Real Miracle, Healing Stories: Cancer

Friendly Advice

Hal remembers his friend’s words. “He said he would’ve been okay if he would’ve had regular prostate exams,” Hal recalls. So after his friend died of prostate cancer, Hal Harris, a 45 year-old cattle rancher, began to have regular physical exams. That decision may have saved his life.

Annual exams for men Hal’s age typically include a PSA blood test and a physical exam to check the prostate. An elevated PSA score can be an early warning sign of prostate cancer. While Hal’s PSA scores were consistently low, a physical exam of his prostate raised concerns.

Second Opinion
“My doctor found bumps on my prostate,” Hal said. “I didn’t know what that meant, but I was referred to an urologist for a biopsy.” The needle biopsy results came back revealing that Hal, now 53, had prostate cancer.

“I knew God would get me through this,” he recalls. “I ask the doctor what my options were so I get on with it.” Hal’s urologist gave him two options. Both were open surgery solutions. “He told me that with either approach I would need to give blood before the surgery, because there would be a lot of blood loss, and he said I would be laid up for some time.”

While Hal was considering his options, a friend who had just had prostate surgery learned of Hal’s situation. The friend had prostate surgery performed by David B. Rice, M.D. with Idaho Urologic Institute. But what got Hal’s attention was that the surgery was performed at Saint Alphonsus using a surgical robot called the da Vinci.

Hal made an appointment with Dr. Rice on his friend’s recommendation. Before his appointment with Dr. Rice, Hal did some research. “After I heard about the da Vinci I did a little checking,” said Hal. “I found out that most patients have a faster recovery time with the da Vinci. And I learned that Dr. Rice and Dr. Waldmann were the only two in the area doing da Vinci surgeries, and that Saint Alphonsus was the only place that had a da Vinci.“

Dr. Rice met with Hal and discussed multiple treatment options. He reviewed Hal’s situation and then recommended a robotic prostatectomy using the da Vinci Surgical System.

“As a cattle rancher I needed to get back to work as soon as I could,” said Hal. “Dr. Rice told said with the da Vinci I’d have less blood loss and less down time,” recalled Hal. I felt the da Vinci robot would be my best shot at getting back to work quickly, so I knew right then I wanted Dr. Rice to do my surgery.” Hal’s prostate surgery was scheduled at Saint Alphonsus with Dr. Rice.

da Vinci
The da Vinci® Surgical System is a proprietary robotic platform for minimally invasive surgery. The da Vinci consists of a control console placed several feet from the patient. While seated at the consol, the surgeon maneuvers up to four electromechanical arms attached the remote robotic cart, one arm holding a 3-D video camera.

With a magnified 3D video display of the surgical area, the surgeon uses hand and finger controls to manipulate micro-instruments mounted on the robotic arms. The micro-instruments are introduced into the patient's body through minute incisions. The surgeon’s movements are filtered by the robot and scaled as he remains comfortably seated throughout the procedure.

“There are a number of positives with the da Vinci,” said Dr. Rice. “One of the positive is that I can see better. There’s less blood in the field, so I can see more of the tissue in the natural state. That gives me a better chance to get all the cancer. Plus, I have better depth perception with the 3D display and the robot gives me exquisite control of my instruments, possibly allowing me to spare more nerves.”

Dr. Rice explained that da Vinci patients typically have their catheter removed much sooner and the rate of permanent incontinence is far less than standard laparoscopy or open surgery prostatectomies.

The Difference
More than 200,000 American men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. Along with making the difficult and personal choice about treatment and lifestyle changes, they must also choose a knowledgeable surgical team and a staff of nurses and other healthcare providers he can trust. Studies have shown that the most important factor in determining surgical outcome and patient success is surgeon experience.

Saint Alphonsus Medical Center was the first in Idaho to offer da Vinci robotic surgeries, beginning in 2002. To date, there have been nearly 1,000 robotic prostatectomies performed at Saint Alphonsus, making Saint Alphonsus one of the top providers of da Vinci surgeries in the Northwest.

I Don’t Even Miss It
“After surgery I felt good,” stated Hal. “I never even needed pain medication while in the hospital. I was walking around a few hours after surgery and I went home the next day.”

“When I first got home I felt fine,” he recalled. “I took it easy for a while and after a couple of weeks I was back working doing light work. After five weeks I was bucking hay again.”

Following his surgery, Hal has spoken openly about his experience. “I can’t believe how many guys I’ve met that have had Dr. Rice do their prostate surgery. I’m extremely pleased that I chose Dr. Rice as my doctor. He and the folks at Saint Alphonsus were great.”

“I had a really good experience,” Hal said. “My life is back to the way it was before...and I don’t even miss my prostate!”