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have you had a positive PSA test

Was in a chemist couple of days ago and noticed a big pile of viagra very prominently placed , so must be popular for some ! ED causes huge problems for some , i once knew a couple and the wife was incredibly resentful of her hubby for this aspect . rather sad really as he had dementia . Needs a lot of sensitivity in coping with
 
You’re right, hifinutt, everyone is likely to react differently.
It’s also worth pointing out, for those who are unaware, that Viagra is ineffective when the nerves that would trigger involuntary erection have been sacrificed as a consequence of surgery, as in my case. It’s a bit weird the first time you get ‘that feeling’ and thinking you should be sporting a raging diamond-cutter but - nothing.
 
I've been lucky. Had the test nearly 20 years ago and was warned at the time about false positives, was told not to worry about the result either way.

Had an operation in '04 and was put on tabs. In '14 I had another operation ( after all the tests ) which they thought was cancer, so it was rough and ready. As it wasn't cancer they did a follow up to tidy things up later in the year. About a year later they changed their mind and had another operation which turned out negative.

Recuperation time for these op's was three months, this was because of the heavy job that I was doing at the time. Hospital was becoming a bit like a hotel in fact I made a booking for my next visit before I left, I since cancelled the bed.

As a result of all this, or in spite of all this I would encourage every man here to have the test, especially if you have to get up several times every night, you never know, it might just save your life.
 
Should add that having to pee a lot can be a symptom of other problems.

I was getting really frequent plus the occasional total lack of control.

This got to the extent of having to keep within 50 feet of a loo at one stage; even that was a struggle sometimes.

Turned out to be a bladder tumour. Three weeks of wondering whether i'd see last Christmas followed until the histology results came back as benign.

All ok now but the urologist told me to call at the first sign of any blood or incontinence.
 
No one really understands how debilitating this is , you spend your whole life planning if there is a toilet nearby and travel can be a nightmare
Thank goodness the tumour was benign
 
Some good news re prostate cancer , a new study by the royal marsden found that men fared just as well whether or not they had radiotherapy after surgery . Its the most common cancer in men with 48k cases per year and 11.5k deaths . many of the 5k men who have surgery have radiotherapy to kill off lingering cells . radiotherapy can cause fatigue and side effects such as incontinence so some hospitals only give radiotherapy if it returns .

times sep 28th
 
No one really understands how debilitating this is , you spend your whole life planning if there is a toilet nearby and travel can be a nightmare
Thank goodness the tumour was benign

It is horrendous. I became a virtual recluse due to the incontinence. I carry a Prostate Cancer UK card with me at all times. I also carry a radar key to allow entry to disabled toilets. I often get filthy looks from people when I use them but my disability is hidden and a quick explanation that it is directly linked with toilet use always works.

One journey I got sussed was the trip down to the Amex for the football. It should take about an hour and a quarter on a good run. I knew where all of the service stations are on the route and worked out which were the least unpleasant.

I have to make sure that I don't drink too much before leaving. Then toilet visits before leaving home, at one of the service stations then on arrival at the ground is usually ok. Another before the game, one at half time then at full time before setting out on the return journey, repeating the toilet stops on the journey.

I work from home now as my commute (only about 20 miles) takes at least an hour and at its worst has taken 2 hours. There are no convenient places to stop in the morning and only a couple that are open in the afternoon. Factor in the fatigue due to the cancer and treatment it rapidly became really difficult for me to work in the office. I am currently working in a team based entirely in Denmark (apart from me that is) so it doesn't really matter whether I am in the office or at home. I start at 8 and finish around 4, I often have a nap after lunch so I finish a bit later on those days.
 
Some good news re prostate cancer , a new study by the royal marsden found that men fared just as well whether or not they had radiotherapy after surgery . Its the most common cancer in men with 48k cases per year and 11.5k deaths . many of the 5k men who have surgery have radiotherapy to kill off lingering cells . radiotherapy can cause fatigue and side effects such as incontinence so some hospitals only give radiotherapy if it returns .

times sep 28th

I was offered either surgery or radiotherapy (with a 2 year course of hormone treatment). I had my radiotherapy about 15 months after my operation as the cancer had returned.

Yes, radiotherapy does definitely cause fatigue (strange as it "only" involves lying on a bench while the machine rotates around you and zaps you with radiation).

It also worsened my incontinence (see my previous post).

It also caused some internal damage to my colon which caused a major bleed recently exacerbated by the fact that I am on warfarin.
 
thanks for those insights , i am sure some will be in similar situation . Its incredible you can still work , many would give up and stay off work
 
Working from home is key to this. I work in IT as a software developer. I've worked as part of multi national teams for years so location isn't an issue.

As I said earlier, I start work around 8 (if I were in the office i would have to leave home by 7:30 to get in for 9:00 and get a parking space). I can generally pace my work during the day. I factor in the two hours plus time I save on my daily commute to spread out my working hours if I need to take longer breaks. So my working day finishes some time between 4 and 6.

Also it is better for the environment as I don't drive 200 miles per week, so I save on my fuel bills. I also get a working from home allowance to cover some of my utility bills. On the odd occasion I do need to go to the office I can claim expenses :D so I am actually better off!
 
It’s really refreshing to read a helpful, insightful thread and without any bickering etc. It’s how it should be - sharing experiences to make you think.

I know MJW, and a bit of what he’s been through. His attitude to it is very inspiring to me. So much so that I’ll put up with him at the cricket next year:D

I lost my step father to prostate cancer. He was diagnosed at 64 and lasted 2 years. It was hurting for him to pee, but he ignored this for far too long, and clearly until it was too late. Very old school re medicine and sadly it cost him the ultimate price.

If anything in that region feels not right to me, I’m off to the doctors without delay. More recently I’ve been told my prostrate is very slightly enlarged( examination found I was very constipated, thankfully), but with no other symptoms and no direct family history, it’s a watching brief.
 
An old school friend of mrs s died of prostate cancer a few years ago, he was in his early 50s.

At the time I was exhibiting some of the symptoms but they could also have caused by my heart condition (I have Atrial fibrillation). I went to see my GP who also put it down to my AF but I insisted on having a PSA test. I was 55 at the time.

It was positive. I had the rectal examination which backed up the result. MRI scan and biopsy followed. I had a Gleason score of 7. I was given the choice of surgery or two years of hormone therapy followed by radiotherapy.

I chose surgery. My surgeon is rated as one of the best in the country. A few months after the operation he told me that my PSA was low but rising so he hadn't got it all out. It was monitored for a few more months then when it reached 2 I had more scans and was offered radiotherapy.

I had 33 sessions. I hoped that would be the end. My PSA was monitored, again it was low but rising. More scans showed that the cancer had spread to my hip.

I am now on hormone therapy, my PSA has dropped to negligible levels (<0.1) so I am currently stable.

I have struggled with the side effects of the treatment; fatigue, incontinence, impotence, weight gain, hot flushes etc. etc.

I'm still here though. It's my birthday next month, I'll be 60.

My sympathies. I too suffer from Paroxysmal AF. I was diagnosed about 15 years ago, the condition was fairly minor so I was not medicated. I did occasionally suffer from extended episodes, maybe 3-4 times a year, mostly at night. About six years ago I’d had an episode during the night which caused a blood clot that gave me an MI. I was very fortunate in that it didn’t give me a stroke which is what happens in most cases, and the MI did not cause any detectable damage to my heart for which I’m very thankful. I’m now on medication which keeps it under control and I’m as fit as I ever was thankfully.
 
My dad died from prostate cancer:(; he was diagnosed at 60 and died at 73. As a cancer nurse in a previous life, I'm well aware of the strong hereditary link, so my PSA levels and a PR (or finger up the bum if you prefer:)) are done annually; indeed I'm having bloods taken tomorrow.

I'm 52 and do have symptoms such as frequency, which I've had on and off for a couple of years. PSA levels have been within the 'normal' range and haven't increased; PR has revealed some inflammation but no hard mass. I've convinced myself that at some point, I'll develop prostate cancer (and this allied to a nurse's dark SoH!), I just hope that its caught early.

Hello alan967tiger. - please expand on your symptom of 'frequency.'

(laymans lingo is fine, as a retired oncology nurse also!)
 
I lost my step father to prostate cancer. He was diagnosed at 64 and lasted 2 years. It was hurting for him to pee, but he ignored this for far too long, and clearly until it was too late. Very old school re medicine and sadly it cost him the ultimate price.
If anything in that region feels not right to me, I’m off to the doctors without delay. More recently I’ve been told my prostrate is very slightly enlarged( examination found I was very constipated, thankfully), but with no other symptoms and no direct family history, it’s a watching brief.

I agree 100%.
That's another thing to bear in mind;
benign prostatic enlargement often causes a rise in PSA levels, often not marked but big enough to cause concern and further investigations.
And most mens' prostates get bigger with age.
So it doesn't take a genius to see how tricky it is to manage the worried well.
Multi parametric MRIs and more specific tests will be the next big development.
 
Slightly off-topic (cos mine was bladder cancer) but PINK PEE, folks, PINK PEE. That was my only symptom. I didn’t know too much about cancer and was staggered when I got my diagnosis. I didn’t feel sick, fatigued or ill in any way. I had what my consultant called, ‘are you sure you haven’t made a mistake because I feel fine’ cancer. Every time he met me he’d ask how I felt and when I said ‘fine’ he’d say there was no reason why I shouldn’t, but if the tumours had made it through the bladder wall I’d have been in a proper pickle. As it was, confined to the bladder lining means I live again.
The moral is, never ignore the symptom and I unapologetically shout it again, PINK PEE.
 
Hello alan967tiger. - please expand on your symptom of 'frequency.'

(laymans lingo is fine, as a retired oncology nurse also!)
Hello - yes, by ‘frequency’ I mean the need to pass urine more often than normal. It is a nuisance during the night!
 


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