Fighting Back

I had prostate cancer. OK so I probably still do but it’s on its way out. Let’s back up to early 2018. During a routine checkup my doctor noticed my PSA number was higher than it should be for a 54 year old, it was at 4.5. He sent me to a Urologist. The Urologist said yes it was high but it could be normal for me and it’s not dangerous level yet. So he suggested waiting 6 months and redoing the test. Six months came and went. On October 31st I shaved off my facial hair to participate in Movember. I posted a Movember picture on FB.

A friend at work asked if I was posting for someone in particular and I said no just to give general knowledge. But in fact it was for someone, me. It was to remind me to call and schedule a follow up appointment with my doctor. So I did. And the PSA # came back at 5. While still not crazy high it had gone up .5 in less than a year. He also said he felt hardening of the prostate. So we scheduled a biopsy for January 2nd.

Noticing the tell-tale signs

In the meantime it dawned on me that I wasn’t snoozing my alarm in the mornings because I was having to go right to the bathroom. And then I would go again before I left for work. And then I would hit the Men’s Room in Penn Station before walking uptown. And then I would stop in the bathroom as soon as I got to work before going down to my office. I immediately started doing Jin Shin Jyutsu self-help twice a day (I'm a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner). Three weeks later I had an appointment with my regular doctor for a medical clearance.

At that time he said he didn’t really feel a hardening, but chalked it up to the Urologist being a specialist. But the next day it dawned on me that I was again snoozing the alarm once or twice and not stopping in Penn Station’s Men’s Room as much. I know I was already reversing the cancer. So January 2nd comes and I had to postpone the biopsy because I was sick. A week and a half later I had it done. And by the end of the week I found out it was positive. Luckily it was only a 3 on the Gleason scale. So we moved into active watching. I have to go back every 3 months to check my PSA. I continued to do my Jin Shin Jyutsu daily.

Something changing

And then in February I decided to do WildFit. I had read about it a few months before and a group was starting up. It is a health program that teaches you to eat properly. One thing I found out while doing research is that dairy increases your risk of prostate and cervical cancer by around 30%. Goodbye dairy. Sugar helps breed cancer. Goodbye sugar. Out with many bad things, in with lots of good things.
So now with Jin Shin Jyutsu and WildFit I was fighting hard against my cancer. Then in April I had my first post-biopsy blood test. So for my age group a PSA # of 0-3.5 is normal. My previous test had been at 5. It came back and was now at 3.3, success.

Last week I went back to my Urologist who was kind of baffled by the numbers 'til I told him what I had been doing. He then did an exam and said he couldn’t really feel the hardening but wouldn’t say it wasn’t there. Can’t say I blame him, he would need proof and that will only come with a biopsy which he won’t do 'til at least a year after the first one. But I am confident that the numbers will continue to go down and this will be a thing of the past. In certain ways this has been a blessing in disguise. For years I have been saying I need to loose 10-15 lbs, but when I first found WildFit I thought maybe next year, it’s too expensive for me now. I’ve lost 35 with WildFit, am healthier than I’ve been in forever and it was worth every penny.

Fitness, diet, and doctors: a combined approach

Recently I was out with friends and one of them asked if I was alright because of the weight loss. I honestly answered I’m great, because cancer treatments weren’t the reason for the loss, getting really healthy finally was the reason.

Luckily I caught it very early. I would never suggest not getting treated with western medicine if someone’s cancer is more advanced, but if you catch it early Jin Shin Jyutsu and changing your diet can do wonders. And if you don’t catch it early combining western medicine with Jin Shin Jyutsu and changing your diet can speed up recovery. A few years ago I gave a friend going through cancer treatment some sessions and taught her self help and it was a big help to her during recovery. First and foremost get regular checkups.