Get Checked

[Gibbon]

With the sad death of Bill Turnbull, and having dodged the bullet that got him, I highly recommend the +50s on here to start getting PSA checked and also any urinary symptoms. Prostate Cancer is highly treatable if caught early.

Bill's original prognosis was 10-15 years, he got 4!

[northernladuk]

Wise words indeed. I was talking to two of my groups of friends about this the week before last and from around 12+ people, granted all between 35 and 55 no one has been checked and didn't seem like they wanted to either.

[Paddy]

With the sad death of Bill Turnbull, and having dodged the bullet that got him, I highly recommend the +50s on here to start getting PSA checked and also any urinary symptoms. Prostate Cancer is highly treatable if caught early.

Bill's original prognosis was 10-15 years, he got 4!

PSA is not the answer but is a mere possible indicator so don't panic if you get a high PSA reading. Opinions on monitoring and treatment vary from doctor to doctor. Having a finger stuck up your arse can also be interpreted differently by doctors (I always insist on a candle light dinner first date).
Taking prostate samples for test is grossly painful, and I insist on sedation. It is also hit and miss.

Best up to date detection is the High Resolution CT Scan, this will detect abnormalities even before cancer, not all NHS hospitals have this. You may have to travel to a third world country which has this modern equipment.
Best treatment for enlarged prostrate is green laser reduction and drugs, again not all hospital have or even know about green-laser treatment.

[Gibbon]

PSA is not the answer but is a mere possible indicator so don't panic if you get a high PSA reading. Opinions on monitoring and treatment vary from doctor to doctor. Having a finger stuck up your arse can also be interpreted differently by doctors (I always insist on a candle light dinner first date).
Taking prostate samples for test is grossly painful, and I insist on sedation. It is also hit and miss.

Best up to date detection is the High Resolution CT Scan, this will detect abnormalities even before cancer, not all NHS hospitals have this. You may have to travel to a third world country which has this modern equipment.
Best treatment for enlarged prostrate is green laser reduction and drugs, again not all hospital have or even know about green-laser treatment.

You're right PSA on its own is not a definitive marker, but it gives a baseline reading. Mine was informally diagnosed on a fast rising PSA (doubled in a year) and confirmed with biopsy, HRCT came back clear. Finger up bum is useless for stage 1 & 2 which is where you want to catch it.

[Snooky]

You're right PSA on its own is not a definitive marker, but it gives a baseline reading. Mine was informally diagnosed on a fast rising PSA (doubled in a year)

A PSA test on its own is renowned for being fairly unreliable - see https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostat...f-the-psa-test, but I'm sure you already know all that. Obviously in your case a subsequent test showed a nasty trend.

I've been to the doc several times because I have very intermittent and slow flow, it can take me several minutes to do what would have been a matter of 10 seconds in my 20s or 30s (sorry if TMI), and I'm prime age for prostate issues. Two separate fingers up the fundament and the docs were happy that nothing seemed abnormal and "this is just something that happens to a lot of men of your age".

Now wondering whether I should stamp my little feet for some kind of more sophisticated test? It'd be just my luck to find out in 5 years that my suspicions were right all along and I have only a short time left to go.

Suggestions / thoughts?



PS - I had a soft spot for Bill Turnbull as he was a self-confessed Bad Beekeeper which, unfortunately, I am as well despite my best efforts. He wrote quite a funny book about it which made me feel a little less useless

[Paddy]

A PSA test on its own is renowned for being fairly unreliable - see https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostat...f-the-psa-test, but I'm sure you already know all that. Obviously in your case a subsequent test showed a nasty trend.

I've been to the doc several times because I have very intermittent and slow flow, it can take me several minutes to do what would have been a matter of 10 seconds in my 20s or 30s (sorry if TMI), and I'm prime age for prostate issues. Two separate fingers up the fundament and the docs were happy that nothing seemed abnormal and "this is just something that happens to a lot of men of your age".

Now wondering whether I should stamp my little feet for some kind of more sophisticated test? It'd be just my luck to find out in 5 years that my suspicions were right all along and I have only a short time left to go.

Suggestions / thoughts?



PS - I had a soft spot for Bill Turnbull as he was a self-confessed Bad Beekeeper which, unfortunately, I am as well despite my best efforts. He wrote quite a funny book about it which made me feel a little less useless

"This is just something that happens to a lot of men of your age" is not the right attitude. You must to be referred to a urologist You will need a flow test/s. You will also need a urology endoscopy and possibly a urinary tract CT Scan. It could be a polyp in the tract (the endoscopy can cut that out) or prostate issues which can be relived with drugs. My wee is better than 15 years ago after treatment. Don't be fobbed off.

[xoggoth]

Got to get summit else checked out "down there". Why does the damn C thing usually affect embarassing bits?

[NotAllThere]

Got to get summit else checked out "down there". Why does the damn C thing usually affect embarassing bits?

Had a quick think about this, and I can only come up with skin*, throat, mouth and thyroid. No one gets cancer of the big toe.


*Which reminds me, I must make an appointment about this new blemish that's turned up. Flat, circular, non-itchy, red and 1cm in diameter.

[Halo Jones]

Got to get summit else checked out "down there". Why does the damn C thing usually affect embarassing bits?

It’s not just the cancer, some of the treatments have not-so entertaining effects!

[vetran]

Had a quick think about this, and I can only come up with skin*, throat, mouth and thyroid. No one gets cancer of the big toe.


*Which reminds me, I must make an appointment about this new blemish that's turned up. Flat, circular, non-itchy, red and 1cm in diameter.

Oddly enough my bowel cancer screening test turned up today. Having had friends die from bladder & stomach cancer there are of course testicular and cervical there are plenty 'down there'.