Sen. Ron Wyden diagnosed with prostate cancer

[sabra]

Source: oregon live

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Ron Wyden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will undergo surgery Monday, his office said Thursday.
Surgeons will remove Wyden's prostate; doctors give the three-term senator a good prognosis because the cancer was caught early.

The initial diagnosis came during Wyden's annual physical and was confirmed by tests. Spokeswoman Jennifer Hoelzer said the cancer was in its earliest stages and doctors told Wyden that his prognosis is good.

"Thanks to routine screening this was diagnosed very early and I expect a full and speedy recovery," the 61-year-old Wyden said in a statement. The diagnosis came soon after Wyden won a third full term to the Senate.

Wyden will have the surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, the same hospital that successfully treated Sen. John Kerry in 2002.

"After reviewing all the options with multiple physicians, I decided to take a proactive approach and have surgery," Wyden said in his statement.

Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/12/sen_ron_wyden_diagnosed_with_p.html

[KT2000]

1. Men - men - men

PLEASE - investigate the chemicals we are exposed to that have been implicated in prostate cancer development. Then get active to stop these forced exposures. Do not think that ANY government agency is doing that on your behalf.
Also - if you are going to contribute to a prostate cancer charity, make sure they include research into environmental causes. Some research groups exclude environmental causes except for smoking, diet and exercise.
We are constantly being barraged with chemicals that play havoc with our hormones - so start with hormone mimicking chemicals in your research. Google Envirnmental Health Perspectives and be sure to check out foreign journals because they are doing a better job of investigating chemicals that the US.

[Bigmack]

20. My prostate doc also has a Phd in Medical...

Biochemistry, and he says that "nobody knows" what causes prostate cancer. There are higher risk populations, but no real dead-bang causes.

I do agree with you about environmental chemicals, tho. It's going to take years - and a LOT of Phd's and buckets of money, but I'll bet they find that our own chemicals are killing us.

[KT2000]

29. Do investigate though

One thing we do know about cancer is that it is never one single cause. It is a combination of factors. The research if showing that hormone mimicking chemicals are one of thse factors in prostate, breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers.
If eliminating a particular chemical from your home environment reduces your risk then it is worth it.

[Tx4obama]

2. He is going to miss votes...

Excerpt from his statement:

"After my annual physical in late November, I was diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. After reviewing all the options with multiple physicians, I decided to take a proactive approach and have surgery, which will be performed December 20 at Johns Hopkins Hospital by Dr. Alan Partin.

Thanks to routine screening, this was diagnosed very early and I expect a full and speedy recovery.

I scheduled the surgery for the Monday before Christmas anticipating that the Senate would have recessed by that time and that there would be no disruption to my work in Oregon or Washington.

However, it now appears that I will be missing votes tomorrow and possibly next week while I prepare and undergo this procedure. I expect to be back to work full-time when the Senate reconvenes in January.

If anything is taken away from my experience, I hope it is the importance of getting routine physicals. One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetimes. Early detection is critical to catching this disease when treatment is most effective."
=================================

p.s. I hope his surgery goes well and he has a speedy recovery - but now we are losing one 'yes' DADT repeal vote ;(

[DCKit]

3. Thank Dog he gets free, yearly physicals with his taxpayer subsidized government health care. nt

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

10. He's my senator

and he's fucking well earned it. It was probably pretty easy for you to type out your little jab. I guess it would have been harder for you to do a little reading beforehand and find out what Wyden's all about.

I wish Senator Wyden a complete and speedy recovery.

[DCKit]

30. Why are you attacking me? I like Ron Wyden. nt

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

22. he's a darn good senator. I wish he was mine

I'm in NC. All we have is blue dog Hagen and GOP Burr.

[grasswire]

4. oh nooooooooo

I wish him the very best of care and healing.

[bitchkitty]

5. Lucky for him they caught it early.

Lucky for him he's not one of the little people, who can't afford the health care that he has.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. Full medical tends to do that.

Best wishes to Wyden.

[Bigmack]

7. I hope he is having the Da Vinci robot...

assisted surgery. No nerve damage. Everything (...ahem...) still works afterward, and no long recuperation.

Check it out:
http://www.davinciprostatectomy.com/index.aspx

I loves my robot!

[CTyankee]

11. Is this the most effective treatment?

[Bigmack]

17. Absolutely. If they find a small cancer ....

inside the prostate, they use 4 small stab wounds in the abdomen and one slightly larger one above the belly button to pull the prostate out.

My guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPtepS3opF8

The surgery: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NZLpWrJGgk

PSA never went above 2.4... yearly exam... nothing.

Then Doc found a little lump. Biopsy. NOT in the lump, but small cancer.

23 hours in the hospital, and prostate all gone.

Cancer, too.

Everything works, and that's important. I've got fishing buddies who haven't had
a dry day/night or an erection since they had the open surgery.

You know those people who come to your door to preach religion to you? Only my wife's veto keeps me from going door-to-door preaching the gospel of prostate exams and Da Vinci surgery.

[CTyankee]

21. I'm guessing this is available at Yale-New Haven Hospital....

I kinda doubt Yale wouldn't want to get on this fast...

[Bigmack]

23. Yup....

http://www.urologycenter.com/robotic.cfm

[Ilsa]

26. ITA. and having time to do the Kegel exercises before surgery helps

restore urinary function faster, too.

[Mike 03]

8. Good luck, Senator Wyden.

NT

[jillan]

Wonder why he didn't opt for the radiation seeds? They are pretty effective.

[KT2000]

13. He is too young

they have found that there is increased risk of cancer developing years later - not prostate but can't remember which one. They prefer to use it only on older men now.

[Bigmack]

19. My prostate surgeon had prostate cancer...

at 43 and had it removed by the DaVinci robotic surgery... the one he used on me.

[KT2000]

28. That is a big improvement

but I was responding to the person who suggested the radiation seeds - those are not for the younger patients.

[Bigmack]

18. You can't cut after you burn...not a good option...

see my post above.

[jillan]

25. That's what my husband did, and it worked. He had it done in 2005 and no problems since then.

[jillan]

9. dupe - jeez - my computer keeps getting the hiccups on DU.

[Major Hogwash]

12. Bummer.

With issues hanging on a thread in the Senate, this could devastate any attempts to do any more work on DADT this year.

[Tx4obama]

16. Barney Frank said today we have 'at least 62' for DADT repeal

So, I think we will have enough 'yes' votes.

[KamaAina]

27. Who's the 62nd? Last I heard, Brown and Murkowski made 61.

And just watch: the repuke leadership will now use this to put on a full-court press to flip them back. :grr: :banghead:

[CTyankee]

31. I was thinking the same thing. Those effing bastards would pull something like this

to further erode the lives and livlihood of gay citizens who are "guilty" of wanting to serve their country...and these repuke a-holes who never served one minute of one day of their miserable lives would do this...It's only 9:23 am and I'm already mad...

[Major Hogwash]

32. I didn't know that. I'll keep hoping they have enough votes tomorrow.

I think Reid wanted to vote on it tomorrow, Saturday.

[renate]

14. I'm so glad it was caught early

I'm glad he has good medical treatment. I certainly don't begrudge him that. Everyone should be so fortunate--and he's one of the ones who realizes that.

[Poll_Blind]

15. Best wishes to Ron Wyden, courageous senator from Oregon!

PB

[wisteria]

24. Prayers and best wishes go out to Senator Wyden. n/t