On Wednesday at 1015AM October 13th, my body was intact with no parts missing. At two AM, Thursday October 14th, I awakened in someone else's bed. Lahey Hospital's. At 3AM, I sat in a large leather reclining chair (I tried wheeling it to my car, but the nurses stopped me) giving thanks for thoughtful and caring friends. Exactly 24 hours after the anesthesiologist put me under, I stood in my kitchen with a catheter and one rather important body part missing. Boy, that all happened rather fast!
The sequence of doctor's visits, surgery, and follow-up force me to ask, "what matters?" Our wealth or our health? You might think, "Health, of course!" Someone else might reply, "Wealth; my health will take care of itself if I have plenty of money."
Health never takes care of itself. All kinds of stuff goes on under the skin that needs attention. Overlooking, procrastinating, disliking doctors will not slow-down the creeping effects of cancer or other ailments. Prostate cancer kills. Men need to take careful steps to protect themselves. Actions may not ward off cancer (they did not for me); they will allow time to manage it quickly and wisely. Most men just do not get it.
I get many questions, "What did they do?" "Did they take part of your prostate or all of it?" Is it a "prostrate" or a "prostate"? What is a PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test? Each question is loaded with nuance and fear. This newsletter permits my sharing some valuable thoughts and suggestions. If you like wealth, you better become responsible for your health.
Here are suggestions and observations about prostate cancer. Just the same, knowledge and action encourage a healthy prognosis.
Facts men and women should know
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