"As a bit of background I am also on the airgunforums.co.uk, there has been a thread on there entitled "Have a Prostate Test done Gents" which has been running for some time. This was the first post, not mine:
"Hi Gents. Just a quick one for all us lads on the forum in our 50+ years. March this year I had a visit to the doctors for a Prostate test. ( wife nagged me to do it as my Dad had PC in his mid 60's ) Bit embarrassing to drop your pants and have the doctor stick his finger up your bum. It was the best finger up the bum that I had ever had. That test found that I had the start of Prostrate Cancer. If your Dad, Uncle, Grandfather, Brother has / had it you will also have it further down the line. Went for blood tests and samples and they confirmed I had stage 5 PC.
6 Months later after a month's worth of daily dosings of RadioTherapy & Hormone Treatment injections I recently had the all clear.
I had NO symptoms at all that I had this man killing disease, it was just a case of luck that the wife nagged me to have a check up. reluctantly I did have it checked.
Get it checked lads you know you have to.
WW.."
Having had some of the same issues I updated the thread with the following:
Just caught up with this thread and thought I?d share my experience so far, for context I will be 62 in April.
Just over a year ago I noticed that I was having to make frequent visits to pee during the night, flow slowed down etc etc. I booked an appointment with the GP and assumed the position, I was fortunate he was a slender guyhe concluded that I had an enlarged Prostate but it felt ?nice and soft? apparently if it is hard then they would be more concerned.
He also booked me in for a blood test which showed an elevated PSA level this was repeated a couple of times, at the same time he prescribed Tamsulosin (400grm) and also a flow test.
It went downhill from there, as a result of the flow test I went into ?retention? and was unable to empty my bladder, I was still at the urology department at this point so they called the ?on call Doctor? who immediately decided the only option was a catheter to drain the bladder (instant relief) which was left in place for a few days, I think I lasted about 72 hours before I was practically begging them to take it out. Having had it removed things got back to how it was before the flow test for a few months, no issues through the summer. I was running up to 50k a week having signed up for the London Marathon, but that?s another story.
I was then sent for more blood tests which showed an even higher PSA count so I was referred for an MRI scan, I had one previously which didn?t show anything so in the words of the Urologist ?we could do a biopsy but wouldn?t know which area to target? anyway several months passed with more PSA blood tests showing elevated PSA and another MRI, the latest MRI did show an area of concern but nothing too alarming. Next step was a Transperineal Biopsy. Now if you think a single digit up the back passage is less than dignified, imagine being flat on your back, feet in stirrups with an ultrasound camera inserted pushing against your prostate and 24 individual biopsy sample being taken by two lovely nurses through the Perineal, under local anaesthetic. To be fair they were both very reassuring and chatty through the whole procedure.
Unfortunately the biopsy by nature caused a fair amount of trauma and about a week later I was pacing the house at one in the morning calling 111, in considerable pain with bladder retention. I ended up walking to A&E which happens to just round the corner at about 3 in the morning. Can?t fault A&E despite a 6 to 7 estimated waiting time to see a doctor I was seen and had another catheter fitted within 20 minutes of arriving, this one stayed in for around 5 days and was taken out by the district nurse at home. All was good for a few days when again in the middle of the night I ended up in A&E again for another catheter after waking up not being able to pee this one was taken out after 10 days and again was okay for a week or so until it happened again.
This time A&E fitted my 4th catheter but also spoke to the on call Urologist who advised that they would see me in the department when I went to get the biopsy results and take the catheter out at the same time, this was around the 15th December.
So I went for the consultation where they gave me the all clear for the Prostate biopsy (no cancer detected) but said that the previous MRI showed a problem with my right hip and the original concern before they got the biopsy result was that potentially any cancer had spread to my hip.
I did explain that I had pain in my hip for years, in particular after running long distances during training, thinking back just prior to the last MRI I had pain in the hip and had been using a massager to try and ease it, Think I may have over done it.
To be sure I was referred for another MRI on my hip which was done the next day, unfortunately I was also prescribed Antibiotics to treat Prostatitis for 28 days and told the catheter would have to stay in, that was 3 weeks ago. I have just had a letter confirming the all clear on the Prostate cancer and inflammation in the hip is non cancerous, which is great news. On the 18th January I have a TWOC (trial without catheter not to be confused with taking without consent) booked, then a blood test for PSA a week or so after that with another appointment with the consultant on the 6th Feb.
After all this I will need some for of procedure to relieve the effects of the enlarged Prostate and will talk to the consultant about Rezum which is where they use steam to evaporate the area of the prostate around the Urethra, which seems to be one of the least invasive treatments.
If you have managed to read this far, I?ll just add that I can not fault any of the frontline NHS staff A&E, Nurses, Doctors and Consultants have been great, the admin side of things however could be improved upon. I won?t go into detail here about my experience with the catheter except to say my first experience was the worst and you very quickly get in to a routine to deal with it on a day to day basis, for me the main issue is that I can?t go for a run, ratting is no problem though.
I have waffled on too long but if anyone wants more information feel free to PM me."
I have since been asked to copy it to another thread on the same forum to increase awareness and coverage and it occurred to me that it wouldn't do any harm to post it here.
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