I should of been clearer. My diagnosis was in October last year following raised PSA's (5.1). I was referred for a MRI and a biopsy followed which confirmed the cancer (7 on the Gleeson scale and the cancer was contained within the prostate). My treatment was discussed with a surgeon and a radiotherapy doctor. As I was discouraged from the surgery due to being 3 hours on the table and he was unsure i would actually wake up again due to underlying health condidtions. It was explained the both surgery and radiotherapy had exactly the same outcome regarding results. Radiotherapy was either 20+ daily sessions or 5 daily sessions of a raised dose depending on the results of a CRT to assess the position of my bowel and bladder. Happily I qualified for radiotherapy with the high dose options as above. The treatment was carried out which was the easy part (10minute sessions) the bit I found difficlt was the daily enema and holding in a full bladder for 30 minutes to seperate the bowel and bladder to they could target the prostate. Let me know if any more info is needed , glad to help as its scary to be told you have cancer.
Many thanks for that clarification. I had 20 sessions, every weekday for 4 weeks. Racked up 2,000 miles to and from Oxford. Yes, I found the daily enema bearable but holding a full bladder, only to be told there’s a half hour delay was sometimes impossible. If you’ve gota go you’ve gota go.
Just to let you all know that there is a petition out there looking to persuade parliament to instigate a screening programme. It's currently approaching 60,000 signatures. https://petition.parliament.uk/signatures/171375591/signed
Webinar about radiotherapy by Prostate Cancer Uk. https://register.prostatecanceruk.o..._bio/si_living_well_radiotherapy_webinar_406? Date: Tuesday 21 April Time: 6pm Location: Online via Zoom
Last couple of weeks i've been feeling like someone's volleyed me right in the balls. Constant dull ache that makes you feel a bit sick too. Finally plucked up the courage to speak to a doc this morning and it turns out i have an infection and am off to get some antibiotics from the chemist. I had no idea that was even a thing but he said "its common in men your age". Cheeky bastard! Anyhoo, panic over, worth speaking to an expert part #346538 etc...
As you get older you will hear your age blamed more and more for your ailments, to the stage where it just pisses you right off.
For those who missed the webinar you can still watch it. Prostate Cancer UK - Webinar on Living well during and after radiotherapy https://email.prostatecanceruk.org/c/11lAJ0zb79h03Nhlp4xzkimB81cF
I was given a similar warning by two seperate doctors nearly 20yrs ago. They talked me out of being tested.
Well I had a worrying last week or so. Suddenly one of my bollocks swelled the the size of a kiwi ( The fruit not the bird ) with a hard painful lump on the bottom. Was hoping it would go down but the wife told me to get to the doctors. Managed to get an appointment and the doc had a bit grope and gave me some antibiotics. 15 minutes later he rang and said he had spoken to someone and was fast tracking me for suspected cancer and booked me in for bloods within an hour. Now I know this wasn’t prostate but bear with me ! Bloods came back fine and they had done a psa test as well which was 1.13. Great, at least my prostate level was low. Got a call to have an ultrasound scan for a couple of days later and nothing much was said apart from they could see something. An hour after I got home I got a call to see a consultant and to book an mri which had me thinking ‘shit’ they have seen something on the ultrasound. Next day saw the consultant who also had a grope and a look at the ultrasound and said it seemed to be a type of cyst/aneurism caused by vasectomy scarring from years ago so he didn’t think it was serious. He said to still go for the mri with my psa being very high at over 9. I didn’t actually take it in until the nurse walked with me down the corridor and I said I don’t know how it can be 9 and that I was told it was only just over 1. She said that is what’s on the system but I showed her my nhs app with my past 4 readings so she took me back to see the consultant with me thinking worst case scenario. It did have 9 on my records so they said they would look into it. Full of panic I went back to my gp who refused to do another psa for my piece of mind and insisted the 1.13 was correct. Next day I got a call to say they have cancelled my mri and it ‘seems’ someone else psa had been put on my records ! At least my bollock is back to normal now so I just hope the low reading was correct.
