Treated 2009 · Posted 2012 · Updated 2023
"My wife started reading [Bob's book, "You Can Beat Prostate Cancer"] while I was busy with something else. ... When she finished, she turned to me and told me to read it and she knew what my decision would be."
In July, 2008, my PSA shot up from a gradual climb over the years to 5.08 to 9.6 in a year's time. I was sent to an urologist who performed 12 biopsies with a resultant Gleason score of 7 (3-4). He talked to me about various forms of treatment including surgery, seed implantation, and photon treatment. When he finished and asked if I had any questions, I asked him about proton therapy (my father graduated from the school of medicine at LLUMC in 1947 so I was aware of what was happening). His reply was, "I know very little about it so you will have to do your own research. However, I did have one other patient that insisted on going to Loma Linda and it was successful."
I contacted LLUMC in September. They sent me a packet including Bob Marckini's book, "You Can Beat Prostate Cancer." My wife opened the packet while I was busy with something else and she started reading the book. When I finished and turned to her, she told me I would have to wait until she finished the book before I could read it. When she finished, she turned to me and told me to read it and she knew what my decision would be. She was right.
I contacted LLUMC again and set up a consultation. My treatment would begin in December. They wanted one more PSA taken within two months of the beginning of treatment, so in the middle of October, I had another PSA taken. It had climbed to 13.1.
I began proton treatment on December 3, 2008 and finished on February 9, 2009. My side effects consisted of two nights about four weeks into treatment where I had to get up in the middle of the night. But then I discovered that if I took one ibuprofen just before going to bed, this problem was eliminated. When I mentioned it to my doctor at my weekly appointment, he suggested that I take it with a small glass of milk so that I would not get a stomach ulcer from the ibuprofen. I never had any further side effects!
Within a year of ending my treatment, my PSA was down to 0.63 and has been between 0.6 and 0.69 in the ensuing two years.
So far I have purchased 20 copies of Bob's book and given copies to each of my male relatives, three copies to my church library, as well as two presentations from the pulpit, my urologist, and several other individuals. I will need to get more soon.
I know that two people have gone to LLUMC because of the book I gave out.
—Dick Machlan, ramachlan@hotmail.com
Update: As of Feb 2023, it's 14 years since I finished my proton therapy treatments. I am now 83 and still going strong. Currently, I have 4 church offices, did all the driving to and from Beaverton, OR to Denver, CO for
my grandson’s wedding, and made 3 flights to Keene, TX to see our 3 great-grandsons.