I think i should write about myself some considering how much I'm asking here. I'm worried about coming off the wrong way. Its I got C and I'm just trying, just humbly, respectfully trying.
I do all this from a tablet mostly, android, with spell mischecker created by something eviler than devil! I've always had this theory though that college is over, so long as the point is communicated the job is done and the
mission is defined. Perfect english gets to the point of being improperly used to bash others coworkers, clients etc... So i believe in merican in merica, iffen perfect english is desired go to england.
I was born and raised in the emerald triangle, mostly trinity county. I am a 4th generation logger that saved my money when i young working in sawmills, ski instructor in winter if laid off, and some choker sitten. When i went to college i did it alone on my own, my mom and subsuquently my family told me i would fail, to quit college and return to work, wouldn't sign for me to get college loans or write a letter to the register guru at college saying they wouldn't help me so i could get assistance. It took 7 years to get that civil engineering degree. i graduated with something like 18 extra credits, only needed 1 more class for another bachelor of science in civil engineering degree. I susequently got an engineering license and spent 30+ years doing that, was offered incentitive pay to keep working, and recognized for things like changing the program at a national level, working on projects that were the result of supreme court decision/s, My name (work) has been dropped on the floors of the house and senate twice, for funding, which makes me a part of the congressional record/american history. The biggest contract i let was 1.2 million. I ended up raising my sons alone. I ended up with cancer, i would have worked longer but i wanted to get some retirement out of life. Plus i was literally beat, 2 sons, work, cancer, assistant baseball and football coach..
14 years ago i took my son in for ingrown toe nail. Was run down pretty good and had got a bad cold bronchitus which was going away, then junior bought a 3 day cold from school which was going away also, but it felt funny when i pissed (which was also getting better) I was piggy backing my son across the river and humping a mile down the river decoying ducks with junior sweating hard in the extreme january cold, right after football. I pushed myself to hard and i believed that what started the cancer. I mentioned the feeling funny when i pissed to the doc, he said piss in the cup, he said theres blood in there. Sent to urologist I spiked a psa of 13, had urinary track infection, one month of leviquin my psa was 2.2, urologist said see ya you don't have prostate cancer, i started arguing for biopsies, wouldnt leave got a 3 month appointment. My dad died at 64 from PC, diagnosed at 59, it was too late. I started reading, first the library,
then the internet. Came to the conclusion that ANY URINARY EVENT COULD BE A SIGN OF PC. I was sure i didnt have it, but my sons have nobody but me, their mom was dead, no grandparents, no uncles aunts etc. I was taking no chances. Two more appoints with urologist argueing with him the whole time. Urologist caved i got biopsies, was sure i didn't have cancer, the biopsies came back positive in five percent of 2 samples, very small amount. PCa, T1c or T2a because close to left nerve bundle, gleason 7. I'm deer in headlights. Doctor wanted to wait, do nothing, said it would take 4 or 5 years to discover it if i hadn't insisted on biopsies, arguement started again. I went all over town, i dont have money to go to mayo clinic or something, plus my sons the youndest was around 10, plus i'm a low roller cash wise. I don't have nothing, but i don't owe much either. I called my mom to get my dads cancer info to help me, she asked if she was in my will! No call from any relative, ever, but 2 calls from relatives when they got breast and PCa. Asked me all these questions and never mentioned my cancer. I cry alone, i do the path alone. I'll have it no other way now. 6 weeks later the prostate was out, laproscopic operation not robot assisted. They said small 1cubic centimeter tumor, they got it 96% chance. I'm like the deer in headlights that said OK. FYI, i worked out 2 or 3 days a week, ran 3 miles 3 or 4 days a week, weighed 185-195. 3 or 4 years later my friends and urologist telling to quit worry about it, quit reading about it, you're in better shape than all my other patients, you're in better shape than me i'm 20 years younger than you and i can't keep up with you skiing and hunting. I caved stopped worrying, reading, freaking about the heriditary prostate cancer i had. I bought a 21ft jet boat. 3 months later i was doing radiation, and started lupron hormone therapy, my PSA had risen to 0.17 i think. Eat the carrot, stay in good shape, be active didn't work with my heriditary PCa. I study it enough that the urologist got sick of my questions, told me to stop that was his job, that i know more about PCa than most general doctors.
I gained 50-60 pounds in like 4 months, its still there. That was 2010ish. After 2 1/2 years of lupron (which is chemo) they took me off it, my testrone came back 11/2 years later and so did my PSA like 0.15 again. Was put back on lupron. Urologist retired, but he still sees some and has office up north 1 hr drive, passed his failure to the new young buck Uro he recuited is my guess.
Fast forward to now. PSA rising, 3 month appointments PSA's: .05, .07, .09, .08, .11, .17, .22 if i remember that was november. In sept. Had 4th nuclear bone scan, 4th CAT with dye. Lupron worked for something like 8 1/2 yrs.
Was sent to the meanest onocologist in the west, who has saved people i know with other cancers. He added Erleada (appalutimide), another chemo. Supposed to give my another 20 months life on the back end. My PSA has went back to 0.02. Now i have a urologist, onocologist, am on 2 chemos lupron and appalutimide, plus prolia bone medicine. The appalutimide is $10,000 a month, 4 pills a day.
Now i see a urologist and onocologist.
This onocologist did not save my friend and coworker with kidney, liver, brain cancer that was told it was from heavy metals, that I was sent to help survey abandoned mines with a little, that are super fund sites now. Plus did not save my friend/coworker with brain cancer that was a Vietnam vet that worked with agent orange (loaded it on the planes), and surveyed abandoned mines all over the state, more hazardous heavy metal cleanups. Plus I did a superfund site uranium in New Mexico by Mt. Taylor, i surveyed the navajo nation by the abandoned uranium mines that the tailing ponds broke in and flooded the puerco (wash) all the way to pheonix from new mexico. All of my crew and i got sick and had allergy problems there. This is the place that Dan Rather and Walter Chroncite reported on with 2 headed goats and little navajo babies having high cancer rates...
So this is funky ass me. Please don't be offended by my questions or personality. Or the way i ask. If you got to know me i bet you'd think i'm ok enough. I have cancer, my friends get cancer they call me, their wives call me. 1 colon cancer that wont try cco, 2 breast cancers, another prostate. I figure out the CCO thing for them. I travel to make it for them. They wont go to a dispensary, they wont read study anything if they do its briefly, then they are back to me. I didn't ask for the cancer, nor do i tell them i know what i'm doing, i do tell them what i've read what i know and to not depend on me being right.
the only reason I'm trying CCO is because the price has come down enough for me to try it, i'm a low roller. I knew about RSO years ago. I have not went to my emerald triangle friends i grew up with, its to crazy and scary there. I'll go visit, go fishing with them but thats it. Anyone watch Murder Mountain on netflix...that chit is kinda real all around there. The first CAMP operation was at one of my childhood fishing spots in the late 70's. I have a friend in medford that lives down the road where rick s. Lived or lives now. There is no breaks or handouts from them, we don't use them, i'd have it no other way. I'll take advantage of no one. I'll help anyone, I'll refuse anything from them except maybe dinner or fishing buddies, and friendship of course.
Some docs say 'you have a tumor' till they get to know me and change to biochemical failure, some say its biochemical failure from the start. With prostate cancer the standard of care is play with it one little treatment at a time. With other cancers they grade it and start with the drugs and treatments that are the most aggressive at first.
Humbly, respectfully
CS
