Prostate cancer

[robinaber]

Just wanted to emphasis how important it is for men over 50 to have a PSA blood test to find out if their prostate is OK. I had this test in the first place with my previous GP when I was about 55 which came up as slightly raised for my age. Have moved home since and PSA still wasn't as it should have been so GP arranged a biopsy which showed as borderline. Another six months later I had another biopsy which showed cancer. There are several methods of treating this and I am hopeful of full recovery but what I wanted to put across is that if you are suffering from any kind of symptoms, e.g. frequent trips to the loo during the night, difficulty in starting and stopping urine flow, weak flow, a sensation of not fully emptying the bladder do go to your GP.

Something to bear in mind is that a raised PSA level doesn't necessarily mean that you have cancer as sometimes it can be raised for other reasons. However it's a good starting point for accomplishing if you have any problems in that area.

Google prostate cancer for more details.

[robinaber]

[tim]

A very helpful message. Raised earlier but welcome again. Forgive us, Ladies, for going on about it?

I've been under the cloud for 2 years. Since then the PSA has steadied on 7-ish. But this, of course, doesn't mean that one does not have age-related enlargement, which has all the same symptoms.

A very demeaning infliction, I feel!

Slightly raised - to what?

[caroline7758]

Wishing you a fu;; recovery, robinaber, and well done for the reminder.The ladies among us will nag our partners too!

[Kepouros]

Tim, the symptoms of age related prostate enlargement are often much worse than those related to cancer, which frequently is quite unsuspected until it shows up in a PSA test or a biopsy.

If the symptoms of age related enlargement become a nuisance (I had a series of infections and finished up carrying round over 2 litres of unwanted waste water) then go and get it seen to.  I was able to persuade the anaesthetist to give me a spinal (local) anaesthetic for the operation (but they wouldn`t let me watch the op. on the monitor), which meant no loss of consciousness and no necessary recovery time, I went into hospital on a Friday afternoon and came out Monday morning cured and completely fit, and I`ve never looked back.  The only drawback is that you might need a prescription for Viagra afterwards.

[tim]

At MY age?? You speak in jest!!

And what is a slightly raised PSA count?

[Kepouros]

I know you`re a bit older than me, Tim, but not very much.

And don`t forget that a large number of prostate cancers do not much incapacitate - men die with them rather than of them, and those are the ones that are now just left and watched.

But a badly enlarged prostate (even cancer free) can make your life a misery.