Congrats to friend Dennis Bogorad for writing this great piece for Huffington Post (Dennis Bogorad: Finding Support). *

As a prostate cancer survivor, I can attest to the simple fact that a PSA test did indeed save my life. Prostate cancer runs in my family; I had it in my mid-forties (very early for this kind of cancer) and one of my younger brothers has unfortunately followed in my footsteps, so to speak. If I hadn’t had that test at 46, my doctor probably wouldn’t have ordered one until age 50, at which point it might have well been too late. Once prostate cancer metastasizes, it’s incurable.

With the proper treatment, which, in my case included surgery for prostate removal followed by two months of external beam radiation, I’ve now been (knock on wood) cancer-free for over ten years.

Also in my case, there was a support group for gay men with prostate cancer in San Francisco, where I lived at the time. Going to those bi-weekly meetings over the course of about a year was crucial for me to get a sense of how my recovery was progressing, as well as for firmly understanding that I was not alone — the sense of which can be absolutely crushing.

Prostate cancer is awful and people don’t want to talk about it. Even totally successful treatment for the disease often involves various levels of erectile dysfunction and incontinence that can linger for years or forever. It’s not a shock that no one wants to think about it – believe me, especially those of us who’ve had it.

The medicine increases cialis line prescription the blood flow in penis, which invites sexual erection in a desired quantity. Hawthorn berry is one among the best herbal male enhancements used for stimulating the sexual http://www.learningworksca.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/CBD_Concept_paper_.pdf buy cialis levitra health of body. Since, it is a solid pills one need to consume one or two pills daily with water or milk after meals. learningworksca.org purchase viagra online How to increase your female libido naturally? The good news is there are natural ways to boost get viagra cheap your libido. That’s why it’s so great that these small support groups are there in Los Angeles, at the LA Gay Center at the Village. In a population that has a lot of other issues, not the least of which is the heterosexual assumption in medicine (as in, healthcare pros assume you’re straight until you tell them otherwise; many gay men never mention it) and the lack of any training to address this population.

As more of us “come out” about these aspects of our lives, one can only assume that the quality of our recovery will improve, as well as be an example for the world at large in discussing male cancers.

That simple blood test, once a year. PSA.

Oh, and by the way, I wrote a novel very loosely based on my experiences of that time. You can find out more about “Benediction” here. 

* UPDATE March 26, 2013 – Very sad to report that Dennis unexpectedly passed away in his sleep on March 24. I’m honored to have known him and to have been a part of the important work he was doing around gay men’s health issues.