Active surveillance for cancer again. Help me overcome my unbelief.

So, it begins again. I started active surveillance for prostate cancer early in 2020. Now, two years later, after surgery for removal became necessary, I’m in active surveillance for cancer again. We’ll get to how that happened in a moment. For today though, after going from surveillance to surgery and back to active surveillance, I can’t help but think about the guy in Mark’s Gospel who asked Jesus, “help me overcome my unbelief”.

How did I get back into active surveillance for cancer again? It’s surprisingly easy. Especially in times like these, with COVID running rampant and the healthcare system overwhelmed.

This is just one part of a series on my experiences wit faith and prostate cancer. However, if you haven’t read the previous ones, here’s the series of events that ocurred.

• PSA of 6.x – six point something. I know – rather low. But it was the upward trend that made my doctor to tell me to get it checked because he didn’t want to lose me to prostate cancer.
• Biopsy wasn’t bad enough for immediate action, so went into active surveillance.
• Six months later, COVID was really bad, so the MRI that was to take place was postponed.
• Another six months, the MRI was done. Nothing showed at all.
• Another six months, another biopsy. Much worse than expected. Surgery was scheduled.
• After biopsy recovery period, prostate was removed.
• Prostate was biopsied, to determine if all cancer was removed and do the decipher test to see how bad the cancer was.
• Cancer was worse than expected and in more areas of prostate.
• Cancer cells also found on the margins, so they didn’t get it all.
• Went to hospital that only deals with cancer.

And that brings us up to today’s topic. You can follow the links above if you want more info or details on any of the items above. Whether it’s for you or someone you know, it might help. That’s why this whole series is titled Don’t waste your cancer, after a small book of the same title written by John Piper. He is the inspiration behind what I’m writing on this topic.