I am now 63 years of age, happily married and very happily having raised 5 wonderful children who are now adults. I am also the proud grandparent of 6 lovely, healthy and active grandchildren. I retired early to escape a shrinking corporation and had to face some financial planning issues to adjust to a new economic position. I had an insurance physical in October of 2004 as part of the planning process and the blood work revealed an elevated PSA. My doctor immediately referred me for both a prostate checkup and a colonoscopy.
The next 60 days were a very dark time. During a prostate exam, the urologist discovered a tumor in my rectum. I then had positive prostate and colorectal biopsies and an unsuccessful surgery attempting to remove the colorectal tumor on January 13, 2005 (the tumor was too deeply involved to be removed by the type of surgery being performed). I was told by the surgeon and his urology partner that I should have both my rectum and prostate removed. This procedure would leave me with a permanent ostomy. My personal physician recommended that we seek a second opinion.
Subsequently, I was referred to Dr. Ephraim Casper; a Medical Oncologist specializing in gastro-intestinal cancers at the New Jersey based Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center now in Basking Ridge, NJ. The day I walked into his office things began to turn around. Dr. Casper was very compassionate and sat with my wife, Linda, and I for at least an hour, exploring my case history and explaining possible treatments. His first gift was to let us know that although multiple cancers can be very challenging, he was confident that both cancers were treatable, giving us real hope for the first time in two very dark months. He suggested I see Dr. W. Douglas Wong, Chief of Colo-rectal Surgery at MSKCC Manhattan, for a consultation and an Endorectal Ultrasound (ERUS). Dr. Wong's ERUS reading confirmed that my tumor was stage T3. I saw Urologist Dr. Bernard Bochner at MSKCC in Manhattan. Dr.s Wong, Casper and Bochner recommended two months of radiation and chemotherapy followed by surgery to remove the tumor and repair the rectum. After surgery, there would be 4 more months of chemotherapy, followed by brachytherapy for the prostate. They based their decision on both sound medical data and on my age and life style. Dr. Casper stated that my cancer should not affect my lifespan. I became committed to make that prognosis true.
I breezed through the first 6 weeks of radiation and chemo, but the last two weeks caught up with me a bit. Dr. Wong performed the surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in Manhattan on June 10, 2005. The results confirmed Dr. Wong's initial ERUS. The tumor was T3 and Dr. Wong was confident that he had removed all of the malignancy. The pathology report showed the lymph nodes were normal. Make no mistake, a Low Anterior Resection with an ileostomy is major invasive surgery. The post operative pain is significant, and it might be easy to fall into a pit of despair if you do not enjoy the good fortune to have a wonderful group of family and friends behind you. I owe so much to my wife, Linda, our children, our extended family and so many wonderful friends who would not let me have a moment to feel sorry for myself.
I went back in to MSKCC in Manhattan for reconstructive surgery on Dec. 9. Dr. Wong reversed my ileostomy and removed the IV port. The surgery went very well and I was released on Dec. 12 to recover at home. I can only reiterate my positive experience at Sloan Kettering. The staff is very professional and compassionate.
To me, the lessons are many: Be serious about your preventive medicine, be aggressive with your cancer screening, especially if you have any family history. Pay attention to your diet, explore anti-cancer foods and supplements and research the foods you eat. Eliminate things that are high risk. If you are diagnosed with cancer, rely on family and friends and let them be involved. It helps everyone to help and be helped. Eat well, research diet programs designed for cancer patients! Get fit! I know that my fitness regimen helped me through the radiation and chemotherapy treatments. I was able to continue a relatively active lifestyle, including racquetball competition, even when on continuous infusion. Finally, if you are diagnosed with cancer, get a second opinion from someone who has a real track record with your disease before you submit to any treatment or surgery. If you have any doubt about a prognosis or treatment protocol, resolve it first because your own confidence is as important to your recovery as the treatment itself. Delve into the three keys for successful treatment that are so strongly stated by Lance Armstrong; 1) Unity is Strength. 2) Knowledge is Power. 3) Attitude is Everything.
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