Sudden Rude Awakening!
In 2018 I had a vasectomy, which I thought was a good idea at the time. My PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) was 3.2 after this surgery which is in the normal range.
This was never checked again in my bloodwork until I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in 2024. (PSA is now 1215)
It started with a sore back and sore hips, I would get joint pain at night but I thought it was my mattress or something I did during that day at work.
I had left my job as a Principle System's Designer at a large Corporation called "Xplornet", now called "Xplore".
There were many big changes in the Company and many of us felt we were not valued as we once were, when the Company was smaller and still had that personal touch. Many of my colleagues left after I made my exit. The stress was just too much, I felt my health was declining due to stress, and this was the right choice.
I took the leap of faith and in April 2023, and I quit to pursue part time retirement and my passion of building custom cabinets for people.
The aches and pains seemed par for the course, right? I have always been in top physical condition and just a few years ago I was snowboarding, and doing snowboard tricks down the Canadian Rockies at 57.
I have an athletic build and, not to toot my own horn but I am strong as an ox!
I have two Weimaraner dogs and they are high energy! I love them both dearly and one day while walking them Sax (male blue weim) had tunnel vision while running and took me out at the legs. This threw me horizonal and literally 5 feet in the air and down flat on my back in the dirt.
It was after this that my back really started hurting. I would get Massage Therapy, Physiotherapy and Chiropractor care, Acupuncture after that, but nothing helped me.
This continued until another injury happened to the bones, which was diagnosed as a broken rib. There was no reason for the fracture and I could not explain how it happened this time, but I was in a lot of pain. I again tried all the therapy that would normally help with this sort of pain but again, to no avail!
Finally, I decided it's time to investigate further, but none of the Dr's were connecting all of my signs and symptoms, no one was connecting the dots. I was told it was mild arthritis, here are some muscle relaxers, go home and relax.
I was in severe pain at this point, no meds helped. After 3 times to the ER and 1 visit to my family Doctor, I was just about discharged again with prednisone. I was told, here are some more meds.
I was having muscle spasms, and I had lost over 40 pounds in a little less then 3 months. I had to urinate often, but I also had Diabetes type 1. I had joint pain and muscle spasms in my low back, and quadriceps. Was it my thyroid? There was lot's of bloodwork, X-rays and consults.
My brother has MEN1 (Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 with Neuroendocrine Cancer), but that had been ruled out for me by a Geneticist a few years before all this.
Then the Diagnoses came. After my 3rd visit to the ER, they were about to discharge me with prednisone and my wife stood up to the Dr. and said, just wait. I need you to hear me out. These are all of the symptoms that have been going on for a while now. Each symptom would come and go in severity, and my wife explained to this young Dr., there is something really wrong here.
She was concerned once all of the symptoms were laid out before her, she told me. Come back in the morning, we need a CT scan of your abdomen and chest, and she ordered more blood work.
The next day came my diagnoses, Stage 4 Prostate Cancer, which had metastasized to my bones and the lymph in my abdomen. I was told all of my organs and lungs were clear, but the bones were not. My PSA was 1215 which is extremely high. It was a shock and was in shock until yesterday, just about a week later. Now the gravity of the situation is hitting home.
Now the long journey.... I thought the blog was a good idea to track my thoughts and feelings as I go through this roller coaster called Cancer.