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Bloods, Where to start!

Robert M

pfm Member
So, I'm a 47 year old male, with no illness or conditions.
But I got a blood test last week just because I'm turning 47 tomorrow.
I'm probably carrying a little belly fat, drink a bit more than I should, I do weight training three days per week, eat ok and cycle 2km everyday to and back from the train station for work.

But the result came back yesterday, and I'm so sad and upset about them.

My cholesterol is over 6, my mind went blank and cannot remember the exact figure.
My iron level is too high.
But the one that's worrying me the most (after checking google) is the PSA levels of my prostate, cannot remember figures but it's high, and now I need to do a rectal exam.

I straight away i said not a chance, but I'm awake since 2.30am thinking and reading about it, I've made the appointment for Tuesday, but im already fearing the worst.
 
So, I'm a 47 year old male, with no illness or conditions.
But I got a blood test last week just because I'm turning 47 tomorrow.
I'm probably carrying a little belly fat, drink a bit more than I should, I do weight training three days per week, eat ok and cycle 2km everyday to and back from the train station for work.

But the result came back yesterday, and I'm so sad and upset about them.

My cholesterol is over 6, my mind went blank and cannot remember the exact figure.
My iron level is too high.
But the one that's worrying me the most (after checking google) is the PSA levels of my prostate, cannot remember figures but it's high, and now I need to do a rectal exam.

I straight away i said not a chance, but I'm awake since 2.30am thinking and reading about it, I've made the appointment for Tuesday, but im already fearing the worst.

Get in there and get it addressed as soon as possible, if there's any delay find out why. I have friends who've been through this and early treatment if required is crucial.
Good Luck!
 
So, I'm a 47 year old male, with no illness or conditions.
But I got a blood test last week just because I'm turning 47 tomorrow.
I'm probably carrying a little belly fat, drink a bit more than I should, I do weight training three days per week, eat ok and cycle 2km everyday to and back from the train station for work.

But the result came back yesterday, and I'm so sad and upset about them.

My cholesterol is over 6, my mind went blank and cannot remember the exact figure.
My iron level is too high.
But the one that's worrying me the most (after checking google) is the PSA levels of my prostate, cannot remember figures but it's high, and now I need to do a rectal exam.

I straight away i said not a chance, but I'm awake since 2.30am thinking and reading about it, I've made the appointment for Tuesday, but im already fearing the worst.

Sorry to hear this; you're only a few years my senior

But with my Dad having gone through prostate cancer, removal and then a cancer lapse and radiotherapy; don't leave it, get it looked into ASAP and sorted, ASAP

My Dad was a very similar case to Stephen Fry (worth reading about IMO); elevated PSA but not massively etc...

Don't think anything, if you can help it; until you get all the facts and then go from there

Keep us posted with how you get on and all the best
 
Sorry to hear about that but 100pc needs to be checked out. PSA can be raised for other reasons so fingers crossed it's all clear.

Also you should look at cholesterol level in the context of your good/bad cholesterol balance (HDL/LDL) as well as the headline figure.
 
ah the prostate stress and anxiety test !!! several medical friends i know refuse to have them as sometimes not always correct . in fact sometimes in black men psa test can be negative but still have cancer

https://prostatecanceruk.org/
yes if its cancer there is lots of treatment and many go on for years
yesterday i had a BIG funeral for my dear friend who was 91 . fabulous send off , this guy had prostate cancer over 20 years ago and was still fixing stuff at 91 and climbing ladders :eek: at 87!!!

the iron is interesting , most have too low causing aneamia . keep us posted on that . the good thing is you wnt to the GP
 
I do not often post but after having had prostate cancer (my father died of it and my 2 brothers also have had it) I would like to say that it is important to get the follow up tests done. If identified early then its a complete cure, my PSA was 17.5. I had my prostate removed in 2013 and my PSA is now unmeasurable. Both of my brothers are also clear as a result of their treatments. To put things in perspective a biopsy was done on my prostate after removal and cancer cells were found in the 1st two layers but not the third. I was very lucky as the cancer was contained another few months and it could have been a very different story.

Like all cancers early diagnosis is crucial. Please feel free to pm me if you want any further information.
 
As a family, we have the faulty 2BRCA gene. Both of my sisters had full hysterectomies whilst I had the full prostate examination. Although it’s not fail-proof, the consultant and I agreed that annual PSA tests were required. As someone in my mid-60’s with the faulty gene, it’s the least I could do. I hope all goes well for you.
 
Allow yourself to worry at least a little less if the elevated PSA is NOT accompanied by other symptoms like poor flow, or frequent night time trips to the loo. PSA is subject to a lot of false positives. BUT as everyone else says, all things need to be looked at quickly - it makes such a difference.

My father died of Prostate cancer at 56, over 30 years ago now. I have now well exceeded his age and have no urinary symptoms which has made my GP reluctant to do much in the way of PSA testing. Meanwhile I acquired Oesaphageal cancer, deemed now incurable, and entirely un-related to my Fathers condition - just 'bad luck'. I should have gone to the Dr much earlier than I did, and would have got a much better result. Even so, continuing chemo treatment is keeping me 'well' in myself well beyond the initial prognosis that I was given.
 
The examination is a big test of the relationship you have with your GP, particularly the amount of trust. This might be a large part of what is making you so nervous, which is perfectly reasonable. If you're not happy with your GP then try another in your practice. If it's a good practice they should understand if you just don't gel (pardon the pun:)). Switching should be easy and then leave some months to build up the trust.

GPs are people too, although they try very hard to build up a professional mask for their own protection. Therefore they have different ways of interacting with patients. Don't blame yourself. Some GPs let this mask get too thick so they come across as less than sympathetic. I personally avoid them but they work perfectly well for other people who just want to get in, get the tablets and get out.

I've encountered 2 really bad GPs over the years. One wrecked my life and the other was stoned out of his tree when he talked to me. Both problems were solved by changing them, although too much damage was done in the former case.

I would counsel you to find out where the toilets are in the practice as, in the clean up after the examination, my GP was a bit slapdash by my standards.

I had a great relationship with my last GP. He was worth his considerable weight in gold with my health problems over many years. He liked a Maserati though :D
 
Meanwhile I acquired Oesaphageal cancer, deemed now incurable, and entirely un-related to my Fathers condition - just 'bad luck'. I should have gone to the Dr much earlier than I did, and would have got a much better result. Even so, continuing chemo treatment is keeping me 'well' in myself well beyond the initial prognosis that I was given.

I'm sorry to hear that mate, I wish you all the best. I hope you can carry on enjoying that unbelievable mix of kit you've got there :)
 
Get yourself checked out ASAP. I had a practise nurse, GP and an Ultrasound Operator (with student watching) rummaging around my scrotum at various times last year, not much fun but I felt so much better knowing there was nothing wrong at the end.

My cholesterol was 7 earlier this year, on statins now, got a follow up blood test next week. I'm now swimming 2-3 times per week to try to lose some weight. I hated the swimming to begin with but as I've got better (from 22 lengths first session to 40+ per session now), I look forward to it now.

Good luck.

Cheers BB
 
But the one that's worrying me the most (after checking google) is the PSA levels of my prostate, cannot remember figures but it's high, and now I need to do a rectal exam.

Sex (more accurately ejaculation) and cycling can both cause an artificially high PSA. My urologist advised me no sex, no cycling for a week before the PSA. The no sex part is easy :( the no cycling, not so much - so I do the PSA during the winter when the weather has not been cooperative for cycling. You mentioned cycling every day - maybe take a week off before any future PSA - and mention this to the doctor.

PSAs are also notorious for false positives, and my urologist said that he'd want two high PSAs and then he'd order an MRI and only if the MRI showed abnormalities would he suggest a biopsy.

I mention all of this because prostate biopsies are not without significant risk - so it's worth being extra sure before you get carried down that route.

Good luck.
 
I had a friend who was diagnosed 30 years ago from a PSA test and he was cured; died last year from totally unrelated heart problems.

The test wasn't too bad when i had it so don't worry about that.

The period between tests and diagnosis is pretty stressful, i found it helped a lot to have someone to talk it over with when i had a bladder tumour.

I certainly had a few sleepless nights, wine doesn't help.
 
The rectal exam is no more than slightly uncomfortable. If this shows a lumpy prostate you'll likely get an MRI scan, again nowt to worry about. That will give the medics a good idea of where any biopsies should be taken from, again not painful, it feels like being flicked with an elastic band.
If they find cancer there are several possible options and the prostate cancer charity is a great source of information.
Good luck with your tests.
 
I went to see the doc at the tail end of March for a problem with my hip (still undiagnosed although I did get an x-ray earlier this week) and due to my age (and also that I don't think I've ever had a blood test before) I ended up getting blood tests done. Not sure if PSA was one of the things they tested for but if it was then it might have been one of a very few things that were actually ok. Unfortunately my blood sugar was very high so I ended up with a type-2 diabetes diagnosis (hb1ac of 106), and my cholesterol was also very high (7.5). At that point I was overweight but not drastically so, with a BMI of 28.4.

Definitely an eye opener so I've made some changes, including going low-carb for the last couple of months and completely eliminating snacking and stuff like sugar in my coffee. I also decided to have a proper push at getting my weight down as well. I had my first set of follow-up blood tests earlier this week (about 6-weeks since the original ones) and things are moving in the right direction although not quite there yet with an hb1ac of 53 and cholesterol of 5.9 (so I might need to start taking the statins I was prescribed but had held off taking) although I've managed to lose a couple of stone and my BMI is now in the healthy range (currently 24.4) for the first time in maybe 25 or more years.
 


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