Hey guys not sure if this can be posted on here but here goes. If you are at that age or showing any symptoms, please go get your prostate checked. I had the unfortunate news yesterday that I have prostate cancer, yes, me, Mr invincible, or so I thought. I had no symptoms what so ever, but because my brother had it and my father died when I was 8yo, so no way of knowing the gene pool on that, i decided to get it checked out to be on the safe side. My brother who is 2 years older (I'm 52) had it 3 years ago and had his prostate removed. MRI scan showed abnormalities so then had biopsy 3 weeks ago and they found 2 areas with 10mm diameter cancers. Not quite the news I was expecting.
I'm not posting this looking for sympathy, it is what it is and will get it sorted. I posted because I thought it would never happen to me and seeing there's mainly members on here who are male, I just thought I would put word about, about getting checked.
If it can happen to me then it can happen to anyone. Yes it is embarrassing to have the biopsy, but it could save your life.

Brave post BB and second the sentiment. Although finding out the bad news is no doubt a massive shock, I’m sure you’ve done lots of reading up on it and know the stats.

I had a biopsy last year- it’s an eye waterer to say the least and having the camera inserted isn’t pleasant, but as you say, get checked !

Luckily I just had an enlarged prostate and had an op last April. Since then I’ve no been backward in telling everyone about it and what to do if your flow is a bit restricted. We all think it’s a function of age, but a lot of the time it needs checking out, even if only for peace of mind.

Best of British

Jonny

Sorry to hear your news fella but hopeful you have caught it early enough.

My company have had a big push and offered tests to all the fellas, many have taken them up, including me. It's painless and quick. We have had a few who have been recommended to go for further tests and they may not have found out until too late if it weren't for these PSA tests.

Get checked lads, get checked!! First time FFRR owner

@BarmyBrummie, thank you for your heads up on this very sensitive and personal issue, it’s typical for us (especially older) blokes not to get stuff like this checked out, yet it’s really important, as you say.
Prognosis is way better now than it was even just a few years ago, so please try not to worry too much, I’m sure you are in the fantastic hands of our wonderful NHS, who come in for a lot of flak but in reality I have found to be amazing, after bringing me back from the brink with Covid a few years ago.
Best wishes to you and your family. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” -where’s the fun in that?

Thanks guys, it is a bit of taboo subject to us men really. Nobody likes the thought of having things inserted in certain places and I actually believe that's why a lot of guys put off having it done. I had the PSA test done soon as my brother found out about his diagnosis 3 years ago, which mine came back just ever so slightly above the normal scale. Then a week before Xmas he said it was about time I had another PSA which then came back high 7.5 to be exact. Had another test a week later which came back higher again, so that got things in motion. The biopsy is intrusive but had to be done.
Very true there gremlin, basically I've got 2 options. 1, i can have radio therapy which will put the cancer to sleep for a few years, but will wake up and might want vengeance and it would be game over or 2, have the prostate removed. The consultant's advice was to remove it because of my age (52). If I was in my 60's or 70's then they would leave it because there's a very high possibility that you would die from something else rather than the prostate cancer, Which does make sense.
A worrying time for you there Jonny, glad all is well now though. Still found it weird that I had no symptoms though. I used to get up once in the night for a pee but not very often and doesn't happen now unless I have a few beers, but I put that down to getting older, like I'm sure most men have.
Very proactive of your company there Arch to encourage the men to have the tests. Take Chris Hoy for instance, 48 years old and his prostate cancer spread and has now been given 2-4 years life expectancy. He's 4 years younger than me so really I should count my blessings.
The consultant wanted me to arrange the date there and then for the operation to remove prostate, but as I'm sure you can imagine, I wasn't in the right frame of mind to make a decision there and then, so they are going to phone me on Monday and make the appointment then.
Just think guys, a simple blood test could save your life.

Sorry to hear that mate. I wish you all the best.

@BB,

Given the choice for me, Option 2 all day long, it’s a no-brainer IMHO.
If you are OK to keep us posted, that would be nice to know from time to time you are (a) doing well and (b) coping well, and remember: (c) There’s nothing wrong with a little sympathy and love, we all need it in our lives from time to time, rock on!  “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” -where’s the fun in that?

Most of us get it, most of us die with it but not because of it 😊

Well done getting diagnosed early and good luck with your treatment regime 👍

Thanks Kevin and ding. Gremlin i think option 2 is the way forward, at least there's no chance of it coming back, it's just the after affects for the 6 weeks after that's playing on my mind. Not that I want anymore kids so that's not a worry. And yes I will keep you all updated throughout. It will give you all an insight in to what to expect should anyone on here get it too, though don't want to scare anyone off from getting treatment.
I was told that it will be done via keyhole surgery by a robot operated by a surgeon, the joys of technology eh.

My cancer was Bowl and Liver, like you out of the blue with no symptoms, but I am and always will be that a positive mindset will get you through.

Good luck and thanks for brining it to peoples attention.

Oh gosh Bournemouthboy and I thought I had it bad. Hope everything goes well for you and a good end result.
Been a member on this site for a number of years and it's brilliant for all manor of fatty subjects for help and advice and yet what about our own health and wellbeing? Ok there's lots of professional advice out there, but sharing certain health problems on a site like this with helpful folk that we don't know personally could be a good starting point in hearing first hand of people's experiences that have gone through it themselves.
I actually wasn't going to mention anything on here about my diagnosis. But after reading up on it, it seems it's not really much talked about. As typical men, we just keep it to ourselves and carry on. That's my problem see, I'm a real man's man I deal with things in a man's way, don't want fussing over, I'll do it my way etc etc. But then the unexpected happens and you're not as invincible as you think you are. So I thought sod it, why not? If it makes men and the men who are like me sit up and take notice, then it's worth bringing the subject up.

I wish you all the best BB and a rapid recovery. Thanks for highlighting this issue, the more people that are made aware of these types of things the better. 2017 SDV8 Autobiography

I had this very same conversation with my nurse earlier this week.

I was due a blood test a couple weeks ago and while there, asked the nurse to request a PSA test. She asked if i had any symptoms, (which i don't), so she said she would request the PSA with the Doc's approval.

The update this week was that my PSA was 3.3, (about normal for a 64 year old git)......anything above 4.1 warrants further "digital" investigation.

They did emphasise that the PSA test is just one of many indicators and not a guarantee one way or the other on the condition of your prostate.

Full credit to all contributing to this thread.......it wasn't that long ago that we'd all have been mortified to even think about the prostate, let alone discuss it openly on a public forum!

Mike

I was diagnosed at age 50 following a health check, which also showed I had Type 2 diabetes. No symptoms for either condition. For the prostate cancer, I had two bioipsies, the first known as TRUS, was very unpleasant and revealed cancerous tissue. The second, about 4 months later is known as a Template Biopsy, which uses an MRI image to target more core samples, and is done under general anaesthetic. Outcome was a Gleeson score of 6,so a low grade cancer which was encapsulated in the gland.

The treatment? Do nothing, just watch; its called active surveillance and I’m still on it 12 years later. PSA check every 6 months and scan every 2 years. In that time my PSA has been stable around 8-9. High yes, but not increasing and to be expected as I have an enlarged prostate. I initially queried the ‘do nothing’ approach, but all the advice was pretty much the same; the cancer was low grade and encapsulated, so the best option was to keep an eye out, rather than dive in with a delicate operation with some potentially nasty side effects like incontinence. I was told that in most cases like mine, it tends to be something else which causes death rather than the PC. Also that the vast majority of men who reach a great age will have PC when they die, but it won’t be that which caused death.

Treatments are getting more advanced all the time, and greater use of MRI means less need for invasive biopsies. I’d encourage any man over 50 to get checked, but not to be overly worried if the PSA is above 3.5; there could be a variety of reasons for that, most common being an enlarged prostate gland, which is very common in older men. But if it is cancer, the prognosis is better than it used to be.

I also donate regularly to the Prostate Cancer charity. 2024 - 2021MY L405 5.0 SC Portofino Blue
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Thanks recordman, totally agree. Normally I'm not one to post about personal issues online, I'm not on any social media platform what so ever, but if my post gets fellow men's attention on here then that's only a good thing. As Mike said above, nobody would talk about it some time back, I'm not embarrassed by it and my brother wasn't either. In fact, he works at Landover in Solihull as a line manager and regularly makes his fellow workers aware at team meetings.
AndyS, you are very fortunate yours is encapsulated, mine is on the outside. The consultant said exactly the same to me about possible treatments and the age. Unfortunately I'm going to have to go through the side effects, though should regain normal bladder control within 6 months from the op as long as I do the exercises. Oh yes, the same as what women do, pelvic floor exercises.
So when I hear something funny, I'm literally gonna p**s myself laughing
Hope yours stays dormant and live your life out naturally.