Two Atlanta-area prostate most cancers survivors are becoming a member of forces to share their tales in an effort to assist others.
Ernie Strauss and Ronald Wakefield met via the affected person navigation program of Northside Hospital; the 2 males in flip constructed a assist community that helps fellow sufferers navigate the prostate most cancers panorama.
They sat down for an interview with CURE and mentioned widespread misconceptions and stigmas related to prostate most cancers.
Transcript
What are some widespread misconceptions relating to prostate most cancers that you’ve encountered?
Ronald Wakefield: I’ve spoken to quite a few completely different males. And, sometimes, males do not wish to discuss it. That is one factor. The second factor is, some males do not actually wish to do something about it both, as a result of they’re centered on, “It may affect my sexual perform.” And from the very get-go, speaking to my private doctor, what he stated to me was, “If all else fails, you will get a penile implant.” And he talked to me about this man who was in his 80s who acquired it completed, and man’s as blissful as ever, he is by no means been that blissful in his life. So stepping into, I knew that.
So my factor to males is, actually, do not let that cease you from searching for remedy. Go search remedy, maintain your self. After which there are different issues, methods you may cope with no matter you are confronted with, after that. So, to me, that is what’s important.
Ernie Strauss: I am going to echo all the things that Ron simply stated. My father went via prostate most cancers on the identical time that I used to be going via radiation. And so many docs have stated prostate most cancers will not be what is going on to kill you — it may be a coronary heart assault or a stroke or one thing later in life, as a result of it is predominantly recognized for males who’re of their late 60s, 70s and 80s, and because it’s such a gradual rising most cancers, there’s nothing to fret about.
However my encouragement can be, having been recognized at age 46, I did not know my major care doctor was really testing for this, however they thank goodness they did, as a result of in any other case I nonetheless would have simply in all probability ignored all the things. So, I might encourage males to not solely discuss it, but in addition ask their docs what sort of blood exams are they doing, and to go forward and begin getting examined at age 45 or no matter. And the identical factor with the colonoscopies. Get your colonoscopy completed, as a result of that is the place all of the stigma resides.
One is the digital examination. Once you go to the urologist, there is a large stigma round that, and I used to be panicking about that. I assumed it was rather more than it was. It lasted two seconds, if that, and the urologist was like, I do not really feel something. And when it was completed, I used to be like, that is it. And so, to all of my buddies, I am like, go have the digital examination and get your PSA examined, simply in case.
But additionally, the colonoscopy. Individuals complain about that on a regular basis. That is not an enormous deal. Sure, the prep is tough, however it’s one night, after which you would probably have 5 to 10 years of peace of thoughts understanding that all the things’s high-quality, and if it is not, you get it addressed earlier than it aggressively grows. So it is loads of simply males discussing issues, as a result of, once more, we’re at an age the place we have to begin relying extra upon science and never simply take into consideration, “OK, I do not need something, you already know, going up, to probably diagnose one thing up in that space,” however it actually is critical, as a result of there’s a lot preventative stuff that would that may actually save your life.
Transcript has been edited for readability and conciseness.
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