Sunday, November 29, 2015

A Welcome Annual Appointment Report

As my regular readers may have discerned the doctor-patient  relationship between Dr. Myers and yours truly has become a tad strained. The uneasiness in our relationship is most apparent from our Patient Portal e-mail exchanges as recorded in a few of my recent journal entries. At this juncture therefore, it gives me considerable pleasure to report that my annual appointment with Dr. Myers on October 28 could not have gone much smoother. Our discussion can best be described as cordially professional with nary a hint of discord.
Dr. Myers expressed complete satisfaction with the monthly blood analyses he uses to monitor my general  health and the effectiveness of his Hormone Lite protocol. Parameters measured, among several others, include PSA, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, cholesterol, hemoglobin, blood glucose, and vitamin D.
We devoted some of our time to the following topics:
Question:
What is your perspective on the recent steep rise in my PSAs?
Response:
I am unsure the elevation represents a progression of your prostate cancer. In relation to the complete record of PSA graphs we have on file, the elevation appears insignificant. In any event your PSA has responded quite favorably to the increase of Casodex I recently prescribed for you.
Question:
Am I now or have I ever been a candidate for complete and durable remission?
Response
Yes. As a matter of fact based on your highly favorable response to the increased Casodex , it's conceivable  you will achieve a complete and durable remission with our current protocol.

The above statement of Dr. Myer's caught me by surprise. It struck me as being so radically different from our previous  discussions on this topic it "boggled my mind."  To avoid jeopardizing  the patient/doctor rapport we managed to reestablish, I chose not to pursue the matter further. .
In conclusion: (1) I am skeptical about my chances of achieving a compete and durable remission on my present protocol, and (2) I will be satisfied to continue my current quality of life for another two, three (preferably four or five) years.
Stay tuned.

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