Damn Bob, I'm sorry you've had to go through all of that - but I'm VERY happy that you're still here with us.

Beast, you're in your 40's. While there's a good chance you're in the clear, it's always better to know for sure - especially with a family history. Good on you for planning to insist on getting checked out! As for your dad, my guess is he's young enough where he's got a lot of years ahead of him. Prostate cancer is very survivable - if you do something about it. I came too damned close to waiting too long and allowing the cancer the chance to spread. There are a lot of guys with stories of having to fight it after it's spread and none of those stories are pleasant. Fighting cancer just plain sucks! Please encourage your dad to take action. Let him know you'd like him to be around for another couple of decades or more.

Any way you look at it, cancer is scary. My perspective is that knowledge is power and the more you know about what to look for, and what to expect, the less scary and the better the prognosis it can be.

I think the biggest take away's from my write up I'm hoping folks with have are to be your own health advocate and demand testing and to know what your options are should a bad result be presented.

I've been doing a LOT of research about various types of cancer over the last year. One of the things I've run across in several articles recently is researchers making the statement that "we're seeing cancer behaving in ways we've never seen before". To this, I've also read repeatedly that cancer rates are going way up in the United States. I suspect this it tied to our diets and lifestyles.

One of my hunting partners, the wife of the hunting partner that just had his prostate removed in July due to cancer, was recently tested and it appears she has cervical cancer and masses within her breasts that they'll be looking into shortly. She was driven to get herself checked following her husbands positive cancer diagnosis.

About the time I got diagnosed, I had another friend diagnosed with Stage 3 Lung Cancer. She'd never smoked in her life and has maintained a good life style. She's since received treatment and it appears the cancer is in remission. The timing of her diagnosis added to my fears as I had some odd symptoms, which my primary care doctor (PCM) noticed as well AFTER I insisted on getting checked. My PCM's words to me practically paralyzed me - she told me "I think you may have lung cancer". I'd smoked a pack a day since 1999. After a CT scan of my torso I was told my lungs were clear - no cancer. Feeling I'd just dodged a bullet I finally quit smoking on January 2nd of this year. If I can stay clear for 7 years I'm told my risk of lung cancer is no greater than it is for the average non-smoker.

This site isn't just an anonymous online group of users. This site is a community of like-minded (to a degree) members. Each member here is valued and many of us form life-long friendships. Life is already short enough and we all need to do everything in our power to ensure it isn't made shorter by something we could have either prevented or treated. And, whether you stay active on this site or eventually drift away into the ether, I'd like to believe that you will do so in good health for a long time to come.