My first encounter of the obstacle on the Trail of Life.

Trail Briefing

I'm starting this blog to chronologize my two month long treatment for prostate cancer at the Proton Beam Cancer Treatment Facility at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, California. Hopefully by sharing my experience, it will encourage other men to take control of their lives and get themselves checked for prostate cancer on a yearly basis.


My hobby and one of my passions in life is four wheeling in my 2004 Jeep Wrangler. I'm from Arizona and since I have owned my Jeep I have been on many trails. Each trail has a name such as Highway to Hell, Ecstacy, Anaconda, Bad Medicine, etc. and each trail has a series of obstacles that are also named such as, Gate Keeper, Bee Falls, Predator, etc.


As I embark on this two month journey to being cancer free, I will treat this just like any other obstacle encountered on one of those rocky 4x4 trails, only this one is called "Life" and the obstacle is "Prostate Cancer.


Air Down and Preflight before starting the trail

January 2008

It all started in January, 2008 when I made an appointment with my physician for a routine exam. The last time I had a physical exam was about four years ago and like most guys I kept putting it off and putting it off until I got so tired of my wife's nagging that I finally made the dreaded appointment. (By the way, my wife's nagging saved my life.)

Let me give you a little history of my family genes. My Father was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1984 at the age of 56. Back then the PSA test did not exist. He started having severe problems urinating to the point he had to go to the hospital. He later found out he had prostate cancer and the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes and later to his bones. The doctors gave him radiation and hormone treatment and told him he had six months to live. My Father never gave up hope and he is still with us today at the age of 80.

I told my doctor about the history of cancer in my family including my Mother's battle with breast cancer and he ordered a PSA test for me. This would be my first PSA test. I'm only 47 and had always heard that a PSA test wasn't neccessary until age 50. Later I would find out just how wrong I was.

The PSA test results came back and my Doctor left me a message on the phone stating my PSA was a little high for my age. It was a 5.2 and it should be below 2.0. He told me he would prescribe an antibiotic to rule out any infection and would have me retested.

I completed the antibiotics and obstained from sexual activity and was retested. The PSA was a bit lower but still too high for my age so he suggested that I see a Urologist.

So off I went to the Urologist. My Urologist suggested that I get a biopsy done to rule out cancer, due to my PSA count and family history of prostate cancer.

Stay tuned for all the gory details of The Biopsy Obstacle!