Prostate: Everything You Need to Know

Introduction\ I first heard about Yosh Taguchi in a swimming pool near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in February 1999. No name ever sounded sweeter. \ By then I'd suffered through a history of urinary tract problems that included numerous bladder infections, two operations to alleviate prostate enlargement, and a lot of discomfort and anxiety in between. I had had my latest operation only a month or so before standing in that pool: I had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The problem was, who should I turn to for help?\ I read many books on the subject and acquainted myself with my options. In light of my medical history, however, I needed an understanding urologist who could prescribe what was best for me, and quickly. At sixty-two, after all, I was still relatively young; I yearned to be tumor-free without all the side effects that prostate cancer patients are known to endure.\ One of the swimmers in the pool that warm afternoon was a fifty-one-year-old Montreal developer who had also suffered his fair share of prostate ailments.\ "If you live in Canada," he said, "you shouldn't look any further than a guy named Yosh Taguchi. Give him a call. Tell him I sent you. I'm a friend of his."\ "A friend? Really?"\ "Well, he sorted me out magnificently when I couldn't piss properly for months on end, and I know several guys he's cured of cancer. You'll like him."\ Two or three days later, and by sheer coincidence, my wife mentioned my dilemma to yet another Montrealer who, like me, had made Florida his second home. He uttered two words.\ "Yosh Taguchi."\ "That's what someone else has suggested," I said.\ "Don't fiddle about," the man said, "and don't worry. If you live most of the time in Montreal you should give Yosh a call. He's wonderful. He'll fix you up in no time. Old Yosh fixes everyone up. That's why he's on radio all the time, talking about it. He's a very special man. Tell him I referred you. I'm a friend of his."\ "You're a friend, too?"\ "Yep."\ That day, I called Yosh Taguchi's secretary and made an appointment to see him. He examined me for the first time on my return to Montreal that March, and the rest is history. He advised me to have my prostate removed and I agreed. Dr. Taguchi performed the operation at Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital six weeks later, and I have been cancer-free ever since.\ A minor side effect, however — tissue scarring where the urethra meets the bladder — resulted, and as I lay on an operating table, waiting for Yosh Taguchi to appear to treat this, I could not help but joke with the most senior urology nurse.\ "Is this guy really the best there is for this procedure?" I asked. "I mean, if he isn't tell me now and I'll get dressed and go home!"\ "Are you kidding?" the nurse responded. "Dr. Taguchi is the best urologist in Canada."\ At that, there was a general chorus of approval, and a voice came at me from an adjacent room. It belonged to a resident who was scrubbing up to assist in my treatment.\ "You're all wrong, wrong, wrong!" the resident said. "Dr. Yosh Taguchi is one of the best urologists in the world!"\ Not being a physician, I cannot substantiate this opinion from any medical viewpoint. In any case, there are numerous capable urologists in Canada who do excellent work, and some of these earn international stature, too. What I can say, however, is that during that apprehensive wait for the first major operation I had ever had-a radical prostatectomy-I shared my thoughts with my wife's friend Dr. Jacques Abourbih, a respected urologist in Sudbury, Ontario.\ "Who's actually doing your surgery?" Dr. Abourbih asked.\ "Yosh Taguchi," I said.\ "You are very lucky," Dr. Abourbih added. "Yosh Taguchi was my mentor. He taught me so much of what I practice today. His knowledge about the prostate and his skill in fixing it when it goes wrong are absolutely unsurpassed. You are in excellent hands."\ I thought I was, especially when Jacques Abourbih revealed a side of the affable, smiling Yosh Taguchi that few of his patients ever get to know-the meticulousness of his medical reading and diagnostics, and his work in the operating theater. In a career spanning some four decades, he has performed more than 500 radical prostatectomies and still confides that he wants to make each better than the previous one — that his entire being is consumed with honing his surgical skills so as to achieve what he calls "the absolute-perfect surgical procedure."\ It's no secret that Yosh Taguchi and I have become friends. We really have. Once, when we were dining in a restaurant near Miami — having spent a day together discussing our respective professions — Yosh asked me where I had first heard about him. I jumped at the chance to recall the man in the swimming pool and the other former patient I had met later.\ Yosh smiled as he remembered how each new patient is invariably referred to him not by a family practitioner, but by "a friend."\ "I never knew how many friends I had until I started treating prostates," he quipped, "but I have to tell you that the journey has been truly wonderful."\ I think it has, and this comforting book, with its advice, detail, and wisdom, will attest to it.\ Adrian Waller, Ph.D.\ Montreal, 2000

IntroductionAuthor's Note 1. The nature of the beast 2. Examining the prostate 3. Enlarged prostate: The signs and symptoms 4. Enlarged prostate: Medical treatment 5. Enlarged prostate: Surgical treatment 6. Enlarged prostate: The mimicking disorders 7. Enlarged prostate: Don't ignore your symptoms 8. Prostatitis: Bacterial 9. Prostatitis: Nonbacterial 10. Prostatitis: The last word 11. Prostate cancer: Who will get and why? 12. Prostate cancer: The diagnosis 13. Prostate cancer: The biopsy, and when it is positive 14. Prostate cancer: Managing the disease 15. Prostate cancer: Preparing for surgery 16. Prostate cancer: The radical prostatectomy 17. Prostate cancer: Incontinence and impotence 18. Erectile dysfunction: When Viagra doesn't work 19. Prostate cancer: The aftereffects Glossary Support Groups Index

\ E-Streams, Vol. 6, No. 2\ - H. Robert Malinowsky\ Written in layperson language and includes information on surgical options, medication options, thermal and cryo therapy, preventative measures, and pain control ... highly recommended.\ \ \ \ \ \ Science Books and Films\ - Guy A. Costanzo\ What you'd want to hear from your doctor if he or she had an unlimited amount of time to spend with you... a wealth of medical information here, and the presentation is such that the layperson should have no difficulty understanding it.\ \ \ \ Fore Word\ - Mark Terry\ Small but thorough ... this book is informative and useful for anybody concerned about prostate health.\ \ \ \ \ \ From The CriticsReviewer: R. Bruce Bracken, MD(Univ. of Cincinnati College of Medicine)\ Description: This is a well-written book for men that describes prostate diseases, their evaluation, and treatment. The book is thorough, reader friendly, and is a good addition to the field.\ Purpose: The purpose is to familiarize men with disorders of the prostate. The book is necessary because almost all men have prostate problems, and a reader friendly book for the layman is needed. The book meets the author's objectives. \ Audience: The book is written for the patient with prostate problems. The author is a credible authority in the subject matter.\ Features: The author discusses prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and prostatitis. The book covers symptoms and signs, diagnostic evaluations, and treatment in a manner that laymen can understand. Other books for the layman are more subject-specific, while this book covers all the common prostate disorders.\ Assessment: This book offers the layman good insight into the current state of prostate disorders, their evaluation, and their management. Its main advantage over other books is that it covers all the prostate disorders, not just prostate cancer.\ \ \ \ \ Mark TerrySmall but thorough ... this book is informative and useful for anybody concerned about prostate health.\ \ \ \ \ Guy A. CostanzoA wealth of medical information here, and the presentation is such that the layperson should have no difficulty understanding it.\ —Science Books and Films\ \ \ \ \ Publishers Weekly\ - Publisher's Weekly\ Dr. Yosh Taguchi (Private Parts: An Owner's Guide to the Male Anatomy), a leading urologist, has written a book for men newly diagnosed with prostate disease (enlargement, inflammation or cancer) who are seeking the best treatment (medication, surgery) and recuperative options (when Viagra fails to help, etc.), as well as for their concerned partners. This book is forthright, positive and, thus, aptly named The Prostate: Everything You Need to Know. Although doctors today do know a lot about this enigmatic gland, Taguchi does not hesitate to explain when the territory remains unclear. Readers will appreciate his frankness as much as his warmth. ( June) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ BooknewsTaguchi, a urologist (Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal), explains the most common prostate problems in plain language, with a bit of humor, for general readers. He reviews the anatomy and function of the prostate and describes surgical and medication options for benign prostate hyperplasia, prostatis, and cancer. Surgical procedures are described in detail in a frank yet reassuring style. Discussion touches on thermal and cryo therapy, preventive measures, pain control, and implants. The book includes a glossary and a list of support groups in the US and Canada. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \ \ \ \ 3 Stars from Doody\ \