On Wednesday, November 8, 2006, I received sad but wonderful news. The sad news is that Prostate Cancer has yet again invaded my family. The wonderful news is that it was caught early!

My mother-in-law, Connie, called to let me know that my brother-in-law, Bryan, had just been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. He had not told us of the news until he was certain that it was cancer.

My first reaction was shock. And then, of course, I had so many questions! What was his PSA? What treatments are being discussed? Did he have any symptoms? What was his Gleason score? So many questions and not enough answers!

I called Bryan to let me know that I was here for him if he needed me. He assured me that he was okay and answered all of my questions before I even had a chance to ask!

Bryan's case was similar to Kenny's case. Bryan's PSA was normal for his age. His exams were normal. Bryan said that he probably would never have known he had cancer except for a wonderful urologist who went above and beyond in his care. Bryan's PSA velocity, which is the rate of rise in your PSA level, had increased in the past year and was cause for concern. His doctor recommended a biopsy and the result came back as cancerous.

However, the good news is that it DETECTED EARLY! That is the key for anyone to survive Prostate Cancer: Early Detection. Way to go, Bryan!

Now that the cancer has been detected, what do you do about it? In Bryan's case, he chose da Vinci® Prostatectomy. This surgery is less invasive and may result in a more complete eradication of the cancer. In researching the procedure, I located a seminar by Dr. Thomas E. Ahlering, MD, Professor of Surgery, Chief of Urologic Oncology, UC Irvine. Dr. Thomas E. Ahlering, MD, states the potential benefits of the da Vinci Prostatectomy are:

* Fewer complications
* Less Blood loss, fewer transfusions
* Less post-operative pain
* Quicker return to normal activites
* Faster recovery
* Shorter length of hospital stay
* Shorter catherization
* Less scarring

I have provided a link to the Patient Education Seminar. If you have a 20 minutes or so, please take the time to listen. He is very detailed and gives you a lot of information. It is well worth your time! I have a good source that says he's a terrific doctor, too!