Agent Orange: Our Second Vietnam Battle for Life -- Part 2

This is Part II of Agent Orange: Our Second Vietnam Battle for Life.

What can we as Vietnam vets do to increase our chances of defeating prostate cancer?

My station in Vietnam

I was stationed in Chu Lai in 1969-1970, which had been developed as a military base in 1964-1965. Looking at the hills behind us in 1969-70 that were still extremely thick with dense foliage, I’m sure Chu Lai got its fair share of AO back then.

And we who were stationed near the perimeter of Chu Lai used to joke about the amount of dust created in the dry season by vehicles. I’m sure as we breathed in the dust, we were also getting plenty of dioxins that had been laying there for several years.

Dangerous dioxins

Estimates indicate that while we were there the levels of dioxins were definitely greater than what is considered safe. All people have some dioxins in them, but interestingly, it’s been shown that just slight increases above “normal” levels of dioxins can cause serious problems.

Fast forwarding to the present and thanks to the Vietnam Veterans of American, American Legion, and others, AO is now considered by the VA to cause many different health problems, including prostate cancer.

Comparing those exposed and not exposed

The VA in Portland, Oregon did an excellent clinical study. The results released in 2013 were fascinating — and demoralizing. Those vets who were exposed to AO were more likely to have aggressive forms of prostate cancer, compared to veterans who were not exposed.¹

When I first saw this study, I had two questions—(1) if AO is so carcinogenic, why are we getting prostate cancer about the same age as those who didn’t go over, and (2) why is it more aggressive when we get it? My thought is perhaps it makes the cancer grow quicker.

Advice to my fellow Vietnam brothers

So if you went to Nam, I think it's good to get your PSA checked regularly (at least once a year) by a urologist, not a primary care physician. Most of us are in the average age of getting PCa, which is 66 (“average” means 50% of those getting PCa are older than 66). I was one month short of 69 when the PCa bomb was dropped on me.

If you do get PCa, consider filing for VA disability and forming a battle plan with your urologist to attack it. My primary PCa was the most aggressive form; it was caught by a rapidly rising PSA (it went from 0.6 to 2.6, which is well below the PSA “standard” of 4.0 or less, in two years) just as it had started to metastasize (I shudder to think where I’d be today if it was caught a year or more later); and with a prostatectomy first and radiation two years later, it has been 3 years since my last detectable PSA.

And please don’t buy into that fairytale that guys who haven’t had PCa yet only need to have their PSA tested between ages 55 and 70. We’ve had too many guys on ProstateCancer.net, and I know a few others, report they weren’t diagnosed with it until their 70’s and early 80’s.

The Ultimate Weapon

Finally, there is a statue of the Ultimate Weapon at Fort Dix, NJ which I couldn’t agree with more. But please fast forward to today and the Ultimate Weapon for your health is YOU. No one knows your body and its symptoms like you do, so you must discuss any concerns with your physicians.

On 6/12/18, I woke up with extreme dizziness and, somewhat reluctantly, I went to our local VA clinic to have them check it out. Less than a half hour later I was in an ambulance, and about 4 hours later had an emergency craniotomy (brain surgery) that, per my neurosurgeon, likely saved my life.

So don’t be afraid of being embarrassed because after the emergency room’s exam you’re okay — I would have loved that diagnosis. So just like we used the military resources available in Nam to fight Charlie, look in the mirror and tell that guy you see there that just as you did in Nam against Charlie, aggressively use the medical resources available to fight prostate cancer. Be diligent about the other diseases caused by Agent Orange as well as the other health conditions we are all beginning to get as we enter our 70’s. A lot, if diagnosed early enough, are beatable, and at least controllable.