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The commitment to protecting the health of others has guided my career for decades, from training Air Force pilots to avoid hypoxia or NASA astronauts from surviving in pressurized space capsules. This commitment also led me to obtain a master's degree in public health from the UT.
In this context, I could hardly ignore the need to protect my own health.
So, when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017, I knew I had to take steps to stay healthy in the long run – not just to continue my safety engineering job at the NASA, but also to continue playing golf with my friends on the courses of Scotland in Palm Springs. In hindsight, this advice may have saved my life because, as I later learned, African-American men like me are twice as likely to die from cancer in the United States. prostate than white men.
Because my years in the air force included situations of reduced severity, I had the habit of undergoing medical examinations every year and I always pay attention to my health . About 20 years ago, I started taking the PSA test, which is the prostate-specific antigen test that can be used to monitor a potential disease in the prostate. In early 2017, my PSA rate had reached 5 and I was advised to see a urologist.
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Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but it was at an early stage, so I had some medical options.
I could simply do nothing and submit to active surveillance – more commonly known as "watchful waiting" – where my doctor and I kept an eye on the slow progress of cancer. This choice might work for some patients. But I was told that if I did nothing, I was probably going to live another 10 years and even though I'm now 74, I have more life to live than that!
Another option that I envisioned was a radical prostatectomy, where the entire prostate is removed by a surgeon. However, after this operation, my urologist told me that the return of urinary and badual function could take up to two years, if at all. Incontinence and impotence are the two common side effects of this procedure. Radical surgery did not seem like the right choice for me.
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My urologist also said that I could be irradiated, but the long-term side effects were similar to those of a prostatectomy.
Then one of my gym friends let me know that he had seen an advertisement about a procedure called High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, or HIFU. With HIFU, the doctor uses ultrasound probes to heat and burn diseased prostate tissue.
My urologist had reservations about HIFU, but considering my background in public health, I decided to look at the numbers and get a second opinion. One of my friends had heard that Dr. Brian Miles of Houston Methodist Hospital was one of the best urologists in the United States and was also an oncologist. After checking Dr. Miles' references, I made an appointment with him.
At the time, I did not know that Dr. Miles had performed the HIFU procedure. He confirmed the diagnosis – and also verified that I was a candidate at the UHF. I liked the idea of this non-invasive option, its relatively short downtime as well as the possibility of a positive return to a normal urological function. I was also delighted to be able to get the procedure in Houston and not have to leave the country to get it.
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The procedure took place a week before Hurricane Harvey reached Houston at the end of August 2017 and it only took about an hour and a half. I went home the same day. Fortunately, I did not have to evacuate and anyway, nothing moved for weeks. I returned to work on September 11, 2017.
As Dr. Miles had told me before the surgery, I had to wear a catheter for a short time due to swelling of my prostate. And this usually happens after treatment with HIFU. However, the catheter was finally removed and I finally managed to wear a tampon for occasional incontinence cases. Today, I do not even need it anymore, because incontinence is no longer a problem.
I am very happy to have chosen the HIFU option. I am also grateful to all the dedicated people who were with me, including my family and friends.
I consider myself lucky because I have been diligent to receive my annual physical checkup and I feel honored to share my challenge with prostate cancer.
My advice to other men – especially to African-American men, who are at even greater risk – is to find a doctor you trust and follow the professional advice given to you. I hope that, to a certain extent, I will be able to encourage somebody else, who may be reluctant, to get the treatment needed to become a prostate cancer survivor, with the help of the doctor. help from my doctors and the HIFU!
Read more stories like this on The Mighty:
How nutrition can be your ally when prostate cancer is diagnosed
A new paradigm to make love with prostate cancer
Medical screening has saved my life: my history of treating prostate cancer
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