I just returned from a 2 day evaluation with the Cancer Treatment Centers of America at their Atlanta facility. The facility there is amazing. You do not get the feeling that you are in a hospital, even when you are in the exam rooms. Everyone that I met was very friendly and seemed genuinely interested in helping me to beat cancer. They were very informative and answered any and all questions that we had. While there, they reviewed all of my previous tests and biopsy slides and actually downgraded my Gleason score from a 9 to an 8, which was a good thing. However they also determined that I had only received a regular bone scan a couple weeks ago so they ordered an MRI. The MRI showed evidence that the cancer has started to spread into the surrounding tissue. The urologist stated that this changes the course of surgical treatment drastically. Instead of a nerve sparring surgery, he would now have to take as much tissue as possible without damaging my other organs in order to try and get all of the cancer. Time now becomes an even more important factor, as he said I need to do something soon. He indicated that later I would need radiation therapy every day for 8 weeks as a precaution in case not all cells were caught. Also he said that even if I had the surgery in Atlanta, I could do radiation closer to home. That would be a big help. They also did an MRI of my thyroid nodule and the parotid nodule and ultrasounds of the testicular nodule and the thyroid nodule.. I will get a call on Monday with those findings. Now I am faced with arguably the biggest decision of my life; when and where to do the surgery, Hickory or Atlanta. I am also considering trying to get in to the Levine Cancer Center in Charlotte, but that may take time and time is not a luxury I have a lot of at the moment. I will place my trust in the hands of the big guy upstairs. I pray that he gives me the wisdom to know the right decision to make and then the courage to make it. David
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 00:31:03 +0000