He awakened one morning with an undetectable illness that left doctors baffled. Untreated illness can be disastrous; many have died and will continue to die when this illness goes untreated. While working for the DOJ, Retired Sr. Lieutenant Garry L. Jones became gravely ill but listened to his body, communicated with his doctors persistently and beat prostate cancer.
Mr. Jones share some of the details of your battle against prostate cancer.
I became gravely ill. I had a temperature of 103. My body was raw all over and the pain in my back was so severe that while waiting in the emergency to see the doctor, I was lying on the floor in a fetal position.
The medical personnel helped put me in a wheel chair and I was rolled off to the examining room to be treated. A few hours later, the urinalysis test came back positive for a urinary tract infection. Two weeks later I awoke again with a high temperature, lower back pain, a burning sensation when I urinated, and a severe headache. I can’t recall how I got to the emergency room, but when I arrived I immediately dropped to my knees because of the severe pain.
So this went on for some time; what eventually happened?
I continued to return to doctors; getting several opinions. I had no no other choice but to listen to my body and persist a resolution. Eventually a doctor recommended me to see a urologist. A couple of weeks later I was seen by a urologist. He asked if could he check my prostate and do a Prostate-Specific Antigen Test (P.S.A.).
One doctor said the symptoms I was having were what they saw in men who are 60 and 70 years of age.
Eventually, I made an appointment with another doctor. My main complaint was my prostate but I was examined from head to toe for a couple of days and then I was seen by two urologists. I was given some of the same examinations that other urologists have done in the past.
The urologist ordered an magnetic resonance imaging (M.R.I.) scan and a CT scan on my prostate. After this the nurse told me the doctor wanted me to return to have a biopsy. It was through this process that prostate cancer was detected.
What would you like to say to other men about their health?
I had no idea I was dying, but my life was spared. This is my journey through repeated urinary tract infections, sickness, and severe pains. I was 35 years old when I first became ill. I was in tip top physical shape on the outside. This and the fact my P.S.A. was low was why my doctors didn’t consider checking me for prostate cancer.
The best way to detect cancer is by listening to your body when something doesn’t feel right.
You must have regular checkups with your primary physician.
It is recommended that you have your prostate examined for cancer at the age of forty but I encourage anyone who is having problems with their prostate to seek medical attention even if they are in their twenties. The doctor that detected the cancer said something that was profound, he said, “Mr. Jones just because you have a low P.S.A doesn’t mean you don’t have prostate cancer and just because you have a high P.S.A doesn’t mean you do have cancer.”
Garry L. Jones, has been cancer free for seven years and wrote a book that shares his journey.