We have just returned from ten days of pure pampering...ten days filled with great wine, remarkable food, and wonderful sunshine. Relaxation was the name of the game with little attention paid to physical fitness. And then I opened my accumulated mail.
The first newsletter I read contained a very brief article describing a recent study finding the addition of just five pounds of body weight with a year following prostate surgery is correlated to a statistically significant increased chance of reoccurring. Five pounds!? Hell, I did that in ice cream the first week.
I believe the lesson to be learned here...avoid reading.
During our trip, I had the opportunity to meet many wonderful people from all over the world. And had conversations with two regarding their experience with prostate cancer. One gentleman, Bob, had elected for surgery and was doing extremely well...he is eighty-five years old, but one would never guess it. This had been his third cancer diagnosis and he said, “It was an easy decision. Get it out of here!” Bob and his wife were great fun...as long as the Blackjack dealer was turning the right cards.
The second gentleman was a retired attorney (OK, attorneys never really retire...they just lose their briefs) who had elected external beam radiation more than twenty years ago, “When I was just sixty-four,” he told me, and he's was still going strong (no pun intended...we didn't talk about that).
Once again, every survivor is a strong advocate for their chosen treatment. In addition, these two were both engaging, entertaining, enjoyable men who have chosen to live their lives to the fullest. Another lesson to be learned...and lived.
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