Hello again. In this post I want to bring you up to speed with a quick snap-shot of the various health issues I have mentioned in recent times after which, I’ll be able to get back to basics and focus on the primary objective of this block; Prostate Cancer Treatments and my personal experiences managing my own aggressive prostate cancer primarily with natural remedies.

Regrettably though, I am still severely restricted in the use of the computer because of the potential health problems I’ve described previously, in earlier posts. I can only apply myself in an ad-hoc way, hence the time lapse between posts.

Frank Haematuria:
While the previous post to this one refers to the general risk to health caused by sitting too often and for too long, in my own case, this can also initiate hemorrhaging from the urinary track, sometimes leading to blood clots and then, to a blockage of the bladder or urethra. The source of the bleeding is still not known but, thankfully, a CTscan and Ultra-sound, do not show anything untoward – and not previously known – in my abdomen and pelvic region.

Benign Prostate Enlargement:
This I have had for about 20 years and to this point has always been quite manageable and of little consequence. However, since my two visits to hospital in January with a blocked bladder this has become far more of a problem to deal with.

I’m fairly confident that this change was initiated by the excessive, but necessary, physical force used by the nurse to insert the catheter on the first occasion. She found an obvious obstruction, or restriction, to the progress of the catheter in the vicinity of the prostate gland or bladder opening and had to push it through hard. Since then I have experienced pain with a burning sensation together with limited, intermittent flows and with a need for greater regularity, especially at night.

Tests show no sign of infection and my urologist has suggested a Cystoscopy but also intimated surgery may be required to remove the prostate. The Cystoscopy I have agreed to but as for the surgery?? No way Jose!!

In the meantime, I will earnestly search for a natural remedy to resolve this.

Heart Scares in February:
Despite me being diagnosis two years ago of a ischemia and fibrillation I am happy to note that following my two hospitalizations in February with suspected heart attacks my Cardiologist has put it down to stress. Hmm! It would have to be quite extreme wouldn’t you think? And that is not something I am aware of – consciously that is. Now if you say dire frustration? Yes! I could go along with that. It is not in my nature to sit around in retirement mollycoddling health issues and being sorely restricted in terms of both available time and business activity. There lies my frustration. And, I guess, frustration begets stress, eh?

Suspected DVT – Left Leg:
A recent ultrasound does show some scarring of a vein in the calf but that is a remnant of the DVT I had two years ago, or so it seems. No other adverse signs to confirm a current issue. The pain I experience is from the same local area so I guess that too is from the scarring.

Prostate Cancer:
It’s coming up to four years since being diagnosed with an aggressive form (Gleason grade 9) prostate cancer. My PSA is currently around 12 but it does tend to see-saw,
and besides, I give very little credence to PSA values. There are far too many causes and effect, variables that can cause PSA markers to rise and fall.

My recent CT-scans in November 09 and January 2010 show no evidence of cancer spread or metastasis. It does appear therefore, that whatever I am doing with my diet, Juices, appropriate food mix, as well as herbs, vitamins and supplements, is positively preventing any progression of the disease.

It really does make me wonder, especially given my other health issues, where I would be today if I had taken the conventional treatment route four years ago when first diagnosed.
Knowing, as I do from my research, of the abject failure of allopathic medicines treatment modalities for prostate cancer, I shudder to think.

Kidney Stones:
Regular readers will recall that about 18 months ago, during routine examination, it was found that I had a kidney stone (6mm) in my lone kidney. Conventional medical treatment over the following 11 months saw the stone get slightly larger. I then took the matter into my own hands and researching the net, found a South American herb, CHANCA PIEDRA (Spanish for Stone breaker).

Some five months after beginning with the tablets (3 x 2 daily) an ultrasound showed that the single stone was now two stones with their joint dimensions being less than the original stone. This gave me a great boost in confidence and I increased my daily dose to 3 tables 3 times daily.

I can now, some three months later, very happily and with considerable relief, tell you that a CT-scan done in January, showed no sign of the two stones. Undoubtedly, the CHANCA PIEDRA herb has dissolved the stones, just as the manufacturers said it would. FANTASTIC!!

Ending On a Bright Note:
Well, it is good to end on a bright note, I must say. Once again, a natural remedy has succeeded in resolving an invariably very painful condition, and modern medicine doesn’t have an answer. Bravo!!

Look out for my next post where I discuss my preferred foods, vitamins, herbs and supplements. Bye for now.

This post may seems somewhat off-topic and little directly to do with Prostate Cancer Treatments but when you get into the gist of it you will see that it is nevertheless fundamental to one’s good health and well-being,and especially so for guys afflicted with major health issues.

My Frank Haematuria – Cause and Affect
As mentioned in earlier posts it is my most recent episodes of frank haematuria that is currently inhibiting my life-style and internet marketing pursuits, because in the past, my hemorrhaging invariably starts soon after long spells of sitting, working away at the computer mostly.

On a number of occasions I have suggested to various doctors that the primary cause of my hemorrhaging could well be the fact that I sit at the computer for lengthy periods. Moreover, it is therefor reasonable to conclude that my prostate gland, urethra and bladder are each being compressed or physically distorted by the downward pressure of sitting. Not one doctor thought the idea had merit regardless of my own experiences and considered thoughts.

Nevertheless, I have continued to exercised due caution in recent weeks following my most recent two episodes of frank haematuria in January and I am pleased to say that two recently published articles have vindicated my concern.

Beware of the chair
The initial article, published in the Brisbanetimes.com showed quite conclusively that sitting for long periods can, and does, have a detrimental effect on not only the lower organs, such as the bladder, kidney, liver and urinary tract, but also on the body’s physiology as a whole. Here’s an extract…

“Professor David Dunstan, of Melbourne’s Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute and the paper’s lead author, is keen to emphasise that the research is not about TV watching per se but about sitting, wherever it might be. ”Television viewing time is a reasonable indicator of a person’s overall sedentary pattern,” he says. “Modern society has come to mean a lot of us simply shift from chair to chair throughout the day: seat in the car, the office, the couch at home.”

Sitting Too Long Can Cause Rogue Blood Clots—And More!
The second report that came across my desk is from a web-site: http://www.drcutler.com/ in which he also says…

Quote “When you sit for a long period of time, your blood flow can become sluggish and pool in your larger veins. This creates a higher risk of your developing blood clots within your thigh or calf known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT)—a condition in which there is a blood clot in a deep vein (a vein that accompanies an artery).

A Time For Caution!
Now that’s scary stuff as I’m sure you will agree. Again, this issue is particularly pertinent with me having had, as I did two years ago, a DVT in my left leg. Now we know why, eh?

A Need for Action!
Interestingly, I noted that the Professor writing about the first mentioned study also recommended the use of a elevated desk necessitating the user to stand whilst reading, writing or operating the computer. I don’t know about you folks but that sounds quite reasonable to me. I haven’t ever seen one around in Australia but they are evidently being produced in the USA. I guess it will require getting one manufactured locally. I’ll look into that.

How Frustrating it is!
Meanwhile, I now only use my computer spasmodically, between long walks on the foreshore. That’s physically beneficial I guess but awfully frustrating too. I have so much to do researching family genealogy, developing my websites and keeping in touch with family and friends. Gosh! I can’t imaging what life, and global communication, was like before the advent of computers. I should know of course but at 71 years of age my memory is very selective these days…

This is yet another disturbing report concerning the very major debilitating – even life threatening – consequences from having the prostate cancer treatment protocol, known asAndrogen-Deprivation Therapy (ADT).

A new report published in the American Cancer Society journal, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, and in the American Heart Association journal -Circulation,, reveals that androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), a type of prostate cancer treatment, can increase heart risk factors and possibly lead to heart attack or cardiac death

Here are a few notable statements given in the article as published in Naturalnews.com…

* ADT, can increase heart risk factors and possibly lead to heart attack or cardiac death.

* ADT leads to increased fat mass, increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the “bad” form of cholesterol, and blood sugar abnormalities.

* ADT and other forms of hormone therapy do not actually cure prostate cancer.

* Prostate cancer patients should consult only the physician who is actually treating the cancer.

* The effects of low testosterone levels in men, known as hypogonadism, leads to cardiovascular disease and death.

* Low serum testosterone levels are also known to increase a man’s risk of developing diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and dyslipidemia.

As with any of the available treatments for prostate cancer a guy must carefully weigh up the perceived benefits against all possible risks (and hopefully the respective medical professional will explain these to the patient if he cares to or, if he is prompted) but surely, given all of the above factors as presented, why would any sane man take such a high risk with ADT anyway?

It really makes one wonder just how many men are comprehensively informed of those risks before taking them. I guess nobody really knows the answer to that.

Have I got your interest?

Then see the full article at: Prostate cancer therapy can increase risk of heart disease and death

Given the importance of the message in this Naturalnews.com article I thought it prudent to print it complete instead of simply giving it the usual URL link.

This report is especially remarkable in that it is suggesting that conventional (Allopahic) medicine should be looking instead at natural therapies to treat the body as a whole and not simply targeting specific areas with toxic drugs which then, in turn, do untold damage to the immune system and thence, to the whole body.

Now ain’t that the truth!!

Cancers can re-seed themselves after chemo, surgery or radiation

(NaturalNews) Researchers from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York have published findings in the journal Cell that explain how tumor cells can re-seed and spread throughout the body after they have been removed through conventional chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation treatments. Tiny tumor cells that circulate throughout the body often begin to send out seeds to the places where the tumor originated, essentially planting the cancer back into the body.

Joan Massague and her colleagues at the Center are finding that conventional treatments leave behind malignant cells that relocate to other areas of the body to avoid being destroyed. Eventually they return as stronger and more aggressive tumors, having gathered back the worst leftover cells from the previous cancer. The result is a second cancer that is worse than the first.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wow! This is mind blowing stuff.

A fascinating expose of the drug industry (Big Pharma) with its many echelons and tentacles
throughout the health industry and allied entities in government and medicine.

It’s a market financially dependent upon perpetuating ill-health in the community, creating
illnesses to match new drugs and treating symptoms and not the specific cause.

From time to time on my blog I get challenged regarding my negative and somewhat
disparaging comments about pharmaceutical drugs, drug manufacturers, drug purveyors and
marketing agents – this includes Doctors – and all those connected in some way to the ruthless, unethical manner in which dangerous, toxic, debilitating, drugs are brought to market.

With this brilliant document I can thankfully rest my case.

And you dear friends, will in turn better understand why several years ago, I took charge of my own
health and well-being, preferring to rely primarily on natural remedies. While I do still consult and listen to my medical professionals I always carefully weigh up their advice and what is on offer but diligently comparing it to that which alternative medicine has to offer.

CLICK here to read the full article

This report will be very alarming to late stage cancer patients requiring strong medication to deal with their extreme pain threshold. A Naturalnews.com report refers to two recent studies analyzing the side effects of morphine which have revealed that the chronic pain drug Morphine and other opiate-based pain medications contribute to the growth and spread of cancer cells.

Doesn’t this make you wonder about conventional medicine in the treatment of cancer patients? If allopathic treatments are so “evidence based” as is claimed how come this critical issue hasn’t been recognized and acted upon long before this? Or is it something the drug companies and the medical profession have kept to themselves for pure commercial reasons?

Just how many people have been helped to an early grave over the years by their prescribed use of opiates? The mind boggles.

Click to read the full report from Naturalnews.com

Prostate Cancer and an Enlarged Prostate Gland:
Although, as I understand it, conventional medical wisdom states that a benign prostate enlargement has nothing to do with prostate cancer per se the same cannot be said once the prostate gland is infected with cancer. They must surely then be inter-related.

Frank Haematuria & Bladder Retention:
I now have this pressing issue to deal with regarding my enlarged prostate gland and urinary flow problems following my two hospital admissions with frank haematuria and bladder retention in January.

Trans-urethral Resection of the Prostate:
The enlarged prostate is something I’ve had for about twenty years and it has never given me much trouble, though I did have a Trans-Urethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP) twice during that period just to stop it being bothersome. However, when I was admitted into hospital on the 13th of last month with frank haematuria and with a blood clot blocking the bladder, the nurse, on inserting the catheter had to use positive force to push it home the last quarter length. Quite evidently there was some form of obstruction or other resistance in the vicinity of the prostate gland and the bladder opening proper. Anyhow it hurt like hell and my waterworks have not been the same since.

The second catheter inserted on the 16th was almost as painful. Over the years I would have had a dozen or more catheter’s but never have I had this sort of excruciating experience.

Urinary Track Infection – or What?
My urinary issues now involve a reduced bladder capacity with a subsequent increased frequency; very poor intermittent flow with much dribbling as well stinging and burning, . Fortunately, I can both start and cease the flow without difficulty. Furthermore, two blood tests done during my most recent hospital stays regarding my heart scare, showed microscopic blood in my urine.

You think it could be an infection perhaps? Well, during my stay in the urological ward at the hospital on the 13th and 16th of February I was given a high dose anti-biotic primarily because I had just had an abscessed tooth removed and later I had a further dose of anti-biotic trying to control what appeared to be an infection in the urethra following the hospital stay. Either both anti-biotic failed do their job or there wasn’t an infection in the urethra in the first place. Something more sinister maybe.

Urologist to Diagnose:
I have an appointment with my Urologist this Tuesday coming so we’ll see what magical thoughts he will come up with about this.

Most likely he will suggest having a retrograde cystoscopy to examine the bladder. He may well also suggest having another Trans-Urethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP) but that I am unlikely to agree to because there is ample medical evidence noting that as with a biopsy of the prostate, a TURP is very likely to increase the risk of metastasis with cancer cells and infected tissue migrating to other parts of the body via the normal blood lines.

A Week of Diagnosis Ahead:
I now have a very interesting week ahead of me anticipating a diagnosis from my Cardiologist as well as from my Urologist. On Monday I am also having an ultrasound of my left leg to check on residual discomfort from my earlier DVT three years ago. Ah well, somebody has to keep specialists in business.

Off-Topic:
It seems the primary focus of my blog, that of Prostate Cancer Treatments, has been taken over of late – so too my my daily activities – by the more immediate heart issues I’m faced with. Issues that have me more than just a little confused at present. But as I am hopeful of getting some definitive answers in the coming week as to my condition, perhaps I’ll then be able to change direction once more and resume where I left off with my prostate cancer update.

Another Heart Scare:
Meanwhile, I must report a second heart scare on the 24th February and a consequential admission to Redcliffe Hospital Emergency Department, where I was again treated promptly and efficiently. After seven hours or so of excellent treatment I was discharged in fairly good order with instructions to make a fairly prompt appointment with a cardiologist. I was also told there was no bed available for a longer stay but as it happens it probably wasn’t necessary anyhow. I’m sure a bed would have been found had my condition warranted it.

Appraised by Cardiologist:
And so yesterday, 4 March, and with my wife, I met with Chris, a Cardiologist. I must say right away that Dorothy and I were most impressed with his caring, diligent and thorough questioning of my medical history, which, many of you will know is both considerable and complex. We were also impressed with his very detailed physical examination of me which included an ECG. Moreover, he very carefully probed a 6 page medical history synopsis I showed him.

The upshot of all this being that he requested copies of my hospital clinical notes, including ECG’s, and I have today arranged with the hospital, under the appropriate Freedom of Information legislation, for him to receive all relevant documents.

Stress Related? I hope so:
I am pleased to say that, on the face of it, he doesn’t believe that I have any major heart issues and that my recent heart flutters may well be stress related. But I’ll know more about that next week
when Chris has reviewed the hospital records.

My Blogging Delayed Again:
In my previous post I made an apology for my tardy blogging in the past month or so and now, although not yet fully recovered from my hemorrhaging episodes, I must report another delay getting back to normal blog performance because of yet another, perhaps more serious health issue.

Abscessed Tooth!
Last Thursday I had an abscessed front upper tooth extracted but not without considerable difficulty in that the dentist seemed unable to deaden it sufficiently for pulling. The first injections failed to deaden the tooth and then, following a second round of injections and some probing around with his metal prod he proceeded to pull on the tooth. Except that I again hit the roof! He then selected a different, more powerful injection and after a few moments wait, successfully extracted the wanton tooth, saying, with a smile that he wished he had used the stronger substance in the first place.

Now, I have explained that rather painful experience only as an harbinger of what was yet to come.

Minor Heart Attack!
Over the next few days my blood pressure kept flipping from a low of 131/73 to a high of 183/92 and I became increasingly unwell; hot flushes, perspiration, lethargy and a tightness and discomfort in the upper chest and throat area. On evening of Saturday (20th) about 1915hrs my Omron automatic blood pressure monitor indicated I was having an Arrhythmia episode… irregular heart beats. Blood pressure at that time was 171.87.

My immediate action was to take two short sprays of Nitroglycerin, directed under the tongue and very quickly my blood pressure began falling. It happily stayed low until early the next morning but with me feeling progressively worse.

I then decided to do what I should have done the evening before, admitted myself into Redcliffe Hospital Emergency. The staff and doctors there were brilliant. Concerned, diligent and fast acting.

I spent several hours being thoroughly questioned, tested and diagnosed. The initial ECG scan confirmed a minor fluctuation in my heart beat but several later scans, with face oxygen mask in place, some blood letting, a blood thinning injection and a fluid input valve stuck into each arm,
additional ECG’s showed everything was back to normal.

However, It was decided to keep me in overnight and boot me out the following day if all went well. Which it did. Final blood tests indicated no tissue or other damage had been caused to the heart.
But the Hospital doctors do want me to have things checked out by a heart specialist.

Whether or not the use by the dentist of two different types of injection and in larger than usual quantities had anything to do with upsetting my internal systems I can’t say. Perhaps it was a culmination of things.

Anyhow, the lesson for me in all of this for me is that the next time my heart indicates all is not normal I shall call for an ambulance and will not try diagnosing and treating myself.

Firstly, a quick note to offer my apology for not producing a blog post for the past month or so. The reason will become clear as you read on…

Frank Haematuria:
My regular readers will probably recall that one of my longer term health issues has been recurrent episodes of frank haematuria: which is blood in the urine.

That in itself is no great problem because, within reason, one can always reconstitute the body’s blood loss with appropriate dietary considerations, minerals and supplements. The problem arises when blood clots form that are large enough to block the urethra, thereby causing retention of urine (and blood) in the bladder. The consequence of that is considerable pain as the bladder fills and also, the danger of urine being forced back to the kidneys – or in my case – my lone kidney.

More often than not the blood will disappear within a few days with self treatment drinking copious amounts of water. On occasion though, as in this instance, the residual blood clots become too big to pass and they create a blockage.

Two Emergency Hospital Admissions:
The only recourse for a blockage is a quick trip to the nearest hospital emergency department, a quick insertion of a catheter tube and several days in hospital for irrigation of the bladder. Only in my case, having been released at 10am in the morning with all systems clear, I was readmitted at 10pm that same night with yet another blockage.

The urology department staff and I are quickly becoming old friends.

Catheter Size and Type Important:
One useful aspect is that I am now more familiar with my own requirements regarding the size and type of catheter needed. This information becomes critical in the Hospital’s Emergency Department where the catheter is first inserted. On an earlier occasion a small catheter was used and later had to be replaced by a larger one because of repeated blockages. Another important factor is that not all catheters have a separate valve or nipple permitting the attachment of a syringe for clearing blockages. I use a size 22 catheter (24 is the largest) but even so I still manage to block them. But I am now able to advise medical staff of my previous experiences with catheter’s and request a specific size and type of catheter, which helps them as well as me, of course.

I have noted that most nursing staff are very considerate, even sensitive, about using catheter’s, and do their very best to ease the discomfort and potential embarrassment. The problem is that when removing the catheter each nurse seems to have a different view on how slowly or how quickly the withdrawal should be. My own experience indicates that if too fast, there is increased discomfort (or pain) at the time of extraction and later, a longer period for the urethra to return to normal, together with an added risk of infection.

Bleeding is an Ongoing Problem at Home:
Another three day stay resulted in another ticket to leave but would you believe it, I started to bleed again that very night. This time however, the clotting did not cause any problems and cleared itself completely after several days.

Regrettably however, the bleeding and clotting then returned every few days or so for the following three weeks, but happily, without requiring hospital assistance.

Could my Prostate Gland be the Source of my Bleeding?
But I must say the month was not entirely wasted. As with several other urologists in recent years, the hospital urologist was unable to determine, without undertaking exhaustive, invasive tests, the source of the bleeding. Even with internal examinations two urologist’s had previous failed to give me an answer to this mystery.

Anyhow, I have always thought the probable source being my enlarged (now cancerous) prostate gland and over the past few weeks I think I have enough probable evidence to confirm that contention.

Following each of several bleeding episodes I held back from using the computer. In the first instance I held back for three days, then four days and later, for five days.

Not surprisingly, on each occasion when I thought I was safely healed internally and had returned to sit at my computer – I started to bleed again – within an hour or so. I am convinced now that sitting at the computer compresses and distorts my lower regions, the very organ congested area of bowel, bladder and prostate, and impacts on the prostate gland itself.

To Bleed or not to Bleed? That is the Question.
So now you know why folks, I am hesitant to do any type of work necessitating me sitting for long periods, and especially at the computer. I am even having to write this post in chunks so If it is a bit distorted you’ll know why that is. I must replace my desk-top with a lap-top, I guess.

Where to From Here?
So what is next you may well ask? Not much I’d say. The hospital urologist suggested I talk to my own urologist with regards to having another internal examination (cystoscope) of the bladder and also a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP),

Problem with that is I have had two previous cystoscopy examinations neither of which revealed anything useful. And as for the TURP, well, I have had that twice also and whilst in normal circumstances that would be advisable I’m dead set against it this time around. It is clinically well established that with any form of invasive procedure to any part of the body the risk of cancer spread, when cancer is already present, is very high indeed.

Well,that said and considering my main battle with my own aggressive cancer is firstly to stop it spreading and secondly, to find ways to ameliorate it or kill it altogether, I can’t see any justification to increase my risks, simply to stop my hemorrhaging.

Beside, I have now found a natural substance to stop the clots forming. More about that later.