Update on Jim

We went to the Baylor College of Medicine doctor (Professor of Urology at BCM) on Saturday, Dr. Miles. [He was actually supposed to be our second opinion, but this appointment came before the Monday's MDAnderson appt.]

We like him a LOT, and are going to cancel tomorrow's MDA appt. Dr. Miles spent an hour with us, explaining the different modalities, what Jim's a candidate for & what he's not as well as why not (Jim's too young for radiation, seed implants, & cryosurgery), the percentages of side effects & long-term side effects associated with each different procedure (cryo is the most damaging with major side effects later on), etc. He was very thorough -- drew pictures & charts for us, too. He even showed us exactly where in the prostate the cancer is & explained the Gleason scoring and staging to us and the options associated with those scores. He said he sees no reason why he couldn't save both of the nerves that are involved with prostate. Of course, once he gets in there, that might change. He also said that about 6 to 8 weeks after surgery his patients are usually "dry" (meaning the incontinence problem is over). He said if after 6-months post-op the patient isn't dry, then he goes back in and does either a sling or bladder suspension to alleviate the incontinence problem.

Jim also told him about our January cruise and asked if he should have surgery before or after the cruise. Dr. Miles said he promised the cancer would be going nowhere else and to wait until after the cruise. He said there would be internal bruising and wants that to reabsorb into the body before traveling a long distance, and also said it wouldn't be very pleasant to be on a shore excursion and trying to find a bathroom immediately. Dr. Miles told us to enjoy our cruise, drink some wine, and Jim could have surgery the week we return.

When we left, we felt really good about this doctor and made the decision to not go to MDAnderson at all. Under any other circumstances, we wouldn't hesitate to go there. More of a concern is WHO we'll get as a doctor at MDA -- Jim's urologist recommeneded a Dr. Matin, but that doesn't mean we'll get him. So rather than taking a "toss of the coin" approach, we'd rather have the doctor we feel confident in and who came highly recommended by 3 people who had this surgery by him.

We're calling Dr. Miles' surgical nurse on Tuesday to set up the surgical date. When we have a definite date, we'll let everyone know. In the meantime, keep Jim in your prayers -- and many, many thanks to everyone for praying for him!! We appreciate this so much.

I'll keep my blog updated with his news, too. Promise!! ;-)

Love to all,
LeAnne and Jim

P.S. Our grandaughter is growing like a weed!! She's found her voice and likes to hollar. Lordy is she loud! Jim and I will be babysitting Monday and Tuesday while mommy & daddy work those 2 days, to help them out (they'd have to pay for a whole week of daycare even though she'd only be there 2 days). We get to take her to her 4-month checkup on Tuesday afternoon. I'm really curious as to how much she weighs. I'm guessing 14-15 lbs. I'll add some photos on Tuesday. Ciao!!