Harry Died

Entry 80

On February 24th, 2023, Harry passed away at his home in the very early hours of the morning, surrounded by his family, in the 13th year following his prostate cancer diagnosis. Thankfully, Harry was not in pain during his final days, as he had been receiving palliative care for four weeks.

Photo taken at Dunnotar Castle in Scotland in 2019

Obituary - stimson-harry

The following was written by friend Ted Muir:

As we age and come to realize that our days ahead are dwindling in number, we are thankful for the people who have touched our lives and come to be best of friends. We share like values and interests, and we cherish moments together just for the sheer joy and pleasure of being in each other’s company. Harry Stimson was one of those people who I valued as a friend as did many others. 

Looking back, we were lucky to grow up in a time of unprecedented environmental awareness and a new found eagerness to take to the outdoors. As a volunteer with the Manitoba Naturalist Society, Harry advocated for the establishment of new parks on the east side of Lake Winnipeg and was always lobbying for the development of more outdoor recreational attractions in our parks. He also played a major role- as joint owner of The Happy Outdoorsman - in introducing people to recreational pursuits outdoors. The HO was all about the use of non mechanical means of exploring and enjoying the natural world- while maintaining a healthy lifestyle at the same time. Many of us have forgotten that the HO was the place to go to get advice and purchase equipment - be it for camping, cross country skiing, hiking or canoeing. Harry and Margaret walked the talk in the realm of canoeing - spending a chunk of their free time behind a paddle in Canadian shield country. A deep love and admiration for wild things in wild places shaped their lives, along with son Tom, and engendered many wonderful relationships. 

Harry and I were barely acquaintances during our volunteering stints with the Manitoba Naturalist Society and it was not until much later around 2014 that our paths crossed at a weekend retreat organized by Bob Williams to celebrate the life of our mutual friend Robert Taylor. Now in its eleventh year the weekend retreat “The Meeting of the Minds” forged many solid friendships many of which were nurtured by auxillary walks through parks, visits to art exhibits and coffee bars along with skating outings. These were great times with much resolve to make the world a better place. 

At my first retreat I recall praising Harry on his youthful appearance, joking about the meds he must be on. Unbeknownst to me at that moment he was in the early stages of managing life as a prostate cancer survivor - a disease that would eventually take his life. As chance would have, I followed the same path a few years later and found Harry’s support in dealing with the disease to be comforting and helpful. He assisted many others in a similar position often noting that the act of just listening to men talk through their feelings was useful. Equally notable he documented his experiences in detail on a blog that received thousands of hits - unequivocally helping patients and loved ones around the world get through some difficult times. He and friend Patrick Treacy, also a survivor, offered valuable input during the production of a leaflet from The Manitoba ProstatevCancer Support Group.

The Harry I know was a quiet, intellectual, thoughtful man who had a balanced and embracing outlook on life. He had deep convictions about human justice and equality. He was an enlightened and caring individual who set a high bar with his chums when discussing worldly matters. He valued friendship and took the time to keep folks with multifaceted interests - some artistic- in nurturing relationships. He was the glue that kept us together. He was very much a family man and deeply loved Margaret and son Tom and the grandchildren. He made sure his friends knew that matters pertaining to his health were tackled and done as a family. This held up right to the end.

Once Harry entered palliative care we knew the end was near, but his death still hit us hard. We all wanted a few more years of Harry in our lives and could not fathom life without him. Toward the end we took comfort in expressing how much he was admired and loved by all who knew him. We also feel blessed to have had him in our lives and left with so many wonderful memories. I know the feeling was mutual. 

Rest in peace my friend.

The Results are In

Entry 79
January 23 

Sharing our letter to family and friends 

Greetings,

For some of you this will be the first time hearing from me directly and I would like to say that we are appreciative of your interest and care as we've moved through the various stages of my Dad's diagnosis. If you are receiving this email, it's important for you to know this is a message of information and appreciation. 

This past week our family met with Oncologist, Dr. Joel Gingrich, our beloved friend and retired doctor Dr. Graham Fuchs and, dear family friend and Radiologist, Dr. Jeff Mottola all whom have played key roles in navigating our care plan (with the two latter being exceptional beyond measure). 

We have moved into a new phase in our journey, one which has presented us with some difficult choices. As you were probably already aware, the cancer that began in the prostate has traveled, most notably, to the surface area of the bones. Up until this week, we were under the impression this was the extent of that spread. This week's revelation was that the cancer appears to have entered the liver in a manner consistent with aggressive disease. At this point, we have discussed our options as a family, cautiously weighing both the positives and negatives of further treatment as well as the option to pursue palliative care at home. Our family has had no shortage of difficult conversations over the last year and so our mantra has and always will be, we do this together. This has given us lots of strength to draw on and has led us to find comfort and peace in the decision to move forward with palliative care at home.

It is important for you to know that my Dad LOVES to hear from you. This is a time where reaching out is valued and appreciated. Rest has been prioritized so the phone may not get picked up for days at a time but, know that any communication, email and text included, provide a great deal of comfort and strength as we go forward. My Mom or I may be the ones to respond and that will likely vary with how my Dad is feeling on any given day. We talk often about how much my Dad appreciates your friendship and concern and I know he'll look forward to having more personal communication In the coming days. You have made a difference in our lives.

I know this may come as a shock to some, we were certainly in that boat and likely still are. In sending this email I hope to mitigate some of the effort required in having my Dad find the right words. There are still many things to be grateful for and laughs to be had (you may wish to ask him about our family phone call to the bank, where he was treated like a Somali pirate), so don't let him off the hook. He'd have it no other way.

With great regard and lots of love,

Tom

Harry can be contacted by email : harry.stimson at gmail.com

Chemo Completed but....

Entry 78

January 3, 2023

It really began to unravel on Christmas Day.  I woke up feeling quite sick. I tried to get out of bed to stand up but my left hip/leg would not support my weight and I fell. Fortunately I was facing the bed so no injury. Within 24 hours, on Boxing Day, I was unable to walk unassisted even to get to the bathroom. A wheelchair was pretty much the only option outside of the house.

What to do? It was Christmas and everything closed including Cancer Care.

On Thursday the 29th of December,  we finally got through to CancerCare - Urgent Care. They took me right away. I went through an all-day battery of tests including an X-ray. A lesion on the femur was deemed worrisome and required a CT Scan on Friday, the 30th, to determine the direction for a round of radiation on Monday, January 2. Yikes! 

In quick succession the following happened on Tuesday, January 3:

An ‘extensive’ CT Scan followed by ‘full’ Bone Scan, (their quotation marks not mine)followed by Zolmeta (bone strengthening) IV and finally blood test. So you know when they are talking that kind of hammering in a day and a half you know they are looking for something significant. The interview with the HSC Radiologist last Friday suggested as much.  

We won’t know results probably until mid next week after all scans and tests analyzed. 

Also, we will not know if I will begin to feel better.  The radiation is specific to the femur and pelvis, primarily to reduce pain. 

 

That’s where it currently sits. The radiation has helped my ability to shuffle around the house but anything other than that would require a wheelchair.

We have just passed the 12th year anniversary since my prostatectomy.

Reached the Chemo Halfway Mark

Entry 77 

Good morning everyone.

I’m currently in the 5th chemotherapy treatment at Grace Hospital. We are at the halfway mark for the 10 treatments over 30 weeks. 

The clinic is not busy this morning. I was in and hooked up to IV quickly. I barely got into my stand up comedy routine for the other victims in the waiting room. I thought I heard an audible sigh of relief when my name was called and I was ushered out to the chemo chairs. Something about don’t quit your day job. So it sounds as if someone thinks I still look young enough to work. That’s surprising to me because I’m down >15 lbs and my skin is all wrinkled. Looks like I could use a good ironing. 

Chemotherapy takes about 2 hours and as usual the staff are professional and courteous. I feel fine and happily there is no pain in my left leg and hip. 

Through persistent experimenting I have the morphine down to 2 doses, one for the day and one for the night. It’s a very low dosage but nevertheless it’s an opioid. One of the knock-on side effects of a potent pain killer is constipation. I have learned to use Senokot-S in tandem with the morphine and have worked out a compatible combination. Feeling a lot better. 

My Oncologist was away this week so I had a telephone appointment with his Nurse Practitioner. That’s the first time I have spoken with one. We were very impressed. Tamara helped us work out a new plan to deal with the issues I was having that knocked me for a loop in the previous treatment. Hopefully it will add to the tool kit to get around the next tough stretch. The only way out is through. 

Finally and once again my sincerest thanks to Margaret and Tom for their non stop help. I simply can’t imagine what it would be like to try to navigate this if a person were on their own. I hope this does not sound like whining. It’s not and I’m sure it’s no different than anyone who has experienced chemotherapy. It’s a very humbling experience. 

I sold my Chestnut Cruiser wood canvas canoe last week. I was surprised by the amount of interest it generated. It gave me the option to pick and choose the buyer. Paramount was that it had a good home. Shed a few tears. I had some outstanding solo trips (some as long as 2 weeks) and I just loved the way it handled. It just got too heavy for me to carry as I aged. Closed another chapter.

Written from a Chemotherapy Clinic

Entry 76

I am currently at the Grace Hospital receiving my second chemotherapy treatment with 8 more to go between now and mid September (every 3 weeks), so it’s too early to pass judgement on the success of this treatment one way or the other. 

I had my third app’t with my Oncologist Dr. Joel Gingerich and the news was not great. Scans revealed “some new spots” with migration of cancer into the back and ribs. I hasten to add that while disappointing this is not unexpected. That’s just the way cancer in the bones works. 

On the plus side, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the bloodwork. The PSA number went up but not markedly, otherwise the bloodwork looked good. Additionally I was able to answer all of his other non blood related medical questions positively. 

Perhaps I whined a bit too much about the chemo side effects of fatigue, joint achiness, tingly tongue, and reduced sense of taste. Dr Gingerich offered the option of reducing the docetaxel chemotherapy dosage to lessen the side effects but after discussion we opted to stay the course.

Hair loss has been another side effect. It helps to have a lint roller nearby.

As usual we thought of questions we should have asked after we hung up. It involves timing. 

When Margaret and I were looking back on her notes from the appointment (she was on the phone call) we remembered the bone scan at the Victoria Hospital was only 2 days after the first chemotherapy treatment. So I guess another question is would the first chemotherapy treatment have had any chance to impact the results of the bone scan? 

The bone scan results are irrefutable - no question there. The question I have is can those results be tempered with the 3 weeks the second dose will have to work on the bone metastases? We will see.

As a brief aside it’s important to point out that the first appointment with Dr Gingerich was in person, but the appointments 2 and 3 were over the phone. I expect this to continue. It is a policy of Cancer Care Manitoba in order to reduce the risk to immune compromised patients in a time of Covid. While this can be tough I completely agree. 

As it turns out, it is very valuable for us. It permits Margaret to be part of the conversation on speaker phone. She takes detailed notes of the conversation allowing us to revisit them at a later date of our convenience. As a good friend who has been through it advised us, ‘You simply cannot remember it all’. 

Just finished the 2 hour chemotherapy treatment at the Grace. The dexamethasone anti nausea drug has removed that side effect for which I am very grateful. As in the first chemo treatment, the staff were professional and courteous. 

I am feeling fine and could readily have driven myself home, but Margaret is on her way to pick me up, one of the perks of being a trophy husband.

                           ————————————————-

Sorry for this being a bit of a downer first thing in the morning but the chemo side effects will announce themselves in the next ~48 hours and the energy level will probably drop.

 

Day 1 of Chemotherapy

Entry 75

Starting the thirty week regimen of chemotherapy

Giddyup !

Entry 74

This is a note to let you know there has been a change in the current status of my prostate cancer. 

The PC has upped its game and the challenge now is to adjust my treatment regimen to address  it. As a result, my Urologist for the past 11 years, Dr Jeff Saranchuk has handed me over to the Medical Oncology department at Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg to develop a new course of action.

That has happened and I am now totally in the care of Dr. Joel Gingerich. Margaret and I had >1 hour consultation with him which went very well and left us totally impressed. My other health care workers speak very highly of him and reference how smart, caring and professional he is. I think I am in good hands for the next 40 miles. 

I have been up to my ass in tests to confirm the treatment regimen Dr. Gingerich described to us. Two tests this week with a bunch more to come including redoing the CT and Bone Scans to see if the PC has made further incursions. At this point the lesions on the pelvis remain sclerotic and not lytic - the lesser of two evils.

At this point I am experiencing no pain and feel fine. 

My PSA went down yet again. Dr. Gingerich cautioned me not to get excited about the drop because it was likely caused by the December radiation treatment on my hip.  The unexpected decrease was fortunate in that it will give us time to plot the treatment schedule instead of rushing it.

That treatment will include chemotherapy- docotaxel. Not surprising.  Every 3 weeks for 30 weeks. Depending on when it starts that will last into mid to late summer. Clearly travel is not an option for me.

I’m also registered for a clinical trial and did the tests for it yesterday. Interestingly they take blood samples as well as tissue samples from your prostate gland. What? But I no longer have a prostate gland! He reminded me that I had agreed to put my prostate gland in a tumour bank at Health Sciences Centre after it was removed 11 years ago - research purposes. Completely forgot.

I am wait listed for the clinical trial of Radium 223 and probably won’t get in, but now that I am registered and tested, all my DNA information is on file for future immunotherapy treatment. Assuming I need it.

Additionally, last week I underwent a bone building/strengthening process that is administered by IV drip over 30 minutes every three months (for the foreseeable future). It will help mitigate the bone loss due to the cancer. The drug is called Zoledronic Acid or trade name Zometa.

That’s about as much as I know at this point. None of it is overly surprising to me. We knew the cancer was making its break for freedom and now we know it has been successful. We will see if medical science can slow it down. 

My new mantra comes courtesy of the poet Robert Frost when he said, " The only way out is through".   Giddyup!

Time to Transition

Entry 73

Greetings! Just wanted to give you an update on a change in the direction of my prostate cancer treatment.

As you may recall back in July of last summer a CT Scan and Bone Scan detected the prostate cancer had migrated into the pelvic bone of my left hip. Shortly after, the spot was radiated at Health Sciences Centre and it seemed to address the problem. 

Unfortunately, another CT Scan and Bone Scan in mid November found that the cancer had returned. Once again, cancer showed in the left hip and once again it was immediately radiated at the Health Sciences Centre. 

The second set of scans also picked up additional small lesions in the pelvic bone structure. Early stages, but nevertheless, it calls into question the continued efficacy of the medication I am on. 

Statue of the angel polar bear looking in the window toward the Hematology Lab of Cancer Care

So where do we go from here?

As of this week Dr Saranchuk, my urologist for the past 11 years has handed me over to the Medical Oncology department at Cancer Care. That just occurred a couple of days ago so nothing has happened as yet. That Oncologist, when appointed will take over my treatment in its entirety, both medication and radiology. 

With that in mind and in discussions with Margaret, Dana and Tom, we thought it prudent to scale back our Christmas interactions to immediate family only. This is a shame but in light of the potential impact of the Omicron variant of Covid, probably for the best.

I have been reminded that my immune system is under stress and I should be careful. Several times a week, I've been keeping fit with walks in the ~4 km range along with stretching and weight bearing exercises for about 50 minutes at a time.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Saranchuk and all the staff at the Prostate Centre in Cancer Care who have been instrumental in maintaining my health since prostate cancer was diagnosed eleven years ago. Dr. Saranchuk has been a very caring and skillful professional in this part of my experience from the original prostatectomy in 2010 until I transition to the Oncology team in January, 2022.

Results and Followup of Treatment

Entry 72

This was a pivotal week with regards the change in status of my prostate cancer. To say I was nervous would be an understatement.

Appointments with the doctors at Cancer Care Prostate Centre and Cancer Care Radiology on Tuesday and Thursday respectively, assessed the results of the change in medication and the radiation therapy. 

The news is good.

The new medication Abiraterone has not only stopped the rise in the PSA number but in fact dropped it by a full point in the space of 1 month. The key take away here is that it’s working. If it did not at least stop the rise in that number we would be looking at Plan B.

Additionally, l am experiencing no significant change in side effects. 

With regards the second part to this equation, the radiation therapy, the news is equally positive. It has been 2 weeks since the application of a single dose of radiation to address a relatively small and localized occurrence of cancer. 

The pain normally associated with it has been minimal. When needed one Advil tablet per day has sufficed. As in the case of the medication, any side effects from the radiation have been minimal.

This was the first assessment since the diagnosis and treatment in July. It is very encouraging. I will see Dr Saranchuk of the Prostate Centre every month for the foreseeable future to continue to monitor the efficacy of the Arbitrarone on my PSA. Radiology will do the same according to a slightly different schedule. 

Radiation

Entry 71

Just to bring you up to date I have had my appointments with Health Science Centre Radiology and am already finished. It was accomplished in 2 days. The first day's appointment was about 1 1/2 hours long and was mainly consultations and marking the spot on my hip to be radiated. Very thorough. 

The following day was the actual treatment which took about 20 minutes and was done in one session.  I'm happy to report they think they got a relatively small and localized spot on my hip with one strong radiation application. I am having little or no side effects that one extra strength Advil tablet per day can’t handle. 

I have also been taking new medications, Abiraterone and Prednisone for 3 weeks and am equally free of significant side effects from that combination. So all in all I appear to be doing quite well. 

Cancer Care Prostate Center and Radiology are all over me like a tent. They will continue to monitor me closely for the next 6-8 weeks at which time they should know if the 2 treatments are successful. We will see.

A Major Change

Entry 70

There has been a change in my health status as it applies to the prostate cancer. I have been aware of it for over a year but things firmed up over the past few weeks. Below is a relatively brief explanation of how things arrived at their current status.

So, first things first....

A little over a year ago at one of my quarterly appointments, my Urologist/Oncologist Dr Jeff Saranchuk told me he was concerned that my primary line of defence against the spread of the prostate cancer was losing its efficacy. That line of defence was Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT). ADT is a hormone therapy that blocks the transmission of testosterone which prostate cancer uses to enable its transmission elsewhere in the body. It is not chemotherapy. 

Ten years ago, back in 2010 when  Dr Saranchuk surgically removed my prostate gland he also removed 12 pelvic lymph nodes & found 2 tumours. I was instantly metastatic. The cancer had already escaped the prostate capsule. Not good news.

To put this into perspective, the only line of defence available at that time was ADT & on average it’s efficacy lasted 2-3 years. So I took it. As Dr Saranchuk pointed out, if I hadn’t I would have shortly been in palliative care with a likelihood of pushing up daisies in the not too distant future.

But wait ! Here it is 10 years down the road & I just told you that very same ADT regimen is just now losing its efficacy. Instead of a couple of years I got 10! The how & why of that statement would legitimately be another full entry, so in the interests of simplicity let’s just say it is not lost on me that I am a very fortunate man.

What the above explanation is in aid of is that when I went into the appointment with Dr Saranchuk on Tuesday, June 29th I knew what was coming. Truth be told, I have been expecting to hear it 4x a year for the past 10 years. 

At that same appointment he ordered additional blood analysis, a CT scan & a bone scan. 

What I could not predict was the second shoe to drop, that being what the outcome of the CT scan & the bone scan would be. Once again in the interests of brevity, the CT scan (thoracic & abdominal) showed no signs of the cancer in the soft tissue & internal organs. Whew! The bone scan, which was head to toe however spotted bone metastasis in my left hip. Not good.

So in summary, my primary line of defence, the ADT treatments, had finally lost its ability to keep the cancer at bay. The bone scan having detected cancer in my hip was proof the ADT had lost its efficacy.

So, where does that leave us?

Well, perhaps not so bad actually. 

In the 10 years that have passed since my surgery there have been several new treatments & medications that specifically address my circumstances. The ADT will remain & a new drug, Abiraterone (aka Zytiga) will reinforce it along with Prednisone to mitigate any side effects. Assuming this new regimen works it should control the aggressiveness of the cancer.

The second part to this equation is of course the bone metastasis. That will be addressed with radiation. My understanding is the bone metastasis is localized & the treatment of short duration with a good chance of success. 

I await a call from Health Sciences Centre Radiology with an appointment schedule.

Prostate Blog - 10th Anniversary

Entry 69

Hello!

This will be the first entry in the Harry’s Prostate Blog in 5 years.

Part of the reason for my lax treatment of the blog was in effect a good news story. There was nothing newsworthy to report other than I was doing fine. A nice problem to have you may say and I would certainly agree. For those of us who live with the uncertainty of cancer the old adage ‘no news is good news’ has a ring of truth to it.

So the question becomes why start again now? Well, the answer to that is that on December 9, 2010 I underwent radical prostatectomy surgery at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, Canada. This will be the 10 year anniversary of that life changing event!

As a result of the skillful work of my urologist Dr Jeff Saranchuk and the consistent, ongoing monitoring of my health at Cancer Care in the Health Sciences Centre, it has allowed me to live a very full and rewarding life.

That remarkable care enabled me to be around for the marriage of our son to a wonderful young woman and the birth of our 2 grandchildren who as you might guess we totally adore. It enabled me to pursue my passion for paddling my canoe(s) on trips both large and small, and finally it provided the opportunity for my wife and I to travel. And travel we did, sometimes on our own and sometimes with friends or family. Our travels were extensive and worldwide in their scope and we found ourselves in places I never in my wildest dreams expected to visit.

I was also exceedingly fortunate in having the understanding and unfailing support of family and friends. This was crucial and you only begin to truly understand it with the benefit of hindsight. My wife Margaret and son Tom played pivotal roles in getting me through the main event and recovery. Friends helped propel that recovery so that I was able to take part in a demanding 2 week canoe trip within 5 months of the surgery.

But there is another reason other than the 10 year anniversary of the surgery. That reason is hope. My experience, and I hasten to add, my experience only, is that there is potentially a substantial and rewarding life beyond a diagnosis of prostate cancer. I am living proof.

Thank you for your time and attention and may I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

(Photo below taken in October, 2019 in Shetland, Scotland. Here I'm being photobombed by Shetland ponies and my brother-in-law Scott McDonald)

                                        

Lumps and Bumps in Places They Shouldn't Be

Entry 68

Well Hello!

The previous entry to this blog was 5 months ago in September of 2014 and it did not have much to say about the status of my prostate cancer other than my PSA number was increasing (not good, but not surprising) but it was doing so at a slow rate (good, oddly surprising). Not only is it moving slowly but it is doing so in a manner which is uncharacteristic. By that I mean the 2 terms urologists use to define the recurrence of the cancer in metastatic patients such as myself are 'volume and velocity'. I don't want to repeat myself so if you are interested to know these how 2 terms work please see Entry 66# in this blog from last January (paragraphs 2 thru 6) for a brief non technical explanation.

In my case the volume and velocity are both low and slow (respectively) and the velocity is uncharacteristic in that it is not 'doubling'. Again see above mentioned paragraphs in Entry 66#.

So what does this mean? Not much different than previous entries really. The cancer continues to manifest its presence but at a slow rate.  In March of last year the PSA number was just under 1 ng/ml, in July 1.33, in October 1.96, and 2 weeks ago it was 2.87 ng/ml. - increasing but not doubling.

This slow increase may be interesting but somewhat academic. The PSA reading for a prostate cancer patient post surgery, radiation, etc. is a much more accurate assessment of what the cancer is doing than readings prior to those treatment options. Quite simply if it hadn't already metastasized and/or the doctors managed to get it all the PSA reading should be .01 ng/ml or less and showing no signs of increasing with subsequent blood tests. Mine is, albeit slowly.

In case you are unfamiliar with the term metastasized (metastasis) it is defined as 'the spread or development of secondary malignant growths at a distance from the primary site of the cancer.' In my case it had spread and was found in 2 of the dozen or so lymph nodes that were removed and biopsied at the time of my surgery. Node Positive Prostate Cancer (LN+PCa) as this is termed.

It was with this in mind that I got a scare last October when while showering after a workout I detected a lump on one of my testicles. Yikes! Considering the cancer had already metastasized once and is likely to again, my brain was in catastrophe mode.

A visit to my doctor confirmed the presence of a lump. He immediately ordered a scrotal and abdominal ultrasound. Wouldn't you know it, the date for the ultrasound fell right in the middle of a month long trip to Argentina & Chile Margaret and I had previously committed to. Arrrgh! After consultation with my doctor we decided the 2 weeks difference was not likely to be that pivotal, plus he wasn't convinced it was cancerous. Turns out he was right. The ultrasound detected no 'intratesticular mass lesions' but rather 'small bilateral varicoceles'. A bilateral varicoceles in layman's terms is a swelling in the veins not unlike most of us would think of as a varicose vein. Apparently about 15% of men get them and it tends to be age related. Rarely do they pose a serious threat and if there is discomfiture, which I do not have, it can be surgically repaired.

So much for the scrotal ultrasound - the abdominal ultrasound was equally positive. They found no evidence of 'abdominal aortic aneurysm'.

Harry in Prince Edward Island 2014

So the moral of this story for any guys out there who may read this; don't automatically assume the worst if while washing or playing picket pool you notice a lump or bump that shouldn't be there. Get it checked out immediately. It may well be benign.

In summary, the lumps & bumps in places they shouldn't be are not cancer related and as such, much to my relief, are not evidence of the prostate cancer migrating (metastasizing) to places elsewhere in my body. However, and there is always that hesitation with cancer, my slowly increasing PSA number is indicative of it recurring. As mentioned earlier this is not unexpected. What it does mean is that I will likely return to the ADT (androgen deprivation therapy) sometime this summer or fall. Hopefully the ADT treatments will do what it did last time and knock the cancer and subsequent PSA number back to a negligible 0.01 ng/ml.

The surgery to remove my prostate gland was roughly 4 1/3 years ago. The ADT treatment 3 years ago. I live a relatively normal life and while there are unquestionably side effects from both the surgery and ADT therapy, for me at least, they are tolerable, indeed, so much so that it has allowed me to pursue my passion for yearly multiple week, long distance wilderness canoe trips, as well as travel the world with Margaret in month long intervals to the Maritimes, China, South America and Europe. 

All this travel happened without recourse to medical attention, cancer specific medication, or related paraphernalia such as incontinence pads etc. The incontinence that frequently follows PC surgery has not been an issue for me. In fact, and this is just unconscionable bragging, I can go to a Jets hockey game, drink 2 jumbo beers (17oz/503 ml each) and not have to pee until I get home 3 plus hours later! Hah! Take that you guys & girls stricken with TB (tiny bladder); and I'm doing it missing some of my urethra and the relevant sphincter muscle(s) therein.

All kidding aside, I have seen 3 doctors and had tests done in 2 hospitals since we returned from South America on December 20th. I feel very fortunate to have had that professional care and ongoing monitoring of my health.

hstimson @ shaw.ca
                                |  Before Surgery |  After Surgery  |  Before ADT  |  ADT/Hormone Therapy  |

On Our Way

Entry 67

Having been encouraged by my urologist/surgeon to enjoy the summer, I will return to see him in the fall after a six month period (instead of the usual three month interval) to have a check up. The last blood test in March revealed that my PSA is still slightly under 1 ng/ml. It's hard to believe that it has been more than four years since we learned that I had prostate cancer and began to explore the options for treatment.

The summer continues to be a busy time for me. I drove with a long time friend to Nova Scotia then flew home in June, drove to Vancouver and back in July, and tomorrow I'm heading out on a paddling adventure in northern Manitoba to commemorate Harcus Strachan, the only member of the Fort Garry Horse to receive a Victoria Cross and for whom a lake in Manitoba has been named. We will be placing an engraved aluminum plaque in his honour on the shore of the newly named Strachan Lake.

We expect to be on the water from August 10th until the 22nd.

Update: We have returned from the canoe trip. I added a few pictures below that were taken by Ed Loewen, one of the paddlers in our group.

Commemorative rock cairn beside plaque

Harry cooking

The paddling group. (left to right, Brian Greenberg, Joe Greenberg, Mike Sellors, Ed Loewen, 

Bob Williams, Harry Stimson lying in front)

Bob Williams and Harry Stimson

        hstimson @ shaw.ca
                                |  Before Surgery |  After Surgery  |  Before ADT  |  ADT/Hormone Therapy  |

2014: Fourth Year of the Journey

Entry 66
January 8, 2014

I had my first visit of the new year to Urologist/Surgeon Dr Jeff Saranchuk yesterday and for the most part it was positive.

The PSA # (Prostate Specific Antigen number) was up again.  It has trended up over the last 9 months from a low of 0.01 ng/ml (negligible reading) to 0.33 to 0.66 to 0.96 (yesterday's readout).

The reason this reading is interesting is that the previous assessments indicate that the numbers are 'doubling' ie 0.33 to 0.66 ng/ml. In Urologist speak this means the 'velocity' (speed at which the cancer is recurring) and the 'volume', (the amount of cancer present) is doubling. This time however, it went from 0.66 to 0.96 ng/ml - it didn't double.

This at best is a minor accomplishment but in the big scheme of things it means the cancer is not moving fast, and, as measured by the PSA#, there isn't a lot of it - and that's a good thing.

To put this into perspective it still hasn't broken the solid number 1 yet. Prior to going in for the surgery to remove my prostate gland my PSA# went from 5 to 18 ng/ml in 18 months - the above numbers show it has taken 24 months just to go from 0.01 to 0.96 ng/ml! Yay!

So, all in all, pretty good news from my point of view. But - and there is always that word when it comes to cancer, the very fact that I have a PSA reading means the cancer has metastasized, in all probability into my lymph nodes. As Dr Saranchuk has pointed out, don't get too giddy about the low PSA. The doubling is the issue - it becomes a logarithmic equation. Now I don't know a logarithm from a ski pole but I do understand doubling - 1 becomes 2 , 2 becomes 4, 4 becomes 8, 8 becomes 16, 16 becomes 32 etc etc. Once it gets going it can happen in a hurry. That's why Cancer Care monitors me every 3 months.

So what happens next. Well - not much really - I keep doing what I have been doing. When the PSA# starts to ramp up again - and it will - I will go back on the ADT (androgen deprivation therapy) and hopefully it will do the same thing as last time and knock it back down to that negligible 0.01 number again. My body responded well to that treatment last time and I assume it will again. It is worth remarking that typically metastatic prostate cancer patients have to return to the ADT within a year of stopping. It would appear in my case that timeline will more than double! To me that's fantastic and a clear vindication of the route we chose to go in dealing with the disease.

One thing for sure, I feel considerably more myself off the therapy than on it. That comment may fall into the ' amazing grasp of the obvious ' category but nevertheless it's true. ADT is NOT chemotherapy - many people confuse the two - however it does come with its own set of side effects that are less than pleasant, but I hasten to add, tolerable. I find it very difficult to explain to people what it's like to function without testosterone.

We will see what the new year has in store.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this. All the best to you and yours for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2014.

Lunch with friends
Click on images to enlarge them

hstimson @ shaw.ca
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