Fingers & other things crossed for you dude, just got the results back from my 3rd PSA test post removal, all still good for me.
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Unfortunately for me I have prostate cancer, biopsy confirmed one sample as negative. I found out this morning, still digesting the information. My partner took it quite badly...me I've faced worse. They've caught it early so I will probably wait and decide what treatment is right for me.
Meeting with clinicians next Tuesday to hear all the options. Bit of a bummer was not expecting it!
2 Friends had prostate cancer,one had it removed and is now perfectly fine,the other had it removed too and his bladder as it had spread there too,he now has a bag,but also fine.
It's not good news,but caught early is treatable and not as it once was a big killer now media has got this across to us Men with the result we are or should be well aware and up to speed with it.
Not really made my mind up, but to start with I am going to opt for Active Surveillance, lets see how things go.
http://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate...e-surveillance
MRI scan showed no cancer.
Options so far are:
Surgery – Risks as to infection, being incontinent irreversible bladder damage, positives cancer removed for good.
Radiotherapy – Seven weeks, seven days a week of therapy. Only to be done the once. Risks are damage to other organs and bladder etc
Permanent seed brachytherapy, not too sure on this but seems to be used in partnership with the above and hormone replacement therapy.
Hormone replacement therapy, more of a controlling of the growth of the prostate than cure, has many side effects.
Also sorry to hear this.
Hopefully, as you've mentioned they've caught it early leaving you with more options.
Best of luck.
I recently had a general check up and an ultrasound. Doctor discovered some slight irregularities in the shape as in 'not homogeneous' (German Doctor).
No enlargement at all and everything else ok.
I will have a blood test to see if there is anything but with no family history and a positive outlook it's precautionary. I have ignored doctors for years and put a brave face on and lived to regret it.
EG
Gallstones, acute pain every now and again, leading to the damn thing nearly going pop in Baghdad of all places!
Once removed and after I came round was handed a bag of 'gravel'.
45 of the little devil's a the small ones cause the blockages and the pain
So now I have a proper inspection regularly and will follow up as advised.
I know several people who have had problems in this department and everyone had the recommended biopsy and necessary treatment and all have been fine and happy.
It seems treatment if needed is effective thankfully.
Good luck and best wishes to all in this situation.
I have the prostate of a 75 year old, however I am 53.
This story begins shortly after my 50th birthday, when I had a full 'MOT' - cholesterol, PSA etc.
The PSA came back at 3.8, which was concerning.
After the usual finger up the butt, I had an MRI within 3 weeks.
This confirmed that my prostate was 30% enlarged, with a dark mass at one side.
Three years later, three negative biopsies, my PSA is 4.6
The most recent was a template biopsy - 45 individual samples across the entire prostate.
That was unpleasant, but considered to be conclusive that I do not have prostate cancer at this moment.
I have an angry prostate, aka BPH or benign prostatic hypoplasia.
I now have a PSA test every six months, unless this rises noticeably then no further biopsy until age 60.
My thanks go to Prof Noel Clarke and his team at Christies.
If you want to support a great men's charity, the "Men Matter" campaign is well worth a look.
Several members have commented about the speed with which they were fast tracked through MRI and biopsy.
This is exactly right, the NHS and government recognise that prostate cancer is highly treatable if found early.
I urge every man to get a PSA test - it may be a false positive, better that than dying of ignorance.
Great post ^^^thanks for sharing. I have the delema now of what treatment is right for me. On Tuesday I meet with the teams at Hospital to discuss what they can offer. Maybe just being proactive is observation is best at the moment?
I'm considering a PSA test, strong family history of prostate cancer both grandfather's, uncles and father but I'm only 38 and feel the Doc wouldn't be for it
It's a blood test, and will cost your GP about £30.
Tell him that you are having trouble taking a pee in the morning, with slow and interrupted flow.
With a family history, he is not in a position to deny you the test.
They are public servants, and do not know it all, despite the arrogance of many in the profession.
It is worth clarifying that the PSA score should be considered as a base line.
The PSA can be elevated for many reasons :
Recent sexual activity.
Frequent impact of the prostate - professional cyclists have elevated PSA.
BPH, as in my case.
What IS important is the rate of change of the PSA, how quickly it climbs.
This is the key indicator of potential prostate cancer.
Also, it is worth highlighting that the majority of men over 75 have prostate cancer.
It is a fact of ageing, and will likely not be the final cause of their death.
For men between 50 and 70, it is essential that you seek medical advice if you find it hard to pee, or the flow is slow. This is a classic symptom of an enlarged prostate.
Appointment booked for this afternoon, thanks for the advice
Some good news at last. Met with my consultant today, cancer at lowest reading it could be. Active Surveillance recommended, blood (PSA) every three months, template biopsy, MRI in a year. Very positive about my future. I shall manage my diet, Low dairy, soya milk and low red meat intake. Smiling again for the time being!:eagerness:
Good news mate :) I think simply being positive can work wonders against the awful disease :)
Keep strong big fella 💪
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Good news mate :) I think simply being positive can work wonders against the awful disease :)
Keep strong big fella 💪
Excellent news.
I read an article a while back about why prostate screening wasn't as common as breast or cervical screening. It said that a large number of men will get some form of prostate cancer, but only very few would actually benefit from treatment. Most could just live with it, and on balance, would be better off not knowing. I can't find the article or link its sources, but I am a fairly sceptical type, and would have dismissed it if it seemed like flim flam.
Missed the earlier post as on holiday having cancelled earlier fortnight in Antigua as was having MRI. Really pleased with the positive outlook and that you aren't freaking out about it. Good lick with the testing and monitoring.
I'm a couple of months into my meds to reduce prostate size but might get a second opinion as PSA was still over 10.
Anyone in 2 minds about getting the test done, just get your are down the quacks, better to be in the know.
Excellent news - that's about as good as it gets !
The template biopsy is very invasive, but gives them a clear understanding of if/where the cancerous cells are.
A traditional biopsy is hit and miss, did the surgeon hit the right spot ?
The template biopsy is a grid of samples every 5mm across the entire prostate.
Any tumour less than 5mm in diameter is not an immediate concern, any tumour larger than 5mm will be detected.
A healthy diet, reduced alcohol and strong will - good luck for the next 12 months, and beyond.
Thanks chaps I'm far more up beat now! I am looking at my diet, I've already changed to Soya Milk, and will limit meat to two days week. Decaff Tea/Coffee, lots of Turmeric I all ready do low carb. A tip I have been given is not to have my Mobile phone in a pocket near my groin.
Good news for those of us living with Prostate Cancer!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38304076
Thoughtful doctor. Screening, and the decisions behind it, is an exceptionally complex business, and requires careful consideration.
This link re prostate screening has (what I think is) a helpful infographic on prostate screening:
https://www.cancer.gov/types/prostat...fits-harms-psa
Best wishes,
Martyn.
I disagree. See my earlier reply on this. Often it's not better to know.
Often 'knowing' turns an essentially well person into a worried sick person/patient, and sometimes leads to more invasive diagnostic tests +/- procedures with all their attendant risks. This is increasingly recognised and has begun to trigger the use of shared decision-making tools such as the infographic which I linked previously.
It would be 'better to know' if it meant that a timely intervention would reliably add years/quality to life, but this is rarely the case with screening, which at times has been guilty of measuring what is easy to measure rather than what counts.
It's an immensely complex subject.
Best wishes,
Martyn.
Great news on the horizon for those not wanting a prostate biopsy!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2...5000-biopsies/
PSA test today, down to 4.02 from 4.40:eagerness:
Good news, a small step in the right direction.
I have kept a chart of my PSA scores over the past 5 years, a slow and steady rise which is typical of BPH.
Currently at 4.7, the recent MRI and template biopsy confirm that there are no cancerous cells.
I encourage all of my friends and colleagues to get a PSA test if they are over 50 and have not previously had a test.
The recent announcement that an MRI is the preferred next step is great progress.
Good news, I've got my follow up appointment on the 6th March.
Alternative treatment for prostate cancer … and it 's effective but not yet available on NHS
http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/n...osis-1-7783384
dunk
Bit of a thread revisit.
Went through all this last year after PSA test of 14.2 - 16.6. No sign of cancer and PSA settled down to around 10.4
I was prescribed thenasteride by my consultant in August last year and when I enquired about side effects was told none to worry about. After a couple of months I thought some things weren't right and contacted Dr Google (I know; worse place to start).
Turns out there can be lots of hormonal issues including growing moobs and sexual issues (loss of libido & weak erectile function) which might not be too concerning for someone in their 70s, but as recently separated 48 year old I needed the little fella up to his A game; however crap that might be :smug:
So taken off and retested, back up to 13 anyway so referred to hospital again.
Last Tuesday went in for a matrix biopsy under general anaesthetic to try and rule out cancer and hopefully settle on knackered/enlarged/angry prostate. Should have walked out 4 hours later but ended up 4 days later!
Came out of anaesthetic and started rehydrating, then the troubles began! Couldn't pass water and could feel the pressure building up; so within 30 minutes fitted with a catheter to get past this issues. Wow, that really hurts; I think I have a pretty high pain threshold but with the combined pain in my bladder it had me bouncing off the ceiling. Then a day of drinking water to flush the system and try and clear the clotting while the bleeding stopped. Come 7pm they think I'm on to go home (with a catheter for 5 days) and get me up to try and empty the bag etc. At this point I can feel the sense of needing to pee, which given the big tube rammed up my cock I shouldn't have; then a load of clotting forces it way outside of the catheter and I'm stood looking like the shower scene in Carrie.
So back to bed and an overnight stay planned; some manual removal of clotting via the catheter and a big syringe later and a doctor advices bladder scan and irrigation catheter a (flushes water directly to help clean the bladder, does involve insertion of bigger tube) and she goes home expecting aforementioned to be done; get moved to surgical ward and given toast, on call surgeon turns up and says "see you in the morning ", "what about scan & irrigation?" Says I; "prefer to do that in morning when fully staffed in case of problems" says he.
So over night I keep drinking water and it's looking a bit better, then I stand up and Carrie comes back to say hi again. So irrigation fitted with what felt like a garden hose being inserted up my magic eye! So 8 hours later and about 1w litres of fluid sloshed through me and still the same result. So they finally get around to discussing the bladder scan which wont get do e until Thursday at 11am; surgeon suggesting another general anaesthetic and a bigger catheter with a camera attached; I don't care about this as I'll be unconscious! So settle into my 5th room in 3 days and more reruns of QI on Dave.
So Thursday arrives and scan done, revealing a lot of residual clotting that needs to be removed; Then the doctor who recommended the scan and irrigation on Tuesday turns up; we agree her colleagues should have done as she said and she would get this sorted but didn't think a GA would be required; just some morphine. She was going to flush it manually with fluid and big syringe. Now they'd been doing this for.3 days but she said nurses are too nice and she has a better technique (said with a knowing an slightly sadistic smile). As they were serving lunch she asked if I'd like to eat and give it a few hours, to which I said sod lunch; give the drugs and get on with it. She liked my go to attitude and I her bluntness; a brief friendship had been struck up (or so I thought).
I can highly recommend morphine. Got to 49 surrounded by drugs and never even smoked a cigarette or popped a single E; think I might have missed out! What a lovely warm glow and sense of calm it gave me. As I was in Bristol I even considered putting on a bit of Massive Attack for a soundtrack; that idea lasted about 30 seconds into the procedure at which point Prodigy Firestarter would have been more appropriate! Then next 15 minutes felt like 3 hours and by the end I was in bits; sweating, swearing and ready to collapse or jump out of the window. That girl could work at Guantanamo bay; no secret would be left untold. The sensation of fluid being squirted at high pressure into your bladder and then being forcibly extracted with clots via you dick is something I will never forget. The worst thing is after the first hit you knew it was coming again and again until she'd finished. When she finally decided she had extracted as much as she could and withdrew the catheter I was a shell of the man I was when I wandered in their on Tuesday; but also so appreciative that she had taken the positive steps and got the job done. Afterwards I felt absolutely battered and having hoped for a speedy exit was told I'd be in overnight for observation. Given everything else I didn't care at that point. I kept on rehydrating a pissing without a tube in me felt such a relief.
So a couple of days later I'm battered and bruised, my balls, bladder & prostate fell like AJ used them as a sparring partner, but I still have to wait for the results.
I had a template biopsy last month, last week and got positive results. The cancer has not spread or grown at all. So no more biopsy's, my MRI was clear also. Blood test now ever six months and move on! Its been a year of uncertainty but with a very positive outcome.:eagerness:
Indeed great news.
Great news!! All the best!