Post by Rick Redner on Aug 9, 2013 10:58:08 GMT -5
I'll never forget the day my Urologist gave me a DRE. He said he felt "a suspicious lump" and that he wanted to schedule me for a a biopsy. He was quick to point out the "lump" could be benign, but I knew better. Some men are able to delay the terror until they receive the biopsy results. Not me. I'd seen too many people die from cancer.
I didn't want to believe I had cancer so I vacillated back and forth. One minute certain I had cancer, the next hopeful I had a benign growth. I had to wait a few weeks before I could get my biopsy. My wife and I had many sleepless nights.
You can decide how and where you want to receive the results. I did not want to go into the office of get the results. I wanted to be in the privacy of my home with my wife. Therefore, I asked my Urologist to call me at home once he received the biopsy results.
Early on a Sunday morning my phone rang. The last person I expected to hear from on a Sunday was my Urologist. As soon as I heard the tone of his voice when he said hello, I knew what was coming next was not good news. I had prostate cancer.
It was now official. There was no denying it. I had a palpable lump and Gleason scores of 3+4 which the Doctor said was "mildly aggressive" When I hung up the phone I was in a daze. My word had crumbled around me. Dozens of questions popped into my mind.
The most painful were:
Will I live long enough to become a grandparent?
Will I live long enough to see my all my children married?
It was a frightening and vulnerable time as I came to grips with how fragile and quickly I lost my sense of being healthy. All the plans I made for growing old were now threatened. I came across this article two years after my surgery. I wish I'd read it the day I was diagnosed. Here's a link to that article. It was written by a Christian man the eve before his surgery.
Ten Ways Not to Waste Your Cancer
I pray that you make good choices now that you've been diagnosed with prostate cancer. There will be many decisions you'll need to make from this point on.
Obviously one of the most important is how to treat your cancer. Believe it or not there are other important choices such as how cancer will affect your orientation to life and how your diagnosis will affect your most important relationships. Over the years I've seen relationships/marriages grow stronger while others get blown apart.
One the most important pieces of advice I can give you is DO NOT GO ON THIS JOURNEY ALONE. You need a team.
If you want to hear more from me and my wife I encourage you to take a peek at our book on Amazon.com.
Here's the link:
I Left My Prostate in San Francisco-Where's Yours?
You can also visit my website which is packed with information for those men/couples thinking about the surgical option:
whereisyourprostate.com
Another great site is UsTOO-Here's a link to the information for those newly diagnosed. After reading this take time to go through their site it an amazing source of information: UsToo International-Newly Diagnosed
Here's another very helpful link if you've just received the news or you want additional information:
The" New" Prostate Cancer Info Link
Obtaining information, getting support from friends. hearing from people further along the journey are all important things to put together. Prayer is also important. Now is the time to cultivate rather than neglect your spiritual life. Here's two songs which greatly encouraged me:
Help Is On The Way
Blessings
This thread is a place you can share your own reactions to receiving this awful news and the things that encouraged and helped you on your journey.
Rick
I didn't want to believe I had cancer so I vacillated back and forth. One minute certain I had cancer, the next hopeful I had a benign growth. I had to wait a few weeks before I could get my biopsy. My wife and I had many sleepless nights.
You can decide how and where you want to receive the results. I did not want to go into the office of get the results. I wanted to be in the privacy of my home with my wife. Therefore, I asked my Urologist to call me at home once he received the biopsy results.
Early on a Sunday morning my phone rang. The last person I expected to hear from on a Sunday was my Urologist. As soon as I heard the tone of his voice when he said hello, I knew what was coming next was not good news. I had prostate cancer.
It was now official. There was no denying it. I had a palpable lump and Gleason scores of 3+4 which the Doctor said was "mildly aggressive" When I hung up the phone I was in a daze. My word had crumbled around me. Dozens of questions popped into my mind.
The most painful were:
Will I live long enough to become a grandparent?
Will I live long enough to see my all my children married?
It was a frightening and vulnerable time as I came to grips with how fragile and quickly I lost my sense of being healthy. All the plans I made for growing old were now threatened. I came across this article two years after my surgery. I wish I'd read it the day I was diagnosed. Here's a link to that article. It was written by a Christian man the eve before his surgery.
Ten Ways Not to Waste Your Cancer
I pray that you make good choices now that you've been diagnosed with prostate cancer. There will be many decisions you'll need to make from this point on.
Obviously one of the most important is how to treat your cancer. Believe it or not there are other important choices such as how cancer will affect your orientation to life and how your diagnosis will affect your most important relationships. Over the years I've seen relationships/marriages grow stronger while others get blown apart.
One the most important pieces of advice I can give you is DO NOT GO ON THIS JOURNEY ALONE. You need a team.
If you want to hear more from me and my wife I encourage you to take a peek at our book on Amazon.com.
Here's the link:
I Left My Prostate in San Francisco-Where's Yours?
You can also visit my website which is packed with information for those men/couples thinking about the surgical option:
whereisyourprostate.com
Another great site is UsTOO-Here's a link to the information for those newly diagnosed. After reading this take time to go through their site it an amazing source of information: UsToo International-Newly Diagnosed
Here's another very helpful link if you've just received the news or you want additional information:
The" New" Prostate Cancer Info Link
Obtaining information, getting support from friends. hearing from people further along the journey are all important things to put together. Prayer is also important. Now is the time to cultivate rather than neglect your spiritual life. Here's two songs which greatly encouraged me:
Help Is On The Way
Blessings
This thread is a place you can share your own reactions to receiving this awful news and the things that encouraged and helped you on your journey.
Rick