Prostate cancer

Hazzard

Member
Location
Shropshire
Saw my surgeon last week and pleased to report that my PSA level is now less than 0.04, as low as is detectable, meaning the cancer is almost certainly gone so a big sigh of relief. I am due back for the next (high sensitivity) PSA test in three months as a check up.

I am lucky, in a large part due to the skills of the surgeon I'm under, that I have been continent virtually since the catheter was removed and only used the pads/nappies for 7 days after having the catheter removed for "security".

Only three weeks until I am allowed back on full farm duties, counting the days now! As a well planned operation everything has ticked along OK with a friend's son filling on the physical work side and my wife and I have kept the office as up to date as we ever have it.
Great to hear you will soon be up and running again. You are one of us lucky ones...too many losing life because of prostate cancer. As has been said on here before if in doubt get it checked out.
 

WOODCHIP

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
midlands
If any body suspects something is not right please get it checked , doesn’t matter how busy you are see a doctor. My dad was peeing blood just before harvest wouldn’t go before too busy he’d say I’ll go after , went in November he’d got bladder and prostate cancer stage 3. He had operations and treatments which finished him off 3 1/2 years later. It’s been 4 years since we lost him I’ve never seen a strong fit man turn to a frail man in a short time, horrible to see. It’s just eats your body away.
Please guys get checked for your family’s sake.
 

rick_vandal

Member
Location
Soft South
I would echo the above, the survival rates for prostate cancer are very very good if you catch it in the early stages. If you think you see a trace of blood in your urine, pee in a sample bottle and get it and yourself to the doctors, the little dip stick test can detect very faint levels of blood in urine: it does not have to look like cherryade.
Amazon will sell you 15 pee-sticks for £4 to test 10 parameters including blood trace, SG, pH, glucose, nitrite, protein and ketone. It is not a PSA but it is DIY. Every man-cave should have these.
 

Robt

Member
Location
Suffolk
I get checked. It’s not pleasant but nor is your family watching you die!
Father had prostate cancer 14 years ago. Doctors said after his op he would have 10 years.... he is now plus 4! In year 10 he got very very down, thankfully now he is fitter than ever and it really made him change his life.
Edit. Thank you Michael for sharing your experience. My father isn’t a talker so never mentions his time. All the very best in the future...
 
Last edited:

sodbuster2

Member
Location
North West
Just thought I would share my experience and resurrect this important subject.
My mother and a friend kept hassling me to get tested so at 52 and with no symptoms I do so and 18 months ago with a PSA of 2.36 all is deemed well by GP although slightly higher than average for age.

After 12 months I go again, still with no symptoms, and the score is 4.09 which is too high for age so 6 weeks later I get retested/examined at 3.67. GP tells me still high for age but suggests retest in 6 weeks shows 3.76 so he refers me to consultant urologist. He examines me and reports no abnormality but offers MRI scan as a better indicator which I then have done. Result shows no abnormality but urologist offers choice to continue 'active surveillance' which is examination/blood PSA test every few months or biopsy so I choose biopsy as the most accurate/definitive.
Result is 1 in 20 of the core samples has cancer cell/s which are low aggressivity giving a and Gleason score of 6.
I then choose to have my prostate robotically removed and am now sat typing this hoping for a rapid recovery as its starting to dry up outside...only joking honest...

So, if you have not been tested within 12 months and are over 50 then GET TESTED! I am so glad I did at this moment in time.

p.s I will be eternally grateful to all involved from the Rosemere Cancer Foundation who funded the £1.25 million Da Vinci robot and the staff at Preston Royal who manage the whole process enabling me to walk out (albeit slowly) 27 hrs post op.
 

Hazzard

Member
Location
Shropshire
Just thought I would share my experience and resurrect this important subject.
My mother and a friend kept hassling me to get tested so at 52 and with no symptoms I do so and 18 months ago with a PSA of 2.36 all is deemed well by GP although slightly higher than average for age.

After 12 months I go again, still with no symptoms, and the score is 4.09 which is too high for age so 6 weeks later I get retested/examined at 3.67. GP tells me still high for age but suggests retest in 6 weeks shows 3.76 so he refers me to consultant urologist. He examines me and reports no abnormality but offers MRI scan as a better indicator which I then have done. Result shows no abnormality but urologist offers choice to continue 'active surveillance' which is examination/blood PSA test every few months or biopsy so I choose biopsy as the most accurate/definitive.
Result is 1 in 20 of the core samples has cancer cell/s which are low aggressivity giving a and Gleason score of 6.
I then choose to have my prostate robotically removed and am now sat typing this hoping for a rapid recovery as its starting to dry up outside...only joking honest...

So, if you have not been tested within 12 months and are over 50 then GET TESTED! I am so glad I did at this moment in time.

p.s I will be eternally grateful to all involved from the Rosemere Cancer Foundation who funded the £1.25 million Da Vinci robot and the staff at Preston Royal who manage the whole process enabling me to walk out (albeit slowly) 27 hrs post op.
Great news sodbuster, you obviously have a very caring, thorough GP, just as I did. As he says, if over 50 (or with a family history of it and breast cancer, which is related) get checked out. Just a blood test to start with, painless. Do it !!
 

sodbuster2

Member
Location
North West
Great news sodbuster, you obviously have a very caring, thorough GP, just as I did. As he says, if over 50 (or with a family history of it and breast cancer, which is related) get checked out. Just a blood test to start with, painless. Do it !!
Your are right about the GP. My mother has had breast cancer so it seems the statistics for incidence of a problem are not to be ignored where close relatives are/were involved with similar hormone type problems.
 

Michael S

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Matching Green
Just thought I would share my experience and resurrect this important subject.
My mother and a friend kept hassling me to get tested so at 52 and with no symptoms I do so and 18 months ago with a PSA of 2.36 all is deemed well by GP although slightly higher than average for age.

After 12 months I go again, still with no symptoms, and the score is 4.09 which is too high for age so 6 weeks later I get retested/examined at 3.67. GP tells me still high for age but suggests retest in 6 weeks shows 3.76 so he refers me to consultant urologist. He examines me and reports no abnormality but offers MRI scan as a better indicator which I then have done. Result shows no abnormality but urologist offers choice to continue 'active surveillance' which is examination/blood PSA test every few months or biopsy so I choose biopsy as the most accurate/definitive.
Result is 1 in 20 of the core samples has cancer cell/s which are low aggressivity giving a and Gleason score of 6.
I then choose to have my prostate robotically removed and am now sat typing this hoping for a rapid recovery as its starting to dry up outside...only joking honest...

So, if you have not been tested within 12 months and are over 50 then GET TESTED! I am so glad I did at this moment in time.

p.s I will be eternally grateful to all involved from the Rosemere Cancer Foundation who funded the £1.25 million Da Vinci robot and the staff at Preston Royal who manage the whole process enabling me to walk out (albeit slowly) 27 hrs post op.

I wish you all the best - spending 12 weeks doing not much more than making calls and reading does look a long look at the beginning but just remember it is an investment in the rest of your life. I hope it all goes as well for you as it has for me so far. I had my 6 monthly check in July and my PSA remains at 0.04 or less. At the risk of giving a laugh to those who haven't had the experience I'm onto working on the full return of erectile function. Talking to others who have been through the operation this seems to be the part that gets a bit underplayed but don't be shy about it, the health service is willing to help.
 

sodbuster2

Member
Location
North West
I wish you all the best - spending 12 weeks doing not much more than making calls and reading does look a long look at the beginning but just remember it is an investment in the rest of your life. I hope it all goes as well for you as it has for me so far. I had my 6 monthly check in July and my PSA remains at 0.04 or less. At the risk of giving a laugh to those who haven't had the experience I'm onto working on the full return of erectile function. Talking to others who have been through the operation this seems to be the part that gets a bit underplayed but don't be shy about it, the health service is willing to help.
Thanks Michael S, its good to hear how well you have got on. Your earlier posts were a good confidence boost too!
Gaining bladder control may or may not be the next big hurdle so the erectile function bit makes me laugh at this stage anyway....
 

Poacher

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
Thanks Michael S, its good to hear how well you have got on. Your earlier posts were a good confidence boost too!
Gaining bladder control may or may not be the next big hurdle so the erectile function bit makes me laugh at this stage anyway....
Morning chaps,

Just came across this thread and thought I would join in, so Im not feeling out of it and sorry for myself. Nothing proven yet but going to the hospital today for blood tests following seeing my GP last Friday. Ive been peeing about 30 - 40 times a day for a while now which is more hassle than anything else. No pain or burning sensation just bloody inconvenience. The Gp did the usual tests and along with a urine sample and then rang me later to ask me to make an appointment to get my bloods done. Just cant understand however, why when I asked for the blood tests at my own surgery where they have a nurses department I cant get seen until until 2 weeks time but I can drive 15 miles to Grantam Hospital, which Im doing and get them done today. ?

Im 62 and my eldest brother got prostrate cancer when he was 70 so just a bit worried at the moment.... though my brother went through chemo etc and is still with us 4 years later.

Good luck to everyone else on this thread in a similar position....

Poacher
 

sodbuster2

Member
Location
North West
Morning chaps,

Just came across this thread and thought I would join in, so Im not feeling out of it and sorry for myself. Nothing proven yet but going to the hospital today for blood tests following seeing my GP last Friday. Ive been peeing about 30 - 40 times a day for a while now which is more hassle than anything else. No pain or burning sensation just bloody inconvenience. The Gp did the usual tests and along with a urine sample and then rang me later to ask me to make an appointment to get my bloods done. Just cant understand however, why when I asked for the blood tests at my own surgery where they have a nurses department I cant get seen until until 2 weeks time but I can drive 15 miles to Grantam Hospital, which Im doing and get them done today. ?

Im 62 and my eldest brother got prostrate cancer when he was 70 so just a bit worried at the moment.... though my brother went through chemo etc and is still with us 4 years later.

Good luck to everyone else on this thread in a similar position....

Poacher
Hi, good to be proceeding with the diagnosis and you should know your psa count within a few days.
The blood testing at my GP surgery is a bit intermittent so I went to the hospital a couple of times to keep things moving too.
Let us know how you get on.
 
I feel quite privileged to have been able to read all these personal accounts guys. Thank you for sharing them with us.

I know the big C word frightens most of us to death but catching this early is literally a life saver.

Im told the blue pills will usually sort most of the problems.
 

Rocket54

Member
Location
North Yorkshire
Anybody getting checked on this.

A mate stopped us on the road today, he's suspected although yet to be confirmed of having it.

He looked floored.

Farmers Health and Mental Health
Hi Ladies and Gents
Just seen this and got me thinking you guys Farmers (thank you for your service) do an amazing job (would probs best be described as vocation) long hours in all weathers, 365, often in isolation
Farmers are notorious for leaving things until too late concerning your health and mental health
as a paramedic I would advise if you have any concerns with your health , mental health to act fast and start talking, do not bury your head in the sand!
Trust your gut feeling, the love and great care you show your livestock, should be given to yourself at some point in a week, after all you are the most important, with out your great work we would not have the food you produce, your family would not have you.
Please look after your selfs , make time for you and yours, seek medical help via your GP if any concerns, its good to talk , if you are struggling to get GP appt ask for a GP telephone appointment that way you get to speak to a GP who will then make you a face to face appointment if needed.
If needed I am happy to sign post or attempt to answer any questions in the meantime
regards to all
Ron
 

tanker

Member
Morning chaps,

Just came across this thread and thought I would join in, so Im not feeling out of it and sorry for myself. Nothing proven yet but going to the hospital today for blood tests following seeing my GP last Friday. Ive been peeing about 30 - 40 times a day for a while now which is more hassle than anything else. No pain or burning sensation just bloody inconvenience. The Gp did the usual tests and along with a urine sample and then rang me later to ask me to make an appointment to get my bloods done. Just cant understand however, why when I asked for the blood tests at my own surgery where they have a nurses department I cant get seen until until 2 weeks time but I can drive 15 miles to Grantam Hospital, which Im doing and get them done today. ?

Im 62 and my eldest brother got prostrate cancer when he was 70 so just a bit worried at the moment.... though my brother went through chemo etc and is still with us 4 years later.

Good luck to everyone else on this thread in a similar position....

Poacher
Just come across this thread myself too,so apologies if I repeat something that's been said before but it bears repeating endlessly if it can save lives.This last year I've been involved with prostate cancer charity here in Wales. I had no other link before being asked to join Prostate Cymru's local friends committee here in the county and like the vast majority of people there's a lot I knew nothing about.(in the US,70% of men have a good level of awareness,in the UK,it's less than 7%,an enormous disparity)More men will have prostate cancer than women will have breast cancer...A man runs a 1 in 7/8 risk of having it on average...if there's a close family history of it like in @Poacher 's case then it's 1 in 3...These things alone are enough to make people take notice.... So anyone in your family has problems...BE AWARE.. Cancer charities,be they prostate or otherwise,in Wales or otherwise provide information and awareness talks and many other resources.. We as a group along with another few friends groups here in Welsh counties are trying to reach people to raise awareness in whichever way we can but it's a big task.. If by posting here it means one of you goes to seek information for themselves and others and makes a difference,possibly saves a life and saves a family from grief that could be avoided then we'll have done well..
 

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