Part Seven: You are what you eat!

During the time of consistent praying and racking my brain over my condition, my wife and I began to put our focus on another very important subject involving prostate cancer - nutrition! I have to be honest and say that I'm not the healthiest guy at all. I'm 5' 9", somewhat thin with the dreaded "love handles," weighing between 195 - 200 pounds! Based on my height I'm quite overweight. I also have to admit that I have a history of bad eating! There was a time when I would eat nothing but burgers, burgers, more burgers, fries, fried catfish, fried chicken, pizza, pizza, lots of sweets, and more and more burgers! On top of that, I'm not very athletic so there are little to no calories and fat being burned. So, when I think about it more and more, I wasn't really surprised about the cancer and, upon having the "right perspective," I'm thankful that my condition wasn't worse - because it easily could have been!

My wife, already doing tons of internet research on prostate cancer and it's stages and cures, started doing another search on the right foods to eat. (I have to brag on her and say that she is one darn good cook!!!) Actually, I had already slowed way down on the fried foods for about a couple of years so the transition to actually [almost] cutting it out was quite easy. We also increased our intake of green veggies and fruit! Speaking of fruits and veggies, we all know about the benefits of tomatoes, especially for men and the health of their prostates. Tomatoes are a great source of antioxidants. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals which may damage the body's cells. Lycopenes, a type of antioxidant, give off the red color to not only tomatoes, but also watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava, etc. which, when digested, are deposited in the liver, lungs, prostate gland, colon and skin. Another great source of antioxidants is the pomegranate. They are high in Vitamin C and the juice is high in three different types of polyphenols, a potent form of antioxidant. They are even credited with helping in the prevention of cancer and heart disease. And they're delicious!!! When I was a child I learned to chew the meat off of the seed, swallow the juice and spit out the seeds. After all this time I found out just last year (06) that the seeds are edible and a good source of fiber! Pomegranates are usually in season from October through to January.

Now, I'm not a vegan, and I tip my hat to those who go that route! I'm still a carnivore, just a little more cautious with what types of meat I eat and how it's prepared. I've cut out red meat about 90%. I mostly consume baked chicken and fish (tilapia or salmon), sliced turkey and tuna. We are very careful about lunchmeat. The best lunchmeat is the kind without nitrates, a form of preservative that may preserve the food but not your body! They can be very harmful to the lining of your lungs!!! On that note, we spend a lot of our time hunting down and purchasing organic foods: no preservatives, no pesticides - just plain natural! We try to do this with everything - fruits, veggies, meats, jellies, juices, milk and so on. The milk is mainly for the kids. I'm lactose intolerant. So that means soymilk for me - organic as much as possible!

As I type all of this I have to admit that I'm still learning everything. But, I've benefitted a great deal because since my surgery (which I'll get to later) I've lost about 18 - 20 pounds!!! Now I'm in the 175-180 range!!! By the way, not only have I changed what I eat, but also how much, as well. Sometimes I have to push myself from the table or just fix my plate and put all of what's left over in the fridge before I eat! That means no more seconds - or thirds! (sometimes I still get seconds, just not as often as I used to) So you see that nutrition and excercise (so convicting as I type) is highly necessary for our health, brothers! For a healthy prostate and everything else!!!

Part Six: Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), Gleason score and surgical options

It was at the very beginning of all of this that I first became acquainted with PSA numbers. As I mentioned before, I first began to have my prostate checked when I was about 35 through free screenings at my church. But this was only the digital exam (finger). It wasn't until 2006 at the age of 41 that I had a blood sample taken to check for the prostate specific antigen, which is a protein produced by the prostate cells. As is already known by many reading this blog, a PSA test is a blood test that's used to measure prostate health. High PSA numbers can be a sign of an enlarging prostate or prostate cancer. Normal levels vary based on age, but it's 0 - 2.0 for African American men, specifically in my age category (late 30s - early 40s). It is more common in African American men than any other race. My PSA at age 41 in October 2006 was 7.47! That's pretty high for my age. But, the good thing is that it was less than 10 which means it's a better chance that the cancer is confined to the prostate. Prostate cancer is known to be a very slow growing form of cancer as long as it's confined. Once it spreads outside the prostate (usually PSA levels higher than 10) it's more aggressive and spreads throughout the body into other organs. This diagnosis always requires more than just prostatectomy. Radiation and sometimes chemotherapy are necessary to slow down the spread of and eradicate cancer.


My diagnosis was in October, but I was able to wait until my surgery which was December 28. That brings me to surgery options. My biopsy urologist was going to be the surgeon at first and he was going to do a radical prostatectomy, which is the standard procedure where the surgeon makes a large incision and does a manual removal of the prostate. This results in a great amount of blood loss and a longer, tougher recovery among other things. But then the providence of God unfolded - again! My wife is a stay-at-home mom and runs a home pre-school. In November for only about 6 - 8 weeks she was watching two daughters of a lady who happened to be a nurse at UT Southwestern here in Dallas. She (the nurse/mother) was informed of my condition and immediately recommended one of the best urologists/surgeons who performs the robotic-assisted laparoscopic procedure. It is performed with slender, fiber-optic tools that only require small incisions in the abdominal wall that allow for less blood loss, shorter hospital stay, faster recovery, and no/minimal use of narcotic medication during the recovery period. That's when we made an appointment to meet with Dr. Claus Roerhborn and I chose to undergo the robotic procedure. There's actually a standard non-robotic laparoscopic procedure which specifically involves making a series of small incisions in the abdomen and manually operating the instruments that allow surgeons to see inside the abdominal area in order to dissect and remove prostate tissue. For the robotic, the surgical robot is called da Vinci ® [Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA] and provides the surgeon with magnified 3D vision and miniature articulating robotic instrumentation. Robotic means that the tools are controlled with (you guessed it) robotic controls rather than with the surgeon's hands alone. Think of it as playing a video game with a controller - but in the operating room!


Studies now make diagnosis and survival probability more predictable with the Prostate Nomogram, which helps physicians and patients decide on the best treatment and which will result in the greatest benefit. After you receive a positive diagnosis for prostate cancer consult with your urologist about the nomogram and Gleason Scoring System, which is used to grade how far prostate tissue is from normal, healthy tissue. Samples taken during your biopsy are taken to a pathology lab where they are viewed under a microscope and tissue samples are graded on a scale of 1 to 5. The number 1 is for cells that look almost normal (slow growing cancer) and 5 is for cells that are least like normal prostate cells. Grades 2 to 4 are in between. My Gleason score was 3+4, which had a positive probability for early detection and survival. For more information and to have access to an online prostate nomogram calculator/prediction tool, visit this page of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and after reading the information, click on "open calculator." You can only benefit from this calculator after being diagnosed with prostate cancer and getting a printout of your biopsy report.

Part Five: The Right Perspective

The next three months are a time of growth - mentally and, most important, spiritually. A dear sister got my information from a former pastor of Christian education at my church. She called and talked with me and the wife and began to encourage us. She is a cancer survivor herself and said something that I'll never forget. She shared how many who go through experiences like this ask the question, "Why me?" She said the real question, especially for the Christian, is "Why not me?" Who am I that I should have a perfect life with no worries, problems, trials, etc.? There are many who go through various issues, even beyond cancer. Am I better than them because of my faith in God?


As I'm going through all of this, I'm thinking that if things are going well, even too well, that means that something's coming to challenge me and grow me to another level. Things like this happen to me to let me know how frail I am in my humanity and how dependent I am on someone much greater than I. Another reason why things like this happen is because of God's purpose in using us for His glory - and specifically for me to be used to help other brothers who are going through the same thing! That's the purpose for this blog!!!


I begin to read more Scripture to help me with the proper perspective on life to help me get through this and be equipped to be used to minister to others. I personally realize that real joy is identified when things are not good circumstantially but your heart is characterized with a peace that passes understanding! I slowly began to focus less on the cancer and more on the sovereignty, providence, and grace of CHRIST!


My time from the diagnosis to surgery is a great adventure of spiritual growth! To sum it all up: My life is nothing, but is everything in Christ alone!!!