SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015
Honest portrayal
Us TOO Flor ence
Behind the headlines
B Y B OB H ORNEY
CANCER SURVIVOR
This month I want to talk about
surviving prostate cancer — a.k.a.
life after diagnosis. Life after
prostate cancer diagnosis comes in
two forms: non-treatment and
treatment.
Non-treatment refers to men
who are on Active Surveillance
(AS), having been diagnosed with
prostate cancer but not moving
directly into active treatment.
They know they have prostate
cancer, but indications are they
have a low-risk stage that is “prob-
ably” slow growing. With that
knowledge, they are willing to
work with their urologist to close-
ly monitor the disease with the
intent of living as long as possible
before undergoing treatment or
avoiding treatment altogether.
The rest of that intent is that the
careful monitoring will catch it
early enough to provide a cure if it
changes in any way.
Let’s fast-forward now to those
men who were diagnosed with a
more aggressive — but still local-
ized — prostate cancer.
These would be the men who
could likely be cured with surgical
or radiation treatment, but have
one or more disease characteristics
(usually as evidenced from the
biopsy results) that eliminate AS
as a choice: this could be a
Gleason score higher than 6, a
PSA of 10 or greater, too many
positive biopsy cores, too much
volume of cancer cells in any one
of the biopsy cores, etc.
Since these men don’t qualify
for AS, but are still deemed to
most likely have localized and cur-
able prostate cancer, the decision
boils down to choice of treatment.
For the sake of this article, we
are going to assume that all went
well with the treatment and the
PSA responded favorably, i.e., to
either (a) an undetectable level fol-
lowing surgery or (b) to a low, sta-
ble level following radiation (since
they still have a prostate gland and
a limited amount of PSA will be
produced).
Now we have a prostate cancer
survivor. One would think this
would be “easy street,” but now
comes the “after treatment-AS,”
which means follow-up PSA tests
to quickly identify and treat a
recurrence in case the initial treat-
ment isn’t totally successful.
What got me thinking about
these after-treatment PSA tests was
a chance conversation on March
12 in a local grocery store with a
man who attended Us TOO
Florence meetings, had treatment
and is now having a hard time
dealing with anxiety while waiting
for those post-treatment PSA test
results.
He feels the anxiety is bad
enough to seriously consider stop-
ping the PSA tests. On top of that
conversation, on March 13, I read
a posting on the Us TOO INSPIRE
website titled “Stress While
Waiting Test Results” that dealt
with the same concern which is
often referred to as “PSA anxiety”
or “PSAitis.”
So, why are these treated men
now suffering from this anxiety?
The short answer is: We know a
rising or elevated PSA from
screening can be due to other fac-
tors. However, a rising or elevated
PSA following prostate cancer
treatment is often a worrisome
sign that the treatment missed
some of the cancer — the first sign
of a recurrence.
Those of us who attend Us TOO
Florence meetings know a recur-
rence is a very real possibility;
many of us have personally experi-
enced it and those who haven’t
have seen it happen to others in the
group.
It isn’t unusual for the heart to
tick a bit faster as we await the
results, but the majority of us will
put up with that because we have
seen and understand the unforgiv-
ing consequences of a recurrence
getting a head start and escaping
the “window of curability.”
If we will simply stop and con-
sider the anxiety of cancer patients
following treatment of their can-
cers that have no early warning of
a recurrence, we might think that a
bit of anxiety for a few days is a
small price to pay for a test that
may save our life.
Just saying...
Senior Network Group membership continues to grow
Florence offers retirees a
unique life style. Within the
community is a group of dedi-
cated people who provide qual-
ity services to its older citizens.
The Senior Network Group
was founded more than 25
years ago. The group meets on
the second Wednesday of every
month, from noon to 1 p.m.
The collaboration and
resource sharing are invaluable
and ensure that good communi-
cation and community partner-
ships exist.
Each month from the Senior
Network membership, a differ-
ent host volunteers to coordi-
nate the meeting, the speakers
and a free lunch.
The group membership
includes representatives from:
Elderberry Square Residential
Care;
Regency
Florence
Nursing Facility; Spruce Point
Assisted Living; Shorewood
Retirement;
Senior
and
Disability Services; Peace
Harbor Hospital; Peace Health
Home Health and Hospice;
Heavenly Helpers; Lil’ Toe
Truck; Adult Foster Home
Providers, and others providing
care and services to older
adults.
The next meeting will be
Wednesday, April 8, at noon. It
will be held at Spruce Point
Assisted Living and is hosted
by Senior and Disability
Services.
The Guest speakers will be
Becky Strickland, unit manager
of Adult Protective Services,
and Geoff Clark, Lead Adult
Protective Service Specialist.
They will be presenting on
adult abuse, with a focus on
elder abuse and financial
exploitation.
The presenters will talk
about the scams that are cur-
rently targeting vulnerable
populations, identifying the
NED HICKSON/SIUSLAW NEWS
The Bromley Room of the Siuslaw Public Library was
filled to capacity Saturday, April 4, as Steve Holgate
portrayed Abraham Lincoln during a special “Town
Hall” meeting with the President, during which he
spoke of his life, recited the Gettysburg Address and
took questions from the audience.
risk factors, present indicators
of abuse, and ways to help
reduce risk.
There will also be time for
discussion and questions.
Those caring for an older
adult are encouraged to attend.
For more information about
the Senior Network Group,
contact Susan Burkhart, admin-
istrator at Shorewood Retire-
ment, by emailing shore-
woodretirem@qwestoffice.net
or calling 541-997-8202.
Burkhart maintains an email
list of attendees for future
meetings and information shar-
ing.
Household Hazardous Waste Round-up April 10, 11
The spring Household
Hazardous Waste Roundup is a
free collection of hazardous
waste that is from household
sources, up to 35 gallons total
per customer.
Hazardous waste from busi-
nesses, schools, churches or
nonprofit organizations may be
subject to disposal fees.
The round-up will take place
Friday, April 10, from noon to
5 p.m., and Saturday, April 11,
8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Florence
Transfer Site, 2820 N.
Rhododendron Drive.
All community members are
welcome to participate in the
roundup.
What to bring:
Paint, household cleaners,
lawn and garden chemicals, car
care products, arts and crafts
products, and other household
hazardous waste. Check labels
for words like “flammable,”
“corrosive,” “poison,” “cau-
tion” and “danger.”
Do not bring:
Empty containers, radioac-
tive waste, asbestos or explo-
sives. Any empty containers
can be safely thrown in the
trash.
For information about dis-
posal of radioactive waste,
asbestos and explosives, call
541-997-8237.
FLORENCE
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE
Round-Up
FRIDAY,
$35,/‡
SATURDAY,
$35,/‡
FLORENCE
TRANSFER SITE
2820 N. Rhododendron
Drive
SPONSORED BY LANE COUNTY &
THE CITY of FLORENCE
For More Information Call 541-997-8237
What about hazardous waste
from businesses?
Businesses, nonprofit organ-
izations, schools and churches
which generate small amounts
of hazardous waste may pre-
register to bring that waste to
this event. They must pay for
disposal of the waste, but most
can save money by using this
program, rather than hiring a
contractor on their own.
Electronics Recycling:
The Florence site accepts the
following items for free during
normal operating hours (maxi-
mum of seven items at a time):
televisions, computer monitors,
CPUs and laptops.
Appointments are required
and fees may apply for more
than seven items, call 541-682-
4120 for an appointment. There
is a $35 charge for large copy
or printing machines, as well as
large floor standing electronics.
Call 541-997-8237 for more
information.
Experience gracious
retirement living in
the heart of Oregon’s
wine country.
“Living at Hillside is like living on a cruise ship without all the water. Fine dining,
housekeeping, maintenance and concierge services...and they mow the lawn. What’s not to
love about that? Active, independent living at its best for this season of life. Works for us.”
–Gordon and Katherine Gilbert, Hillside residents since September, 2013
Situated on 57 picturesque acres in McMinnville, the heart of Oregon wine country, you’ll find Hillside, a
premier continuing care retirement community. Enjoy an enriched lifestyle complete with walking paths,
exercise areas, two spacious dining rooms and luxurious apartments and garden cottages. You’re also
close to medical, retail and entertainment options in McMinnville. Located 45 minutes from the coast and
one hour from Portland, we’ve got blue skies, clean air and beautiful surroundings. It’s retirement living
the way nature intended.
Find out what Hillside’s rich, rewarding lifestyle can mean for you
y or a loved one.
Call 1-800-275-2384 to schedule your personal visit.
Hillside
D EADLINE FOR P RESS R ELEASES I S E VERY
M ONDAY AND T HURSDAY BY N OON .
E MAIL P RESS R ELEASES @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM .
Independent Living | Assisted Living
Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care | Rehabilitation & Skilled Nursing
300 NW Hillside Park Way | McMinnville, Oregon 97128
24591-P1-0215-ROP-LB
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