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<title>
<![CDATA[A Personal Journey with Cancer]]>
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<link>
<![CDATA[http://www.goddard.edu/cancer_blog]]>
</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[Steve James,the director of Goddard's MA in Psychology and Counseling Program, andfriend to us all, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Typical ofSteve's desire to teach, learn, share and process....he will be documentinghis journey through this blog, and invites discussion and conversation about the manyfacets of the challenge presented before him. Joining Steve on occasionwill be his husband Todd, offering a spousal perspective.   ]]>
</description>
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<title>
<![CDATA[Good News]]>
</title>
<link>
<![CDATA[http://www.goddard.edu/cancer_ten]]>
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<description>
<![CDATA[I am happy to report that the first tests since my surgery indicate that there is no more prostate cancer in my body. Half of my relief is just knowing. Results that were supposed to take 24 hours took four days. The rest is obvious; I beat Cancer, this time.]]>
</description>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[June 4, 2008]]>
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<item>
<title>
<![CDATA[Entry 9: Waiting]]>
</title>
<link>
<![CDATA[http://www.goddard.edu/cancer_nine]]>
</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[I'm waiting for the first of the test results that will indicate whether or not the prostatectomy I had in January got all of the cancer out of my body.  I had the blood draw yesterday and was told that I might get the results by the end of the day today; hasn't happened.  Probably tomorrow.  Maybe the next day.  I don't know.  I don't know if I'm waiting for the end, cancer-free, or the middle, didn't get it all, more 'treatments.'  Whatever the news, it will also be the start of a new way of life.  ]]>
</description>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[June 4, 2008]]>
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<title>
<![CDATA[Entry 8: Helping the Kids Understand Recovery]]>
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<link>
<![CDATA[http://www.goddard.edu/cancer_eight]]>
</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[As I have learned to limit myself in certain areas, lifting, sitting,and driving, my two sons (11 and 6) have been learning too. Todd and Ihave been honest with them about my cancer, as we believe isappropriate for their levels of maturity.]]>
</description>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[June 4, 2008]]>
</pubDate>
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<title>
<![CDATA[Post-Op Follow-up Part II]]>
</title>
<link>
<![CDATA[http://www.goddard.edu/cancer_seven]]>
</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[I have not been able to find a phrase where gangrenous is elevated fromanything less than horrible and that phrase alone really made me payattention to what are now new directives about not lifting anythingheavier than a phone book.]]>
</description>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[June 4, 2008]]>
</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>
<![CDATA[Post-Op Follow-up Part I]]>
</title>
<link>
<![CDATA[http://www.goddard.edu/cancer_six]]>
</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[I knew that there was a possibility that small amounts of cancer, even single cells, could have been left behind and that it was going to be three months before additional pathology tests would be done that would confirm whether or not those cells in fact remained, because while they might not have been visible to the surgeon... they could still be there and it would take three months for them to develop to the point where they could be detected.  ]]>
</description>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[June 4, 2008]]>
</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>
<![CDATA[Entry 5: Post-Op]]>
</title>
<link>
<![CDATA[http://www.goddard.edu/cancer_five]]>
</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[Post-op has been difficult for a number of reasons but the most interesting to me has been about energy, the amount of energy I have at different times during the day.  Energy is important, not only because of how I need it just to take care of myself, surprisingly it has been how little I have paid attention to it in my life before this operation.  Sometimes, particularly in the morning, I feel very energetic, almost normal, and then I have to use that energy to start dealing with the pain of the catheter and the soreness in my abdomen.&amp;nbsp;I feel at times like I have lost a bar fight to a group of bikers...]]>
</description>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[June 4, 2008]]>
</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>
<![CDATA[An Update on Steve]]>
</title>
<link>
<![CDATA[http://www.goddard.edu/cancer_update]]>
</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[A quick update on Steve's surgery for readers of this blog.  I heard from Steve's husband Todd late yesterday afternoon that the surgery was successful.  Todd writes: &quot;The surgeon said they were able to spare the nerves on both side.  We'll have the pathology report next week to confirm that the cancer was confined to the prostate and thus removed.&quot;  Steve should be discharged and resting at home today.  Read the last two entries in Steve's blog for more on his treatment options and their pre-surgery experience.&amp;nbsp;A note for those of you who check this blog often.  You can subscribe to the blog as an RSS feed by clicking the &quot;subscribe to this feed&quot; link at the bottom of any entry (you only have to click it once).  What's an RSS feed?  Check out Wikipedia's page on the subject.]]>
</description>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[June 4, 2008]]>
</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>
<![CDATA[Entry 4: Treatment Options]]>
</title>
<link>
<![CDATA[http://www.goddard.edu/cancer_four]]>
</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[...Even with my prostate enlarged now, I'm only going to lose about 8 ounces.  And it's not like a menu, where I could add some liposuction for a few hundred more bucks.  I thought about taking a marker with me, and writing 'Liposuction at will' on my chest, but Todd advised against it; sort of like not making bomb jokes at the airport.  He works in a hospital, so I trust him on this one, but maybe global warming is sucking the humor out of us at some level.]]>
</description>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[June 4, 2008]]>
</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>
<![CDATA[Entry 4.1: Pre-Op Spousal Perspective]]>
</title>
<link>
<![CDATA[http://www.goddard.edu/cancer_four_1]]>
</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[Pre-Operative Perspective of a Spouse From Steve's husband Todd&amp;nbsp;- January 6, 2008&amp;nbsp;TomorrowSteve has his surgery. While I'm a bit anxious, knowing what 'the plan'is and that this will soon be behind us helps a great deal. I thought Iwould share some of what I've been experiencing over the past fewmonths prompted by Steve's cancer.]]>
</description>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[June 4, 2008]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>
<![CDATA[Entry 3: Some Particular Emotional Issues]]>
</title>
<link>
<![CDATA[http://www.goddard.edu/cancer_three]]>
</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[While there are many complex decisions that one approaches indealing with any kind of cancer, prostate cancer bring some particularemotional issues that I want to introduce with this entry. I'll getback to more about my decision to have the robotic-assistedlaparoscopic radical prostatectomy in another entry.&amp;nbsp; The various ways that most men are taught what it meansto be a man in our society include notions of virility, masculinity,and power. These ideas are conveyed in a variety of ways throughexamples and directives, through media, family, and peers. ]]>
</description>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[June 4, 2008]]>
</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>
<![CDATA[Entry 2: Diagnosis]]>
</title>
<link>
<![CDATA[http://www.goddard.edu/cancer_two]]>
</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[This past summer, I had a biking accident that was severe enough to warrant a visit to a urologist.  In the process of monitoring my testicular injury, he noticed that my Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) level was high for a man my age, despite being in the normal range as my internist had described for the past few years.  The urologist suggested an ultrasound and then a biopsy.  I agreed to both.  While my experience of the biopsy was akin to this previously friendly fellow climbing inside me and trying to use the Jaws-of-life to free my innards, I understand that most guys don't have a hard time with it.]]>
</description>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[January 16, 2008]]>
</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>
<![CDATA[Entry 1: Hello]]>
</title>
<link>
<![CDATA[http://www.goddard.edu/cancer_one]]>
</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[Hello, I'm Steve James and as part of my coping with my diagnosis of prostate cancer, I decided to offer to write a blog sharing my experiences, inviting others to share their experiences of cancers, and offering resources relevant to cancer issues.  Goddard College has been generous in offering to host the blog on its website.  I work for Goddard as the director of the low residency Psychology &amp;amp; Counseling Program.  &amp;nbsp;My hope for this blog is that others will ask questions, share their stories and helpful resources, and help to create a dialogue about cancer's impact on those whose lives it has touched.  I intend for it to be a safe venue for sharing, exploration, and support.]]>
</description>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[January 16, 2008]]>
</pubDate>
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