SALT LAKE CITY – They’re at a stage in their lives when they should be enjoying a stress-free retirement, traveling to places they’d always dreamed about and spoiling their grandchildren.

And yet several of Kermit Heid’s new friends have something more dispiriting in common: They’re dying.

If you had told them 10 or 20 years ago that a simple prostate exam would save their lives, the majority probably would have visited a doctor, notes Heid, but some would still live — and die — by that old-time refrain: “Stay tough. be a man. Don’t worry about it and don’t complain about it. It will go away.”

“They’ve been brought up to keep a stiff upper lip, no matter what,” says Heid, “and for a lot of these guys, visiting a doctor is just something they don’t do. in fact, one urologist I know tells me that of the men he sees, 75 percent of them had appointments made by their wives. otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone in for an exam.”

With more than 1,800 men diagnosed with prostate cancer in Utah every year, Heid, 78, wanted to get together for a Free Lunch of roast beef sandwiches and fruit salad at the Desert Edge pub to encourage more men to get screened for the slow-growing disease.

He has good reason to care. in 1998, two months after he was found to be in perfect health by a doctor in California, Heid learned that he had prostate cancer. He had just been transferred to an engineering job in Utah and his new doctor suggested a thorough exam since she wasn’t familiar with his medical history.

“Somehow, the first doctor had missed a nodule on my prostate,” he says, “so I had surgery. I was lucky that it was caught so early, but I’ll still need regular screenings for the rest of my life. in the early stages, there are no symptoms. quite often, by the time you find out you have a problem, it’s too late.”

At a support group meeting after his surgery, Heid was shocked to learn that prostate cancer kills one man every 16 minutes and accounts for 15 percent of all cancer cases, but the disease receives only five percent of cancer research funds.

“In October, everything is pink for breast cancer,” he says, “but how many people are aware of the color for prostate cancer?” He points to a turquoise blue ribbon that he’s wearing in honor of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. “Women are more vocal and men don’t want to talk about it. That’s one reason why you see more pink than blue.”

After he recovered from his surgery, Heid vowed that he would do everything he could to convince more men to get exams. in 2001, he rode his bike across country from Washington to Maine, distributing literature and blue ribbons, speaking to Rotary Clubs and answering questions on radio programs along the way.

THE WOODLANDS – Jessica Bordon isn’t afraid of a disease thathas taken her away from her friends and school. Her smile says itall.

Four years ago, Jessica watched her mom win a battle over breastcancer. so, when the 10-year-old was diagnosed withShwachman-Diamond Syndrome last year, there was nothing tofear.

“I went through that challenge without knowing why I got thedisease, but knowing God had a reason,” Joni Bordon, of TheWoodlands, said about her breast cancer diagnosis. “When Jessicawas going through all her appointments, she was not afraid becauseshe saw her mom go through all this and come out fine. I was ableto ease that road for her.”

In the year Jessica has been away from the school, herclassmates haven’t forgotten her.

In February, which is Rare Disease Month, students at St.Anthony of Padua Catholic School raised $685 for Shwachman DiamondAmerica, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to raisingmoney for Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome research and education.Jessica, who has attended St. Anthony since she was 3, wasdiagnosed with the syndrome in April and has been unable to attendschool because her immune system will not permit constant contactwith other people due to the disease.

“We were so grateful they would do that for us,” Joni said.“Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome receives no federal funding. Anyresearch that gets done is because of fundraising like this.without research, there will be no cure and we are looking for acure.”

Students raised money through a jeans and T-shirt day fundraiserthat allowed students at the school, who normally wear uniforms, towear jeans and a T-shirt for a day if they contributed at least$1.

“That was the hardest thing about this disease was leaving St.Anthony because it’s like a family,” Joni said.

Jessica’s last day in the classroom was in January 2010, andteachers helped with home studies through the 2010 semester. Hermother started home-schooling her this school year.

“I miss my friends, but I do like home school because we get togo on a lot of field trips,” Jessica said.

Every month, St. Anthony students support a stewardship projectthat meets the principles of a Catholic education, said KarenMiller, school religion coordinator. Previous beneficiaries havebeen Birthright, Camp Kappe and the Montgomery County Women’sCenter.

“Because she was part of our school, we really wanted to make aneffort,” Miller said. “It brings it home for our students when theycan connect.”

Jessica went through nearly four months of testing in early 2010before doctors discovered what was wrong.

“She was chronically ill and was not able to get well,” Jonisaid. “Now, we know what her problem is. She cannot produce enoughwhite blood cells to fight infection, so a cut can be veryserious.”

Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome, first described in 1964, is a rare,genetic, multi-systemic disorder affecting the pancreas, bonemarrow and skeleton. The most common symptoms are pancreaticdysfunction, low neutrophil count and short stature. Other organsmay be involved in some Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome patients.

The bone marrow, where blood cells are produced, is affected inShwachman-Diamond Syndrome, according toshwachmandiamondamerica.org. Anemia and blood clotting problemsare also common. Because of the bone marrow dysfunction, childrenare at a greater risk of developing life-threatening infections.Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome is considered to be a bone marrowfailure syndrome, because up to 30 percent of the children willdevelop leukemia or aplastic anemia.

“This disease doesn’t just affect bone marrow,” Joni said. “Itaffects other organs.”

The pancreas fails to produce the enzymes essential to digestfood properly. Because of the exocrine pancreatic dysfunction, thechild does not absorb enough nutrients, most commonly thefat-soluble vitamins, to grow and develop normally.

Jessica will undergo her second bone marrow biopsy in April andtakes regular neupogen injections to stimulate her white bloodcells for immunity.

“People don’t know, I didn’t know, that it’s very easy to be onthe bone marrow donor list,” Joni said. “All it takes is a cheekswab. … if nothing else, we’ll take all kinds of prayer.”

To learn more about becoming a bone marrow donor, visitmarrow.org.

continued…… cancel her appointment to discuss treatment options. how early(age wise) is it possible for a female to get cervical cancer and what are the symptoms?

any other informative information about cervical cancer is appreciated as well.

Extremely unlikely. it takes several years after infection of the Human Papilloma Virus to take hold and then the abnormal cells have to mutate into cancer. This all takes time. Cervical cancer screening is typically recommended starting three years or more after first sex, or starting at age 21 to 25. Recommendations for how often a Pap smear should be done vary from once a year to once every five years, in the absence of abnormal results. Guidelines vary on how long to continue screening, but well screened women who have not had abnormal smears can stop screening about age 60 to 70.
Of course you can cancel your appt with the doctors but why would you, Cancer is a life threatening issue and is the number one priority in your life after your diagnosis. you don't just blow off your appointments with your oncologist.
Here is a wikipedia link with much more info on the topic, good Luck!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cervical_ca…

Appointments were made to see the doctor, but he lacked the energy to go.

Finally, he “dragged out of the house” to see a doctor.

The physician who saw Michael, then 17 years old, said the teenager was depressed, according to the family.

Three months later, Michael visited an emergency room. Neely remembers the date: Aug. 7, 2008.

Emergency surgery was performed that day. Another operation followed Aug. 18 for the benign tumor on his brain stem, the part of the brain that controls basic life functions.

Neely spent weeks in a coma.

“We didn’t know if he was going to live or die,” said his mother, Dena.

His 18th birthday was celebrated in the intensive care unit.

Near the end of that September, Michael went to a facility for rehabilitation. He was there five weeks for a “crash course in how to walk, talk, eat” and other actions.

He left rehabilitation in a wheelchair. Today he walks with a cane.

“I’m ridiculously mentally tough because I have to be. That’s the only way I’ll stay alive,” he said.

While Dena has continuously searched for answers, Michael is uninterested in understanding his brain tumor.

“Ignorance really would be bliss,” he later wrote in an e-mail.

His passion is reading. He enjoys the satire of mark Twain and “darkly hilarious” Stephen King. He wants to be a professor and teach American literature.

He loves music. David Bowie and Morrissey are some favorites. his favorite TV show is “Lost.” He spends a lot of time online.

Neely is candid and honest about his fears and loneliness. He knows no one else his own age with a brain tumor. Adding to the isolation is the recent loss of a dear friend to cancer.

Dena said the nearest support groups for people with brain tumors are in Asheville, N.C., and Charleston.

The greatest change Dena has seen in her son is the anger. How does one rid him of that bitterness?

Dena considers Michael, now 20, a “miracle.” she said he’s fortunate to be able to walk and no longer need a feeding tube.

The American Brain Tumor Association projected 62,930 new cases of primary brain tumors would be diagnosed in 2010.

Primary brain tumors begin in the brain. Metastatic brain tumors are cancer cells that originated elsewhere in the body, perhaps the lungs, breast or skin, and traveled to the brain.

Brain tumors can be benign or malignant and are measured on a scale from 1 to 4. the higher the number, the more aggressive.

Rare and hard to figure

Brain tumors are seen more often in children and senior citizens.

Dr. Sharmila Mehta, with Palmetto Hematology Oncology, said brain tumors account for 2 percent of all cancer types.

In 2008, there were 1,600 new cancer cases diagnosed or treated at Spartanburg Regional. there were 33 brain and other nervous system cases.

Mehta said brain tumor symptoms can often be nonspecific.

They might initially be overlooked or appear as something else, such as depression or fatigue.

When should people be concerned? As opposed to a migraine, Mehta said headaches associated with brain tumors typically are dull and consistent, and they can be severe enough to wake someone.

Changes in brain pressure can worsen the headaches or cause nausea and vomiting.

“Typically the nausea and vomiting is worse when you change the pressure in your brain, and usually that’s done by changing position — bending down, crouching, stooping, sneezing, coughing, having a bowel movement,” Mehta said.

Other symptoms can include weakness, seizures, difficulty with communication, mood swings, memory loss or passing out.

Each part of the brain is responsible for specific functions. the location of the tumor and what it compresses also determines symptoms, Mehta explained.

“That’s why some of these symptoms are so nonspecific, because it really depends on where the brain tumor is growing,” she said.

There are more than 120 types of brain tumors, Karen Shires, a nurse in the Neurosurgery Department at Emory Medical Center in Atlanta, said at a recent brain tumor symposium at Gibbs Cancer Center.

Michael Neely said he was diagnosed with a meningioma tumor. although it is benign, it is now considered cancerous, since it has returned.

He had an operation in February 2010 and another last June.

The brain, which weighs about 3 pounds, along with the spinal cord, comprises the central nervous system.

“the central nervous system is the core of our existence. It controls our personality — thoughts, memory, intelligence, speech and understanding, emotions” and more, according to the ninth edition of the “Brain Tumor Primer” provided by the American Brain Tumor Association.

“there are approximately 100 billion neurons in the human brain, and that’s about the same number they approximate as the stars in our galaxy,” Shires said.

When a brain tumor is suspected, a doctor might order a neurological examination.

Shires said one of the first procedures usually performed is a CT scan; an MRI scan also might be performed.

“a definitive diagnosis is done with pathology,” she said. “the pathology report tells the type of tumor, the location, specific information to identify the tumor, for example, primary (or) metastatic.”

Treatment options can include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

The second half of the symposium was led by Dora Il’yasova, an associate professor at Duke University Medical Center, who studies the epidemiology of brain tumors.

She presented data from studies on risk factors for primary malignant brain tumors in children and adults.

But as she noted in her presentation, the lower the rate of cancer, the more difficult it is to study. Children and adults also must be studied separately.

“Epidemiologists in this field realized that no one can do a definitive study on brain tumors — not only on childhood brain tumors, on any brain tumor. We have to come together and try to put our data together and our expertise together to study this terrible disease,” she said.

Researchers are studying chemicals, genetic predispositions and other risk factors to better understand what causes tumors and what the risk factors are.

Dena will keep searching for answers, too.

“It seems the more knowledge you have about it, the more you can fight it,” she said.

“the scarier it is,” Michael interjected before she finished her sentence.

“Sun Tzu (an ancient Chinese philosopher) says to know thy enemy and you can never lose, though there are hundreds of battles,” he said. I guess that’s true — I mean, he’s a great philosopher on the art of war. and what is living, if not war?”

He likens his battle to a three-act play.

Act I was the hospital and rehabilitation that culminated with his learning to walk.

He’s nearing the end of Act II.

“I’m going to read, and read a lot, and study, study to use this awesome brain of mine,” he wrote in an e-mail.

The climax of this act is when he earns his GED and enters college.

“I may still be using a cane. I may still have physical disabilities. I may have them the rest of my life. but I’ll be OK with that, because it doesn’t define me. and I’m so glad Act II is finishing now, so early in my life.”

The last act has yet to begin. but Michael is confident “it’s going to be the longest and best chapter yet.”

i am a 23 yr old male and i went to the doctor about 6 months ago and after a couple appointments he diagnosed me with prostatitis. now the symptoms i have are: tense feeling behind my testicles, the tip of my penis is uncomfortable…..almost like i have to pee, but only little dribbles come out, and also peeing like 10-15 times a day— what i am lookin for is another opinion……are these symptoms of prostatitis? what can i take to make this better? please help,… thank you

There is a book called "Headache in the Pelvic" by Dr Rodney Anderson, a urologist at Stanford. You absolutely have to read it. You might be able to get it from a library.

It's condition of the muscles in your pelvic floor. You can get the most relief from physical therapy if you can find a PT trained in it. You might try the International Pelvic Pain Society site. They give out names of members who treat it. Pelvic floor dysfunction happens a lot more to women after childbirth, but the treatment is similar.

There is a lot of research going on. it isn't an infection unless they did tests and found one. usually there is no sign of one and they give you antibiotics anyway as a placebo. it is in fact usually called abacterial prostatitis, an oxymoron. the irritation is from the nerves and muscles in the area. They refer pain all over the place and make it hard to diagnose.

It might just go away, but it can get a lot worse, so remember this stuff. it is often associated with stress and anxiety that tenses the muscles. it commonly hits young adult men. it is unlikely your prostate is really a problem at your age.

If you look for another urologist, ask him/her if he knows about the book. if he doesn't, keep looking. it is REALLY hard to find a urologist who understands this and can help you.

The best help I've found is from the guys over at the forums on chronicprostatitis.com. the home page has a lot of information after you skip over the ad for Farr Labs. it is actually not a commercial site at all. It's run by a guy who has mostly recovered from this.

Hi Nick

It sounds like prostatis.
Also you may have flu like symptoms with it.
You could go to the health store and get some saw palmetto for a healthy prostate.
If the pain continues then you need antibiotics as prostatitis is an infection of the prostate.
I wonder if your prostate is enlarged at the moment as you are only passing small amounts of urine?
Email for more information if you need to.
Regards
Andy

These are symptoms of prostatitis. I am a bit concerned that (1) it took a couple of visits to the Dr. for a final diagnosis, (2) he didn't explain the type of prostatitis you have (as there are several), (3) he didn't provide medication/symptom relieving advice and (4) the symptoms have endured for six (6) months.

My advice, go to another doctor who is going to properly diagnose the exact cause of your prostatitis and provide treatment for such.

In the mean time, try a hot sitz bath (a bath in which only the rectal and perianal areas are immersed in water or saline solution to decrease swelling, inflammation and pain) and get plenty of rest.

I hope this helps you and all the very best for the future….:-)

Registered Nurse

These are the symptoms alright.
Try to drink as much as possible.
And ,might sound weird:jerk off way more.
Sky

Sounds like prostatitis. Drink lots of water 70 ounces or more a day to make it more comfortable. You need to see the dr. anyway. It's unlikely to get better on its own.

I woke up one morning, feeling like death warmed up. It was a struggle to get out of bed. but I had animals to feed, so made a valiant effort. Every few minutes I had to sit down, to gather my strength.

Then I had to phone my patients, another enormous task, to cancel my appointments.

Then I thankfully slumped back to bed.

But then I became thirsty.

And I couldn’t go back to sleep.

Eventually I got up and sat in the living room, feeling sorry for myself, possibly dosing.

I couldn’t think. It didn’t help being a practising homeopath at that time. there was no energy to work out what I needed.

Normally I love tea – actually I’m a bit of a tea-a-holic. and I love it hot and glug it down. All morning I had been sipping at water, which wasn’t entirely due to the fact that I had little energy. I just didn’t feel like tea.

One of the things I most love about complimentary alternative medicine is that it generally individualises you. Everyone is an individual. one size doesn’t fit all. My particular favourite is homeopathy, as this medical modality is all about your unique symptoms.

One symptom, like my total exhaustion, wasn’t enough to prescribe a homoeopathic remedy on, as there are many which have this symptom.

You need to have a few good symptoms of a particular remedy, to work out if it will help you. three good symptoms is normally enough for acute prescribing.

I knew my condition was acute as I had felt the effects of a cold or flu coming on over a few days. Stupidly, I hadn’t taken any action.

So I had two good symptoms – total exhaustion and flu.

The third symptom came to me when I realised I wanted to sip water rather than glug tea.

The homeopathic remedy Arsenicum album is an enormous remedy, with a huge scope for healing many ailments with many different symptoms. three of the main ones are exhaustion, desire to sip drinks and flu.

Once I started on the remedy, I fell asleep (always a good sign) and then gradually picked up in energy. by late in the afternoon I was up and active. by the following day I was completely recovered.

When you look outside the complementary alternative medicine area, can you see any modality which will heal such a condition so fast and so completely? without side effects?

Do let me know if you know of one.

Because I’ll eat my hat. Actually I don’t have a hat. I’d have to buy one to eat it…

I don’t know very much about other areas of complementary alternative medicine other than homeopathy, as this is such a huge subject it will take me the rest of my life to really understand it. there is so much to learn.

But it can also be so simple.

A novice home prescriber, armed with a general homeopathic kit, would have had access not only to the remedy, but also to the information to work out which remedy was best suited to my condition.

In recent years, there have been global health scares for bird flu, SARS and now swine flu. but every year, globally, millions are affected by flu anyway. as far as homeopathy, my all time preferred favourite complementary alternative medicine goes, the strain of the virus makes not one jot of difference to the effect the remedy will have on you.

It’s only your unique symptoms which matter. and they are common in any type of flu.

Arming yourself with a quality homoeoapthic home prescribing kit, with clear instructions, and you’re taking control of your life.

But remain open to the other modalities of complementary alternative medicine, too. they all work with your body, so can assist you.

Alzheimer disease most commonly causes dementia. Dementia is characterized by an intellectual loss. Social abilities, too, take a backseat. the daily functioning is hampered. Alzheimer disease is characterized by degeneration of brain tissue. this affects memory and mental abilities.

Normal aging does not cause Alzheimer disease. However, age is one of the risk factors for the disease. Individuals aged between 65 and 74 account for 5% of the total population suffering from Alzheimer’s. nearly 50% of the individuals above the age of 85 develop Alzheimer disease.

Alzheimer disease has no known cure. Treatment can drastically improve quality of life. Support and affection are crucial for both the individual with Alzheimer’s and the caretaker.

Alzheimer disease may begin with partial memory loss and a confused state. it gradually leads to mental impairment that cannot be reversed. this hampers the individual’s ability to reason, learn, remember and imagine.

Memory loss is common for any individual. it is perfectly okay to forget the placement of your car keys and names of people. Alzheimer disease is, however, characterized by severe memory loss. Individuals with Alzheimer’s tend to:

• Repeat events
• Forgetting of appointments
• Misplacing of common objects
• Inability to recollect names of loved ones

Individuals having Alzheimer disease may find it difficult to balance a checkbook. this may gradually lead to problems with numbers. Individuals with Alzheimer’s may find it extremely challenging to find the correct words while expressing their thoughts or feelings. Conversations have an abrupt end. Gradually, the faculties of reading and writing are also hampered.

Such individuals lose their sense of date and time. Familiar surroundings may confuse them. Mundane, everyday situations, such as switching off the stove, become difficult and impossible. Activities that require elaborate planning and judgment cannot be easily performed. Individuals with Alzheimer’s have trouble making decisions.

Routine and familiar tasks take a backseat. Over a period of time, individuals fail to perform the simplest tasks.

Individuals with Alzheimer disease display the following:

• Mood swings
• Loss of trust
• Stubbornness
• Withdrawal from society
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Aggressive behavior

There is no predominant factor that causes Alzheimer disease. A combination of factors relating to genetics, environment, and lifestyle plays a role. more research is needed in the field of Alzheimer causes. However, the effects of Alzheimer’s on tissue of the brain are well known. Alzheimer disease damages brain cells, eventually leading to their death.