So, to begin with, I guess

Greetings and salutations.
I had originally intended for this blog to be a place that I could direct people to when they wanted get updates on my situation and/or some back story as to how it all went down. As I begin this though, I see it as being a little more than that. I see it as being sort of like an open letter to my friends and family. Since conversations involving subject matter such as this can be awkward and uncomfortable for some people, I feel this medium is a pretty good way of sharing this information with anyone who is interested in knowing about it.
That being said, if you know me, know this: I am neither ashamed nor am I afraid to discuss my "condition" at any time or in any place. If you see me and you are curious, or maybe you have some advice, or maybe even a joke, please, do not hesitate to bring it up! Do not be "politically correct" around me, I can't stand that shit. Don't treat me like like I'm dying of cancer or something.(HaHa)

This post is intended to give you sort of a general overview of the way things stand right now, the results of all the tests and how we (my doctors and I) are treating it. I'll be getting into more of the minutia of events as they occurred in subsequent posts, and then from there, back to "present day". Feel free to be incredibly bored by it, it's just me blowing off steam.

I am forty one, and I have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I felt symptoms for possibly 2 years previous to my diagnosis and did nothing. As a result of that "waiting time" the cancer was able to metastasize, or spread, to other parts of my body. My lower spine, my femurs (both legs), my right knee, my lymph nodes, my left shoulder and my left eye, making it impossible to cure.

Hence the warning in my "first things first" post.

It's too late for a cure but there is a treatment, which, if successful, will add years to my life. We don't know how many years (I don't think the federal government needs to worry about me collecting a pension from them lol) but years are better than months.

The treatment is called Hormone Therapy. It consists of a pill taken everyday and a needle into my stomach every three months. The purpose of this medication is to block testosterone production in my body, testosterone being the "fuel" for the cancer. Without fuel, the cancer goes into a dormant state and recedes slightly, it is still there but it can't grow any further. I will be getting a P.S.A. test every three months to monitor how effective the medication is. Ideally, that number should go down to zero and stay there. There are no guarantees that this will work, and even if it does, no way of knowing for how long. In the end, the cancer always wins.

There are side effects, of which I have had the good fortune, thus far, to not have experienced, as of yet, but I've only been on the pills for 2 weeks and just had my first shot yesterday (Jan. 18/10) so, unless I'm super lucky, I guess I can expect them to come at any time.
Some of them are more noticeable over the long term, weak bones and muscles, fatigue, weight fluctuations. Others are more immediate, hot flashes, loss of libido, erectile dysfunction. The E.D. concerns me a little bit but I'm told that Viagara and other related meds can help to solve that. In the here and now it's no big deal, as I am alone, but it's nice to know that if I need it in the future, I have options.

I have noticed a definite improvement in my physical condition as a result of the hormone therapy, a positive sign that it's actually doing what it's supposed to do. I am hoping and planning to be back to work and into my routine, albeit somewhat modified, within the next few weeks.

I have a diary that I've been keeping since November 17/09 which chronicles the path that I have been traveling in some detail, the pain that I've been going through both physical and emotional, the tests and procedures used to determine my condition, etc. My next few posts will tell my story based on those entries and whatever memories revisiting those days conjures up.