, so I made an appointment.
He informed me about a blood test as well that measures PSA. If I was not interested in having the Digital Rectal Exam (DRE), why would I be interested in making a Public Service Announcement (PSA) about it? He set me straight, educating me about Prostate Specific Antigens (PSA) which are a measure of evidence of prostate cancer. That is an over-simplification, but in essence, a 0-4 measurement is considered normal, and higher numbers or upward trends are cause for concern. At the age of 58 I had never had my PSA checked.
In November of 2017 I was exhibiting product for our company (Chariot Concepts LLC) at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. On my trips to use the restroom I noticed that my time at the urinal was a losing time. (Everything is a race to me) While I stood there minding my own business, 3 other men would come and go, completing their business. I was being lapped multiple times.
In the back of my mind I was being slowly introduced to the idea I might have something more serious going on. God in His mercy had allowed me to hear from other men who had dealt with prostate cancer, and the term kept popping up.
Finally, on 11/29/2017 I went to my appointment with Dr McAfee for the dreaded DRE. After snapping his gloves into place (I'm experiencing PTSD at the memory of that sound) the good Doc told me to bend over and relax. Right.
It felt like he was assembling a Lego Ship in a Bottle and my rectum was the bottle.
10 seconds felt like an hour (Women, insert eye roll here) but when he was finished he said he felt an anomaly but wasn't sure what if anything it indicated. In other words, he felt something might not be right but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. (That was a hilarious pun. Go ahead and laugh...)
He decided it would be wise to refer me to a urologist and he also ordered a PSA test.
The next morning, Dr McAfee called me out of respect as well as a sense of urgency, informing me that my PSA test had come back at 26.1 and he had proactively made an appointment for me with a local urologist.
A process was begun that seemed to go from bad to worse with each step.
Bottom line (Another hilarious pun...) is this: My symptoms were NOT being caused by an enlarged prostate, but rather were being caused by a cancerous tumor that had escaped the boundaries of the prostate. Don't wait. PSA tests are easy and cheap. Lay down a track early so you can see the trend.
God had upped the pressure on Juli and I a couple of years ago when he led us away from a secure career, risking our finances in business. Our faith was already being tested and refined - something we would never trade away - and this new path was much less fearsome in light of the goodness of God we had already witnessed. A verse that I hold dear is this: "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn shining ever brighter til the full light of day."
We cannot see very far down the path, but the light we have is from Him, and that is enough.
It's been said that every man will eventually have Prostate Cancer if they live long enough. It is a relatively slow-growing cancer that in older men may not even be treated because it won't be the eventual cause of death. That information might be comforting, but it also might be life-threatening if the type of prostate cancer you get is not the slow-growing type but rather an aggressive type. Unfortunately for those of us in that category, our cancer goes undetected and untreated until it is too late to be cured.
In my case, I have been a pretty healthy guy who avoids doctors as if they are the cause of illness rather than the carriers of cures. Many years ago I had a physical where I endured my first DRE. Digital Rectal Exam. I wish that meant they used a computer program, but it actually means the doctor shoves his arm all the way up to his elbow in your #2 orifice. I am only slightly exaggerating even though most women roll their eyes and say "how cute" when men describe the awful suffering they experience during a DRE. (Who knew fingers were also called digits?)
During my first one, the doctor mentioned that my prostate seemed slightly enlarged. He asked if I was experiencing symptoms from that and I wondered what those symptoms might be. He said that an enlarged prostate would restrict flow from bladder to exit causing weak flow and incomplete emptying of the bladder, in turn causing the urge to go more frequently since the bladder is effectively operating at half capacity. At the time, I hadn't noticed much difference, so he suggested I watch for the symptoms and return if the symptoms became obvious. Since the medications for what we now refer to as BPH are intrusive in some ways, it might be better to delay taking them until the symptoms are more intrusive than the cure.
This past year, it seemed those symptoms became more pronounced. I knew I ought to go in for another DRE, but now I knew digital did not mean computer code. So I put it off. A friend of mine who had experience in such matters said to stop being a baby about it and go get it checked out since it was not something to mess around with, so I made an appointment.
He informed me about a blood test as well that measures PSA. If I was not interested in having the Digital Rectal Exam (DRE), why would I be interested in making a Public Service Announcement (PSA) about it? He set me straight, educating me about Prostate Specific Antigens (PSA) which are a measure of evidence of prostate cancer. That is an over-simplification, but in essence, a 0-4 measurement is considered normal, and higher numbers or upward trends are cause for concern. At the age of 58 I had never had my PSA checked.
In November of 2017 I was exhibiting product for our company (Chariot Concepts LLC) at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. On my trips to use the restroom I noticed that my time at the urinal was a losing time. (Everything is a race to me) While I stood there minding my own business, 3 other men would come and go, completing their business. I was being lapped multiple times.
In the back of my mind I was being slowly introduced to the idea I might have something more serious going on. God in His mercy had allowed me to hear from other men who had dealt with prostate cancer, and the term kept popping up.
Finally, on 11/29/2017 I went to my appointment with Dr McAfee for the dreaded DRE. After snapping his gloves into place (I'm experiencing PTSD at the memory of that sound) the good Doc told me to bend over and relax. Right.
It felt like he was assembling a Lego Ship in a Bottle and my rectum was the bottle.
10 seconds felt like an hour (Women, insert eye roll here) but when he was finished he said he felt an anomaly but wasn't sure what if anything it indicated. In other words, he felt something might not be right but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. (That was a hilarious pun. Go ahead and laugh...)
He decided it would be wise to refer me to a urologist and he also ordered a PSA test.
The next morning, Dr McAfee called me out of respect as well as a sense of urgency, informing me that my PSA test had come back at 26.1 and he had proactively made an appointment for me with a local urologist.
A process was begun that seemed to go from bad to worse with each step.
Bottom line (Another hilarious pun...) is this: My symptoms were NOT being caused by an enlarged prostate, but rather were being caused by a cancerous tumor that had escaped the boundaries of the prostate. Don't wait. PSA tests are easy and cheap. Lay down a track early so you can see the trend.
God had upped the pressure on Juli and I a couple of years ago when he led us away from a secure career, risking our finances in business. Our faith was already being tested and refined - something we would never trade away - and this new path was much less fearsome in light of the goodness of God we had already witnessed. A verse that I hold dear is this: "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn shining ever brighter til the full light of day."
We cannot see very far down the path, but the light we have is from Him, and that is enough.
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