[56merc]

A few years ago my father was diagnosed with prostate caner. He met with his doctors and came up with a treatment plan. As per the doctor he had his PSA levels checked every 6 months for the last few years and all was good.

Recently he had 2 tests come back with a positive PSA levels. He consulted with his doctor about the PSA levels and the doctors recommendation was to immediately start chemotherapy treatment. My dad was a bit skeptical of the positive PSA test because the labs where he had gone for the last few years had not done the PSA test that came back positive. On his own, he went to the lab that had done his test over the last few years and had them run a test.........Normal PSA levels.

He took those results to his doctor, shocked, the doctor sent the 2 positive samples to a 3rd lab. A few days later both samples that tested positive previously came back NORMAL.

Understandably this caused a shit storm at the hospital where the positive results were found as treatment recommendations were given from results there. As for my dad, final recommendation was no treatments at this time and retest in 6 months. This is FUCKING scary, so always trust your gut, if it doesn't feel right do something about it.

[Giovonny]

Cancer is big bu$ine$$.

http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/art...IhCWW_A87s

Hope your dad is ok

[Samseau]

Wow... Grats on your Dad keeping a skeptical attitude.

[kosko]

A Mans greatest gift is his gift of sound Logic/Reason. If it does not make sense it does not make "skeptical" it just means you don't accept something that does not make any fucking sense. Props you your pops for following his inner wisdom/intuition.

[Hades]

In that situation I would have probably panicked and gone with the treatment. Good work on your dad's part.

[Stitch]

Always get a second opinion (and a good doctor would do the same). Had a close family member diagnosed with a brain tumor; CAT scan showed it plain as day right in the area that would have caused her symptoms. They verified with an MRI... nothing whatsoever. Complete misdiagnosis. She was preparing herself for brain surgery and getting her will in order just in case; turned out to be something completely different.

[Samseau]

(10-24-2012 02:34 PM)kosko Wrote:  

A Mans greatest gift is his gift of sound Logic/Reason. If it does not make sense it does not make "skeptical" it just means you don't accept something that does not make any fucking sense. Props you your pops for following his inner wisdom/intuition.

Really? That's exactly how I'd define skepticism. Skepticism is a complement in my book.

[WanderingSoul]

My dad died of cancer a few years ago. Leukemia. The doctors damn near killed him before he ever got treatment. His doctor cut off his blood pressure medication cold turkey, which I guess is pretty dangerous, and he had a mild stroke.

The next time he went back, he saw a different doctor (as always because it was through the VA) and she said the previous doctor should never have done that.

A couple of years before he was diagnosed with leukemia, he was hospitalized damn near half a dozen times for brown recluse bites....turns out it was MRSA and the VA kept misdiagnosing him. No idea if he actaully got bit by a spider the first time, and caught MRSA in the hospital, or if it was MRSA the entire time. My dad lived in the woods and was always working on cars and his Harley so who knows.

I sometimes wonder if my dad would have lived had he not had that stroke and so many misdiagnoses of his MRSA. I believe he would have.

I don't trust doctors at all.