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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 2017)
4 B Siuslaw News SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 Community Voices Us TOO Flor ence My Prostate Cancer Journey — Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (Part 2) CANCER SURVIVOR Following is part of a series of true personal stories about men’s experience with prostate cancer. These men tell their sto- ries with the hope that they will help someone else traveling the same road. O ct. 4 was the final trip Marianne and I made to the McKenzie Wound Center for my Hyperbaric N ATURAL PERSPECTIVE My bladder has now been re- vascularized thanks to 40 treat- ments, 60 hours of pressurized 100 percent oxygen, and the next three months will see my bladder’s healing take place. Just to clarify: Re-vascular- ization simply means my blad- der has received a new blood supply (new capillaries) replac- ing those that were destroyed by radiation treatment. One of the brochures I picked up at the Wound Center explains it this way: “HBOT improves circulation and stim- ulates the growth of new blood vessels.” Now that I have the blood vessels to carry oxygen to the wounded area of the bladder - Let the healing begin! Yes, I’m optimistic that by the year 2018, I will be noticing some pretty dramatic changes in my return to continence. I have already noticed some sub- tle changes that are most likely a result of getting blood to my damaged bladder. I’m sure that as the new capillaries have been formed, they have been sneaking some oxygen to the wounded area. I have been keeping a night- time voiding schedule since Aug. 15 and it clearly shows an increase in the blocks of unin- terrupted sleep I am getting. I had nine nights of getting up just once and lots of three-, four- and five-hour blocks. More sleep has definitely raised my daytime energy level — thank you very much! Another delightful result has been a near total elimination of the sudden urges “to go.” I found sometimes during the drive (to Eugene) that even though my body suggested, “Stop at Veneta,” I could press on to the Wound Center on West 11th Street. Occasionally, when I exited the car, I headed right for the restroom. But not always. There is still a noticeable dif- ference of how much urine my damaged bladder will tolerate between sitting and standing. I expect it to remain that way for a while, but with my entire bladder having a new blood supply, I do expect to see that difference diminish during these upcoming months. To me, having HBOT avail- able for my radiation-damaged bladder was an excellent exam- ple of “right time, right place.” This treatment has generated new blood vessels to replace those that have been damaged beyond use. Those new blood vessels are now carrying life- giving oxygen to heal the oxy- gen starved tissue. By healing the damaged tis- sue, I am regaining a very meaningful (and critical) quali- ty of life. I asked Dr. Lisa Emond, the on-site HBOT trained doctor, if DIRK’S — Uninvited guests B Y E MILY J. U HRIG , P H D Special to the Siuslaw News I t’s October and, as Halloween beckons, thoughts may turn to all sorts of creepy crawlies. With the cooler fall weather many such critters seek shelter in warmer places, including our homes. Particularly common guests setting up residence alongside us are the harvestmen, also aptly known as “daddy lon- glegs” thanks to the eight elon- gated, delicate legs of many species. If humans had a body size to leg length proportion like that of harvestmen, our legs would be about 40 feet long! Although harvestmen are S IUSLAW N EWS sometimes called harvest spi- ders and some spiders may be colloquially called daddy lon- glegs, the true harvestmen are not spiders at all and are actual- ly more closely related to scor- pions. Unlike spiders, which have distinctly constricted waists and typically eight eyes, har- vestmen have compact, oval- shaped bodies and only two eyes. As harvestmen lack silk glands, they don’t weave webs; this is a good way to tell them apart from their spider doppel- gangers. Oregon is home to several harvestmen species including the impressively named Cryptomaster behemoth, a species found in the Umpqua National Forest and first described in 2016. The “behe- moth” moniker is in reference to its large body size relative to other harvestmen; its body is still less than a quarter of an inch long. Contrary to urban legends, harvestmen have no venom or fangs and are harmless to humans. Indeed, as they eat insects, they’re generally con- sidered beneficial. If harassed, harvestmen secrete pungent- smelling defensive chemicals. Their second line of defense is more extreme: the voluntary detachment of a leg. The isolat- ed leg continues twitching, sometimes for up to an hour, to distract the would-be predator while the harvestman escapes. The lost leg will not grow back. As you might imagine, los- 6 201 - F E BEST O F LO E N C R ing legs is costly and individu- als missing several can have reduced mobility. However, it’s fairly common to see persever- ing harvestmen ambling along on only four or five legs, a feat they accomplish by adapting their way of walking. If you’re hosting harvestmen in your home this fall, they may not be invited guests, but they are harmless and might even rid you of a few insects. When you see a harvestman, it may be tempting to squash it, but if it has fewer than eight legs, it’s already been through a lot — so consider giving him a respite. Perhaps you could consider them free Halloween decora- tions; they may add a certain authenticity to the holiday vibe. Two years in a row! Best Burger Best Sandwiches Best Doughnuts We serve Breakfast and Lunch! 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Staff is available 24-hours a day using the latest technology in the iAlert system. Spruce Point Assisted Living and Memory Care is proudly managed by Prestige Care, Inc. Transportation Resident Parking Available Medical Transportation Transportation at cost Property Convenient to Bus line I could have been referred to the Wound Center sooner. Her response was … probably not, because most insurance compa- nies require patients to exhaust all other remedies prior to acceptance for HBOT. My insurance company did that with anti-spasmodic meds that Dr. Mehlhaff was prescrib- ing for me — start with the cheapest and work my way up — and they all had to fail. Many men respond success- fully to these meds. I didn’t. My bladder damage was simply too extensive for the meds to overcome. My care was right on! Dr. Mehlhaff worked through eliminating the ineffec- tive meds and Dr. McKimmy, upon further examination of my bladder, referred me to HBOT. I knew I was in good hands. - B Y B OB H ORNEY Oxygen Therapy. After 40 round-trips totaling more than 4,600 miles, it was a relief to be finished. The first thing I learned was to be patient and understand that this process of rebuilding the blood vessel system in my bladder was not going to be done in a day. And, after rebuilding that system, actual healing of the damaged bladder tissue was going to take even longer. So, where am I after 40 treat- ments? After escaping the chamber for the final time, I had a chance to chat with Mick, one of the HBOT nurses. He had spent the day at McKenzie- Willamette reviewing cases and had asked specifically about me — not wanting me to leave dis- appointed for lack of results following the 40 treatments. The message he brought to me was short and promising: Additional Amenities Activities Onsite Activities Off site Devotional Services Onsite Outdoor Common Areas Indoor Game Room and Common Areas Beautician and nail-tech onsite Other Services Wheelchair Accessible Showers Outside services management (hospice, home health) Respite Rooms Aging in place Just a “Stone’s Th row” Away! 3 375 7 5 9th St, Florence, OR 97439 • (541) 997-6111 Sandra Livingston Jessie Nicholson Florence Florence Safeway/Florence Traveler’s Cove Wednesday 10/4 Richard Kuert James Peake Florence Florence Shervin Automotive Grocery Outlet Thursday 10/5 Joe Holt John O’Malley Florence Florence Safeway/Florence Safeway/Florence Friday 10/6 Richard Kuert Craig Brandt Florence Florence Shervin Automotive Safeway/Florence Saturday 10/7 Raymond Bray Alisha Hill Florence Westlake Safeway/Florence Safeway/Florence Sunday 10/8 Barbara Wallstrom John Barnett Veneta Florence Safeway/Florence True Value/Florence Monday 10/9 Ken Wallstrom Richard Kuert Veneta Florence Safeway/Florence Shervin Automotive
