In last month's newsletter, we reproduced our interview with Dave Stevens, to talk about his experiences on Leuprolide (Lupron) and what it has been like going off hormone therapy. This month, we discuss Dave's experiences with other departments of MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Joe Landry: Your two years of Lupron were finished last August 5th [2012]. Did any of your symptoms start tapering off after being nearly two years on Lupron?

Dave Stevens: Actually, toward the end of the two years, a couple of symptoms continued to give me some problems. I sent an email to Dr. Lee [my Proton Doctor] asking about them, and he referred me to the Symptoms Management Group here at MD Anderson.

Joe: The Symptoms Management Group?

Dave: That's right. They are located over in the Main Building. That's the place you go if you're having problems with side effects from cancer treatments, or if you need some rehab. For example, if you're on chemotherapy and having major problems with that, your doctor can refer you to this group of doctors and nurses. They specialize in this field.

Joe: I hadn't heard of them before.

Dave: Me neither. But that's one of the reasons I decided on MD Anderson for my treatment --- they have staff with experience in so many different fields of cancer. Anyway, they were quite familiar with Lupron and its side effects, and they ran me through a battery of various tests. They came back and said I needed to get involved in an exercise program ranging from lifting light weights to endurance exercises, even including a yoga class that they have at the Mays Clinic every Friday.

Joe: Yoga??! Really?

Dave: That's right, yoga. I had my doubts, but my doctor, Dr. Shin would not take "no" for an answer. He insisted so I had to try it.

Joe: No offense, but you don't seem to be the yoga type. What was it like?

Dave: Exhausting. You heard me ---- exhausting. By the time I got through that first 90 minute yoga session, I felt like I had been through the ringer. I felt almost every part of my body. The MD Anderson class focuses on stretching all parts of your body. While it doesn't look like that much exercise, 90 minutes is a lot. But after going to a couple of classes and doing some of the exercises for a few weeks at home, the nagging joint pain in my shoulders was gone, completely gone. Just like Dr. Shin promised would happen.

Joe: What about the rest of the exercise regimen?

Dave: That took a little longer to get started, however, between the exercise and my weight reduction program, well, ... in mid-November, I weighed 204 but I am now down to about 186, so that's a drop of nearly 20 pounds in three months...

 I started feeling better, too.  Dr. Shin also referred me to the Integrative Medicine Group.

Joe: Where are they located?

Dave: Up in the MD Anderson Main Building. They specialize on diet and exercise and steps you can take to try to prevent cancer from recurring. They have a full time staff of doctors and specialists, including a dietitian and physical therapist.

Joe: So they monitor what you eat and make suggestions?

Dave: Yes. They had me pick two days and make a list of what I was eating, and compared what I ate with what I should be eating. I found out that there are certain foods that are associated with fighting cancer and others that are not. Dr. Lopez and his staff made changes in my diet. Some of them I really liked, like small amounts of butter in place of margarine, and a real egg at breakfast each day instead of just the egg whites. But also more vegetables and fruit, preferably organic. But I've been staying away from processed meats and fatty desserts.

Joe: What about vitamin pills?

Dave: The Integrative Medicine Center strongly recommends getting your vitamins from nutritious fruits, vegetables and high fiber foods themselves rather than relying on vitamin supplements, based on a variety of studies. One major exception for me is Vitamin D. Because of the relatively slight impact of the Lupron on my bones, and the fact that I didn't get much exercise the second year I was on it, Dr. Lopez has me on a large daily dose of Vitamin D. This will restore my bones along with my big testosterone increase following Lupron.

Joe: Before we wrap up, I have one last question. You keep telling me about how you eat unsweetened dark chocolate that is 100% cacao. I'll bet Dr. Lopez put a stop to that!

Dave: No, he didn't. Unsweetened dark chocolate is a plant food that has lots of anti-oxidants and fiber, and helps you lose weight if you don't eat too much of it. And of course, I have green tea and other things like almond butter (it's much better than peanut butter and better for you, too.)

• The MD Anderson Patient Power Web site. , where numerous articles and episodes of podcasts and interviews are published.
• Andrew's main web site link. 
• Andrew's Blog where he writes about a March 22, 2013 town meeting he hosted at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston on myeloma. He titled his article Back to School. 
• The Web Savvy Patient book has it's own website at this link. and a narration is also available as an audio book. 

• Online health tools and devices to help you analyze and manage information to help you achieve your health and fitness goals
• The ability to gather and store information online using health devices such as, blood pressure monitors, blood glucose meters, pedometers and more. 
• Organization for medical records in one place, the ability to prepare for emergencies and tools to help care for and manage your family's health.