ProtonPals

SURVIVING  PROSTATE CANCER WITHOUT SURGERY
Terry Lavy (CURED 10/2/08)

I am selling nothing; my only reward is the satisfaction I get by passing on information about what I am convinced is the very best  prostate cancer cure available.   The most important things  about the proton radiation  treatment I received are:1)  it is  non-invasive (no needles,  lasers or cutting  2) no hospitalization  and 3) no side-effects like incontinence, impotency or need for catheters. I have updated some of the information I may have shared with you earlier.  Please pass this on to anyone who may know of a person or persons just diagnosed  with prostate cancer.  

MY STORY
One of the most alarming calls I have ever received was the one from my  urologist when he said   "I’m sorry to inform you but your biopsy has shown that  you have prostate cancer"! My first reaction on March 4, 2008 was shock and  disbelief,  since I had had no symptoms or any real reason to be suspicious  other than the fact that my annual PSA reading  was 5.1 and 15 months earlier it  had been 3.85.  Earlier, two of my family physicians had indicated to me that a  PSA of  4.0 was acceptable (not really suspicious) for someone 70 yeas old ( I  was 72 at that time). I now know that someone with a PSA of 2  may have cancer  and some with a PSA of 15 or higher could be cancer-free.  A 12 to 24 biopsy  sample is the real criteria needed to determine the presence or absence of  prostate cancer.  A slow rise in PSA level is expected and acceptable as one  ages; however rapid increases, or any increase of 0.75 OR MORE between checkups,  should result in you getting a biopsy as soon as possible. Some really great  news regarding prostate cancer is that most forms are relatively slow growing  and one of the easiest kinds of cancer to cure! Within 2 days of my local  urologist sitting down and explaining in detail,  five or six of the common  methods of eliminating prostate cancer ( and never mentioning Proton Radiation  Therapy) and attempting to set up a treatment date for me,  I had the ultimate  good fortune of being contacted by a recently treated MD Anderson patient who  had just received Proton Radiation Therapy. Immediately after I told him that my  PSA was 5.1 and my Gleason score was 7,  he exclaimed "Do not worry one more  second about your cancer- you can assume that you are cancer free and your  cancer is a thing of the past".  I was both shocked and elated, but somewhat questioning, to hear him say this!

He knew that my PSA under 20 and Gleason of 7 scores qualified me for Proton Radiation Therapy at MD Anderson.  He gave me their Houston  hot-line number (713-563-9398) and the very next day I called them to inquire in earnest regarding his optimism and their potential treatment. The radiation nurse practitioner (Ty) pretty much confirmed all he had told me; however the waiting list of 4 to 6 months and the 5-days a week  treatments (38 days over a 2-month period) made me skeptical whether I could arrange that.  With immediate encouragement from my wife and family I  made the decision to get on their list.After hearing the good news from the earlier treated patient (who is now my caring friend) and talking with MD Anderson, from that moment to this time my concern regarding my prostate cancer has been totally gone!

I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to receive what I believe to be the very best and easiest treatment currently available.  Since I had never spent a night in a  hospital and not very fond of knives and needles, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that for over 17 years, Proton Radiation Therapy patients were being routinely treated (and cured as stated by many, many former patients) with no cutting, no pain, no catheters, and best of all  no incontinence  or other side effects !!

In Houston we found excellent and relatively inexpensive housing (a 40 ft rental trailer ) at a RV Court about 8 minutes, and very little traffic, from the Proton Radiation Treatment Center. The professionalism of the doctors and staff and the comradery  of the other 50 plus patients undergoing similar treatments made this a memorable and enjoyable experience 2 months (in  spite of the 3 hurricanes in the area).

This next paragraph is vital in appreciating proton radiation!

(Proton radiation differs from the more commonly used photon radiation; in this treatment protons are  focused to a spot and do not cause damage to surrounding tissues.  It is commonly now being used to treat brain cancer and other localized tumors).   Several children and others were being treated for brain cancer using proton therapy while we were there. Each treatment day I received 15 to 20 seconds of proton radiation administered thru each hip.  I never felt any pain or other reaction.  After 38  treatments I had only a slight 1 inch sun-tan like spot on each hip.  I never felt any weakness or other physical effects from the treatment! During their treatment time, many patients were working 40 hour week jobs while others regularly played 18 holes of golf each day immediately after their treatment!  The lack of fatigue was evident, since one could not differentiate  between those patients  receiving their first treatment or their 38th; they all felt fine!  Personally, I got up at 5:30 AM and fished an hour at the lake nearby our trailer before  getting ready to go to my 10:30 AM treatment. After the 38-day treatment, at an informal completion (victory) ceremony, where the patient got to hit a big, noisy gong, each patient had  the opportunity to say goodbye to the staff and his fellow, remaining for-treatment, friends. Cookies, cake, fruit or other goodies were commonly provided by the happy, patients and their family members after the completion ceremony.

It is now 16 months since I completed my 38 session Proton Therapy Fixed Beam Radiation (PTFBR) at M D Anderson in Houston, Texas!  I feel great; my 3, 6, 9 and 12 month PSA’s have  not been over 0.1; prior to treatment my PSA was 5.1. A very informative book has been written by, Robert J. Marckini  a patient treated 8 years ago.  The book title is "You Can Beat Prostate Cancer and You Don’t Need Surgery To Do It".Proton Radiation Centers are located in CA, FL, IN, MA OK and TX with two new ones being built in Illinois, PA and VA.  Others are planned for San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Miami County, Ohio and elsewhere.

In a recent call to MD Anderson I was informed that by adding an additional proton radiation physician their waiting list time was only approximately 2-3 weeks! All or most costs are covered by Medicare + supplemental insurance. 

PLEASE CALL ME AT 479-986-9877 OR 479-236-6097  IF YOU OR YOUR FRIENDS HAVE JUST BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH PROSTATE CANCER - YOUR UROLOGIST MOST PROBABLY  WILL NOT TELL YOU ABOUT IT!   49 OF THE 50 BEING TREATED WHEN I WAS IN HOUSTON HAD ONLY HEARD ABOUT PROTON RADIATION THERAPY FROM A FRIEND NOT FROM THEIR DOCTOR. OVER THE PAST 18 YEARS, THOUSANDS HAVE BEEN  SUCCESSFULLY TREATED USING PROTON THERAPY. THIS TREATMENT  IS NOT "EXPERIMENTAL" IT IS  "STATE OF THE ART". 

SOME REFLECTIONS OF  MY PROTON RADIATION EXPERIENCE

Here are some very common words and emotions being expressed by my proton colleagues (those completed and in treatment). "I thank the Good Lord every day for having heard about, and being able to receive,  proton radiation therapy".  They believe that they have just received the very best pain free and side-effect free  prostate cancer treatment and know that  they have made some very good friends during their 7 ½ week treatment process.  Tears of joy are common as patients and their families leave the "gong" completion ceremony and return to their homes.Many have a religious-like feeling as they try to determine why they were so lucky to have heard about this modern day miracle called Proton Radiation Therapy. Feel free to send this Email to anyone you choose. I would like to talk with them.

Updated February 14, 2010  - My Email address is : tlavy @uark.edu