Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 2021)
SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, JULY 17, 2021 | 7A Editor’s Note: Community Voices is a monthly feature in the Siuslaw News. It consists of viewpoints from people in the Siuslaw region. Siuslaw News welcomes these opinions as part of its goal to encour- age community discussion and exchange of perspectives, but they should not be inter- preted as the views of the News or its staff. Community Voices Us TOO Florence — My Prostate Cancer Journey Continues By Bob Horney Prostate Cancer Survivor Us Too Chapter Leader Special to Siuslaw News M y post-prostate can- cer journey took a new twist on June 23, 2021. The Oregon SurgiCenter at Oregon Urology Institute was my destination and Bo- tox Injection in the Bladder was my goal. Dr. Roger McKimmy was my injector following very profession- al/effective and pain-free prepping by Lauren. Here’s what got me to this point: Stable PSA at 4.1, but with a suspicious DRE in December 2001, was confirmed prostate cancer by biopsy. I had a radical prostatectomy (surgical removal) on Jan. 30, 2002, with the pathologist report mentioning extracapsular extension — cancer push- ing against prostate capsule — maybe got out, maybe not. I had a persistently errat- ic PSA following the radi- cal prostatectomy. Eventu- ally (nearly 6 years later) the PSA made 3 consecu- tive increases which called for action, as in scheduling 38 treatments of Image Guided Radiation Thera- py (IGRT) to the Prostate Bed at the OUI Radiation Center. A prepping scan of my abdomen ruled out ra- diation the normal (on my back) way, as organs had shifted. But, when scanned on my belly, radiation was possible to reach the pros- tate bed. Radiation started December 2007 and ended on Valentine’s Day, 2008. Radiation was followed by increasing urinary fre- quency over a number of years which medication couldn’t correct. This re- sulted in a hand-off from Dr. Bryan Mehlhaff to uri- nary specialist at OUI, Dr. Roger McKimmy. Next came a cystoscopy by Dr. McKimmy in 2017 con- firming damage to my bladder from the radiation treatments. That diagnosis qualified me for a referral to the McKenzie Wound Center on West 11th Street in Eugene for 40 90-min- ute treatments of Hyper- baric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). I did see some improve- ment with the HBOT, but never to the point of re- ducing the involuntary urinary incontinence nor the frequency of nighttime and even more frequent daytime interruptions for voiding. The prescription drug, Myrbetriq, wasn’t able to overcome those conditions. Finally, wear- ing urinary pads due to urgency and incontinence caused by my irradiated bladder became necessary. Thus opens this new chapter along my nearly 20-year journey. Where this chapter leads me is still “in the works” as we wait for the Botox to take full effect. For several months, Dr. McKimmy and I had dis- cussed my symptoms being suitable for this procedure. Botox Bladder Injections for urinary incontinence received FDA approval in 2013, so it isn’t a new pro- cedure, just new to me. If not for the COVID-19 pandemic and furlough of our Us TOO Florence meetings with Dr. Bryan Mehlhaff and Dr. Roger McKimmy, we undoubted- ly would have many robust discussions of Botox Injec- tions for urinary inconti- nence. Since it also works well for women, we might even have had some spous- es speak up about it. When Dr. McKimmy and I decided to proceed with Botox, he gave me two choices for receiving it — I could choose to have it done under general an- esthesia (such as used for a colonoscopy) or opt to fill the bladder with enough of the anesthetic Lidocaine to temporarily numb it pri- or to the procedure. Un- der general anesthesia, I would not be aware of the procedure. Plus, there were many pre/post procedure “conditions” with which to comply. With Lidocaine, I would be awake during the pro- cedure, able to talk with Dr. McKimmy and observe it on the monitor — just as he used the monitor to guide his injections. Since I planned to write about the experience for the benefit of others who might choose that procedure, I wanted to know what was going on. Upon completing my HBOT treatments in Octo- ber 2017, we had not used a cystoscope to look around in the bladder to see what degree HBOT had been successful. We relied on my symptoms. Knowing that Dr. McKimmy was going to go in through my urethra and sphincter to get to the bladder, I wanted to have the chance to question him about what “we” saw — in live time — particularly regarding the condition of the sphincter and com- paring the pre/post HBOT condition of the bladder. Next month … in we go! Closing The Loop — Food Waste: Prevention is Key In addition to the global, By Britte Kirsch Lane County Master Recycler social and economic impacts of food waste, we need to Special to Siuslaw News consider the environmental e all need to eat and impacts associated with our that means we have to food systems. Food waste find and acquire food, either releases 3.3 billion tons of by shopping, farming, glean- CO2 into the atmosphere ing or hunting and gathering. every year, or about 1,000 But between the time our tons per minute. As for land food goes from the field to use, every year about 1.4 bil- our fork, there’s an enormous lion hectares of arable land amount of waste generated. — the size of the U.S., India Americans waste 150,000 and Egypt combined — are tons of food each day, which committed to food that will is equal to the weight of a not be eaten. Let’s not for- small sedan being thrown get about the pressure food away every second. production puts on water Currently, there are nearly resources. A quarter of our a billion hungry and mal- global freshwater is lost un- nourished people world- necessarily to growing and wide. Sadly, over a third of processing our food. our food is wasted, even Why are we wasting so though we produce more much food? In North Amer- than enough food to feed ev- ica, it all starts at the farm eryone. with 17% of food grown be- W ing rejected for size, appear- ance or damage. Additional- ly, there are production and storage issues, with 16% of food lost during processing and distribution, much of it occurring when supermar- kets and fast-food restau- rants reject delivery. About 20% of household food waste is caused by the lack of label standardization, where foods get thrown away because of inconsistent date labels and perceived short shelf life of foods. But a lot of waste is caused by con- sumers not being mindful of how much food waste they generate. Studies have found that only 3% of respondents felt guilty about throwing away food compared to 74% who would turn off lights and 55% who would turn down heat to save energy and mon- ey. The low stigma to food waste and lack of perceived value to saving food does not encourage a personal food waste reduction habit. As shoppers, we often don’t make shopping lists, we tend to buy more than we need and we impulse buy. We forget about what is in our fridge and we don’t think about “leftovers” or re-pur- posing food. Maybe it’s just a lack of awareness about the fact that rotting food in landfills is a major driver of climate change. Whatever the reason may be, statistics show that pre- venting food waste has a far greater potential to reduce environmental impact than recovery methods such as composting and anaerobic digestion. With that said, if you are a die hard home composter (or even if you are new to composting) please keep it up! It is an economi- cal and effective way to recy- cle and reuse your own food waste. So, because the best ap- proach to reducing food waste is not to create it in the first place, here are some tips to keep our unwanted food out of the landfill: • Be a smart shopper and plan your meals and shop- ping list. • Buy ugly fruit and veg- gies so the stores don’t have to throw them away. • Eat your leftovers and re-purpose your food. Be creative with what you al- ready have at home. • Know how to store your food properly in the fridge, pantry or freezer. • Pay attention to what you are throwing away and adjust your buying habits accord- ingly. • Pay attention to your portion size — at home (use smaller plates) and at restau- rants (split an entree). • Donate what you know you can’t use to food banks and soup kitchens. More tips and ideas can be found at www.eatsmart- wasteless.tips brought to you by Lane County Waste Man- agement. Find additional information at savethefood. com and stopfoodwaste.org. Got ideas for future arti- cles? Need more information about closing the loop? Have questions about your recy- cling efforts? Please contact me at britte.kirsch@gmail. com or visit Waste Wise Lane County. Pastor’s Corner — 2 Chron 20: The Battle Is Not Yours By Pastor Logan Schultz Florence Seventh Day Adventist Church Special to Siuslaw News H e was a powerful king. His name was Je- hoshaphat, King of Judah. The Bible states that he had 1.1 million soldiers at his dis- posal, as well as guarded and fortified storage cities. Look- ing at this man, it is obvious that he was very capable and ready for what the future might throw at him. One day, the king got news of an approaching enemy army. What the king does next is worth an investigation. Remember, Jehoshaphat was a strong king. We as well, have capabilities, re- sources, intelligence and strengths. We also have various stresses, difficul- ties, and trials that seem to war against us. What Jehoshaphat does though, serves as an example of how we can have victo- ry in our life, no matter LifeMed • What is LifeMed? LifeMed is a Membership Program which costs $65 annually, and will cover your Household* for the cost of any medically necessary* pre-hospital care and ground transportation within the LifeMed reciprocal areas, that your current insurance does not pay (*See Agreement for details) what we are going through. This story is found in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30. Rath- er than trusting in his own strength, the king’s first ac- tion is to pray to the Lord. The Lord answers in an interesting way. He says, “Don’t be afraid of this large army; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. You will not need to fight in this bat- tle, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord who is with you. Go out and stand before them. I will be with you” (2 Chronicles 20:15,17). Now, the king has a choice: stay in his guarded city or go stand before the enemy, completely vulnera- ble, yet obeying the Lord. He chooses to not only obey, but he and his people decide to sing songs of praise for a promise of victory that has not happened yet! They stand before the enemy with their only defense being the promises of God. They don’t know how the Submit your community, arts, entertainment and other events to Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com Hoberg’s Complete Auto Repair www.hobergsautorepair.com • Why do I need LifeMed? Most insurance carriers do NOT cover the total fee for ambulance services, therefore LifeMed covers any remaining costs for its members Renewal Applications are in the mail and can be dropped off at one of two secure locations: 2625 Highway 101 or 410 Ninth Street For Questions or an Application Call 541-997-9614 WesternLaneAmbulance.com New Service d Offere complete. God’s people are saved! What battles do you face in your life? We face a diffi- cult world with perplexing issues. The Bible, however, gives us just the example we need when going through difficulty. Remember to pray, claim God’s promises for you, praise Him for his power to deliver, and finally, stand still and see the salva- tion of the Lord who is with you. For the battle is not yours but God’s! Six local pastors will be participating in the Pastor’s Corner. Look for other Flor- ence-area church leadership in future editions of Siuslaw News’ Community Voices. Cel 70 ebrat + Y ing ear s! • Will you bill my insurance? As part of the Agreement, you give permission for us to bill your insurance carrier Lord might deliver them. They just know that He will. As the story goes, the enemy rushes to destroy Jehoshaphat and his peo- ple. The people stand still as God has commanded. They have prayed, claimed God’s promises, and praised Him for a victory they be- lieve will come. The people watch in amazement as the Lord honors their faith and obedience. He confuses the enemy warriors. They turn upon each other until the massive army is completely obliterated. It takes the king and his people 3 days to gather all the treasure left on the battlefield. The victory is FREE Taxi Ride via: River Cities Taxies Florence City Limits Only From our shop to your home or work 345 Hwy. 101 • P.O. Box 357 Florence, OR 97439-0012 • 541-997-2413 Serving Your Auto Needs Since 1945 Kevin McMullen 3rd Generation Owner, hobergsautorepair@gmail.com Come Join Youth Cheer Camp Grades 1-8 July 19th-23rd 8am-12pm They will learn cheers, dances, earn bows, shirts and be able to perform at our fi rst home football game during half time. We are fundraising for new uniforms, new warm ups, travel fees, competition fees, new signs, new gear for games and competitions. Watch the Siuslaw News for more fundraisers to come this summer. We are always accepting cans and bottles as well. For more information email Siuslaw Cheer Coach Teri Straley at tstraley@siuslaw.k12.or.us
