Snap... Im inn for th camera tomorrow... Yes a Sunday. Just think ill be able to park. I have it done regularly because of family history. To night is "SHOW TIME"... Just had th first sachet and 2 more to follow. Th wife says th smell as melted th bathroom mirrors.... Good luck everyone with there results...
Guess you'll have a ring like the Japanese flag by the end ( been there myself ) unless you've got any frequent flyer tips? Do you have a general anaesthetic, sedation or like I did just the gas and air?
Yes things av warmed up forshore... 2 sets of pants already and another shower so i should be there home and dry..... Im going drive there as it might be me last. (Joking),,. Iv had it loads of times. No sedation for me i like to feel it all See ya all when i get back...
Thanks for that Bikerman and Dawsy... Im back. Its th longest procedure to date... I had 8 biopsies and a polup removed. All painless but with my blood thinner for my previous stroke, i dd leak a bit. They used th blue die this time that showed up a few patches but th biopsies will confirm them at a latter date. It looked fine to me. Very much like pigs intestines do. Good colour and nothing to fret about. I'm not worried at my age there will always be something. Th diverticulitis is also there making th top section a bit more tighter for moverations (if that is a word). But its all done and just have to wait for results. Iv got some pictures coming too, so ill put them up latter if anyone is interested. So a BIG thank to all our readers and especially Bikerman who got this thread rolling.. Its good to talk and even better to take action. So kids don't think it isnt much and it'll be oh rate... Because some times it aint..
Please do post the results. As we can all agree, it's better to talk about it, in the hope that it could potentially save someone's life. Can't say much more than that really. Take care.
Agreed, overcoming the embarrassment of admitting that you have a potentially life threatening condition is difficult, more so for some. But when you have broken the ice you will find that there is a band of brothers out there who know precisely where you are coming from and are willing to share and hear news of developments and personal experiences for the benefit of all.
For context. I had no symptoms at all - wasn't even peeing in morse - but had been treated for bladder cancer a few years earlier. (No symptoms for that, picked up when, funnily enough, I had a wellman check and my PSA was high, spotted something on the edge of the MRI). Six monthly check showed a raised PSA again, ultrasound and MRI (and finger up the bum, but I paid extra for that ) suggested a biopsy would be in order, came back positive (Stage 2) but some bleeding edge super-targeted radiotherapy sorted it without surgery and without all the usual unpleasant side effects. If I was being checked every other year then it would have been a very different story involving (at least) very invasive surgery and a likely significant reduction in life expectancy. Make a pain in the arse of yourself and get checked regularly. If you have private health insurance then use it - that's why you have it - and get everything checked you can.
I'm a bit late to this thread having had a difficult few weeks, resulting in the passing of my Mother on Friday night. There are some great comments and life experiences shared in the previous pages and it can do no harm to get the message out there. Cancer kills, but it is also highly treatable, if you get seen to early enough. My own Father died from rectal cancer, not prostate, but he was too slow in making the appointment to go and speak to the doctor. By the time he did go, the cancer had spread to his liver and was showing in his lungs and it was too late for anything but palliative care. My own experience of prostate checks, came about just before I turned 50. I had been troubled with piles and went for a check up. Our doctor at the time was fantastic. He checked what he was there for and also said, it would be a shame not to check my prostate, "as we have the camera out and up there". Everything came back fine, but it taught me something I never forgot, in that, you must never be driven by embarrassment to voice your concerns. In my day job as a health & safety professional, I have always tried to encourage, especially younger people, not to ignore your own body. One lad in his 30's, a while back, was also suffering from piles and he said he was too embarrassed to go to the doctor. I explained that, he was dealing with a minor issue, which affected apporoximately, 50% of the population and with those statistics, he should not think that his backside was the first that his doctor examined. I also pointed out, that as we get older, haemorrhoids are the least of our problems and that worse things can manifest themselves in the same region. Regarding the prevalence of prostate troubles, it has been previously mentioned that we may all have it and that's not far off the mark. My wife works in the local hospital's radiotherapy department and has beaten my ears to get the PSA check done. One of the Consultants in her department did say, that most males were likely to have some indication of it, "even I might", were his exact words. I did discuss this with my GP, but he did make clear that it can give false positive results, which can end up with painful procedures, which may cause harm in themselves. I'll end with the line that nobody should die from embarrassment. Never be shy when your body tells you something that you may not want to hear, but you do 100%, need to deal with as soon as you can. For those of you suffering, or having suffered, I really wish you well in the fight, or congratulations on overcoming it. This life we have, is not a practice run.
Are you able to be more specific as to what these “painful procedures” might be? From my experience the follow up from a series of high PSA readings would be MRI possibly followed by a biopsy which will provide the definitive answer. The MRI is just a scan with no invasive probing, the transrectal and the transperineal biopsies are both carried out under an anaesthetic. Local for the former and general for the latter. Thereafter it will be one of the following :- Live with it with active monitoring (3 monthly blood test). Radiotherapy which will dominate your social life for up to 8 weeks and leave you with some side effects that you will come to accept and deal with as time passses. Have the prostate removed by keyhole surgery which, again, will leave you with some side effects that you will come to accept and deal with as time passses. My personal experience was having both biopsy methods followed by radiotherapy. None of which I would describe as painful. Unpleasant at times, possibly. Embarrassing in having to uncover yourself under the scrutiny of female and male nurses that are young enough to be your offspring, yes. BUT you just have to get a grip and get on with it. This is the NHS GUIDELINES for GPs on advising men without symptoms of prostate cancer. Everything I have read would tend to indicate that your GP was talking bollox. You need to go back to him and ask for him to be specific on “painful procedures” and “causing harm”.
Today I was in the GP surgery to make my next PSA test appointment and found a pile of postcard size leaflets as shown on the attached photos. You will note their source and I can only assume that they are there to catch the eye of all the SWMBOs who pass through the surgery to encourage them to have a word in their partner’s shell like.
@Baza Yes i intend to do so. Talked it over with my Tracy and said i would try for every second year and she said that is sensible.
@JackWS Firstly may i offer my sincere condolences to you and your family on the loss of your Mother. Know when i lost my Mother it tore me to pieces. Secondly your message to all of us is fantastic and so well put. Me for one don't want to be a he-man any more and want to live forever well as long as i can ride my bike. My Dad passed at fifty-seven from Cancer. He always said i don't need a doctor. As did my Uncle. Thanks for your encouragement to all of us.
@Bikerman Thanks mate. Yes i am still glad this subject came up but glad i took the initiative to be sensible.
@Baza I can't be more specific, I'm afraid, what I posted is pretty much a direct quote and for what it's worth, I completely agree with you, he was talking bollocks. I've had a few conversations with people who have gone through the treatment and only one was dismissive, but that was just his way. It was never my intention to put anyone off from seeking help from their GP, it was the complete opposite, if in doubt, get yourself checked.
