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Patient Stories
1 Man, 4 Doctors, 3 Types of Cancer
Twelve years into cancer survival, Al M. wins a greater battle for life
“He is a prize fighter. I’ve never met anyone as tough as him in my life.”These words don’t properly convey the impressive character of Al M., as his wife, Judy, attempts to explain the resilience, optimism and strength her husband embodies.
During his lifetime, Al has battled prostate cancer, penile cancer and colon cancer – and lived to tell the tale.
In 1999, Al was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Following his doctor’s orders, he underwent a prostatectomy. While there was no presence of cancer outside the prostate, his physician recommended preventative radiation. Al obliged and endured 16 weeks of radiation treatments, not realizing how it would affect his future.
Twelve years later at the age of 72, Al felt something unfamiliar when he sat down in his chair. A small almond-shaped growth had emerged where his leg met his gluteal muscles. Concerned, he made an appointment with a general surgeon.
Cutting-Edge Technology-
Fights Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer survivor Jon B. embraces new “GPS” Calypso technology and recovers with minimal side effects.
“You have prostate cancer.”Not only did Jon B. have prostate cancer, he had a prostate specific antigen (PSA) level of 44 and a Gleason score of 10. In the world of cancer diagnoses, these numbers are off the charts. A PSA above four is considered suspicious, while a PSA over 20 is considered to be an extremely high level of elevation. The Gleason score, a numerical grade based on tumor patterns, ranges from 1 to 10, with 10 as the most serious prognosis.
Jon wasn’t completely blindsided. There had been symptoms – the need to urinate two or three times per night, the lengthier amount of time required to empty his bladder and a weakened urine stream. He had never experienced any pain.
Bouncing back from incontinence
During a vacation drive from Austria to Italy six years ago, Trinidad Frias was struck with an uncomfortable and inconvenient problem. She always had to go. Anticipating this, she had made a final trip to the bathroom before hitting the road, but her bladder had other plans. With no other options, Trinidad found herself on the side of the road relieving herself over and over during the 600-mile drive.“I was always going, going, going,” she says. “I was having accidents. It made life so difficult and the constant worry of an accident was always in the back of my mind.”
Not one to back down from a problem, Trinidad employed the spunky, optimistic spirit she has always been known for. Determined, she began jumping on a trampoline hopes that exercise could end her incontinence. She religiously jumped 100-200 times per day, occasionally with the company of her three great-grandsons. Her cardiac health grew, she lost weight and her mobility improved – but she still had unexpected leaks and accidents.
A routine physical reveals more
Greg Miller had been diligent in check-ups and doctor appointments his entire 58 years of life. In fact, his job required it. Bi-annual physicals were necessary to maintain the commercial driver’s license Greg needed for his job as an Operating Engineer crane operator.After he retired, though, Greg considered letting his license lapse. He had a change of heart at the last minute, and went in for another physical.
Walking in to the office and feeling great, Greg didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary. But the routine physical revealed heightened Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels. After visiting a local urologist and having a 12-point needle biopsy, the results came back positive for prostate cancer.
As Greg faced the disease and treatment options available, he wanted to find the treatment that had the highest cure rate, least amount of complications and the best quality of life after treatment. Doctors explained to him that the earlier prostate cancer is detected and diagnosed, the more treatment options there are available.
How a doctor’s visit helped save my life
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Bill and his wife Debbie with
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In addition to pursuing a healthy lifestyle, Bill was religious about going in for his annual physicals. Little did he know that several unexpected doctor visits would eventually help save his life.
In 2009, Bill had persisting pain in his left lower back that became a concern. An ultrasound found swollen glands that weren't progressing, but also weren't healing. Over two months, he lost 20 pounds. He knew something was wrong, and so did his oncologist.
After a negative first biopsy, a second biopsy tested positive. At the age of 58, Bill was diagnosed with stage two non-Hodgkins Lymphoma just two days before Christmas. Pursuing treatment as quickly as possible, Bill underwent chemotherapy from January until April of 2010.
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