Dying With Dignity

A prostate cancer diagnosis, just like any type cancer diagnosis for that matter forces us to think of our mortality. Not to sound morbid, but dying is something we will all do! Will we be prepared? Will we do it with dignity? Attend one of the PAF meetings in February in San Francisco or Santa Rosa, John Bohan, PAF Mentor will be covering this delicate subject with caring & compassion.

Dying With Dignity

Many of us have watched family members or friends suffer thru the final stages of advanced cancer. It is not a pretty site. There are only three states in the USA that allow the terminally ill to legally take their own lives, California May soon become another. 

Prostate cancer patients live with the knowledge that they will not live forever. We all come to grips with this issue one way or another. John Bohan, PAF Mentor has put together a presentation titled "Death And Dying - Prostate Cancer

and will be lecturing on this important subject at our PAF meetings in San Francisco & Santa Rosa meetings in February.

PAF Meetings & Hikes this Week in Sonoma County

HWe're excited about meeting some new friends at the newThursday night PAF meetings in Guerneville at the Senior Center. 

We did an aggressive hike in Sugarloaf State park in Sonoma County Monday. Looking forward to going back to this beautiful well kept secret of a park on Wednesday for an easier, more casual version. Hope to see you there

The Cost of a Prostate Biopsy

Nobody we talk to is thrilled about getting a prostate biopsy. Fear of needle tracking, potentially dislodging a cancer cell and having it travel to find a home elsewhere in the body is a common concern. A second growing concern is a reported increased infection rate associated with this non-sterile procedure, now approaching 10%. 

But what about the financial cost. We have had recent conversations with men who were billed as little as $1200 and as high as $19,000 for the same procedure! Why the big spread? What did your biopsy cost? We also note that more and more, an MRI is being done to better determine if a biopsy makes sense.