Open Message to Dave

I have discovered one of the problems with a rookie blogger. Dave wrote a comment and asked a very good question. The problem is that I don't know how to respond to him privately without his e-mail. I have decided to answer his question with a brief post, which is very likely not the best but all that I know how to do. Dave asked me why I choose to go to Southern California for treatment. There are a number of treatments available for prostate cancer, most of which are available in Wenatchee. Before I go further a quick disclaimer, I am not a trained medical professional and can only offer my opinions as to what I thought was best for me and my family. The choice of treatment for prostate cancer is a very personal one and I will share what I was thinking, and what I choose may not be the right decision for others. Being at Loma Linda I learned that every patient is different, with a lot of factors that need to be considered when selecting a treatment. The other thing that is important is that there is no treatment for prostate cancer that does not have a risk of side effects.

Now to answer Dave's question. The radiation treatment available in Wenatchee is the more conventional form of photon radiation and seed implants. The treatment available at Loma Linda is proton beam radiation, which utilizes a different kind of sub-atomic particle. There are only a couple of facilities that offer this kind of treatment and Loma Linda was the most experienced and had the longest track record, nearly ten years. It was my judgment that proton radiation treatment provided the same curative effect as surgery and had a lower risk of side effects. It is important to note again that any treatment has the risk of serious side effects. There is a much more scientific analysis of this treatment at the following website: http://www.llu.edu/proton/patient/index.html

The proton treatment has some disadvantages. Having to being away from home and work for about 10 weeks is difficult. The costs of travel and living are not paid by your normal health insurance plan so it can put a strain on your budget. It was not an easy decision, I have had a number of friends that have recently been treated locally and have been happy with their results. In the end the patient testimonials available at protonbob.com and the data indicating a lower risk of complications weighed heavily in my decision to go to Loma Linda.

Dave, thank you for your comment and I hope I answered your question. If I can help you further in some way please feel free to email me at rlowe@nwi.net. I know you are making a difficult decision about how to treat your cancer and I wish you the best of luck.