Me, my prostate and I

When I saw the surgeon about the surgery option he explained how accessing the lower abdomen through 5 or 6 relatively small incisions the surgeon controls robotic arms to excise and remove the prostate gland.  As mentioned before this is a busy part of the body with all sorts mixed up. In order to remove the prostate has to be separated from bundles of nerves and blood vessels. The "pipe" for urine passess through the gland so has to be cut and later reconnnected. Other pipe work related ejaculation also has to be severed. On top of that the surgery may have to the bladder out of the way and will disrupt the pelvic floor. If this wasn't enough the surgery can take 3-4 hours during which I would be inclined with my head down so gravity will pull organs 'up' the body cavity putting pressure on heart and lungs. Finally I would catheterised for at least a number of weeks while the body tried to recover "normal service". The advantage is that the prostate is...

The first doctor we saw was a cancer specialist who was offering a radiotherapy treatment. He seemed rather nonchalant and confident that he could cure my cancer - something that concerned us at the time, but makes more sense as we have learnt more. There were two course one of 20 treatments (4 weeks of 5 days) using a lower, less focused beam of radiation, and a course of 5 treatments (1 week) using high doses and tighter focused beans. In both cases the patient receives the same amount of radiation. The side effects are similar - there is a long list of likely/possible short term and longer term (possibly permanent) side effects. The area of the body containing the prostate is pretty congested with the bladder and related structures, the bowels and the nerves and pipe work supporting the penis and reproductive piping. The radiation can affect all of that to a greater or lesser extent.  A key point is that the prostate, the various plumbing routes and related connections, albeit i...

 True to their word, almost two weeks after the biopsy I received a call inviting me in to discuss the results on August 23. This time I was seen by a specialist nurse. She was a member of team specialising in the treatment of prostate cancer and that it was the nurses who handled this initial meeting, explaining the results and options. To cut a long story short, I had a low grade of prostate cancer. She explained that after the biopsy each sample was checked for how different it looked from normal prostate cells and how fast it was replicating. The nurse revealed that of my 24 "cores", 15 appeared normal, 5 appeared to be of a category where they would normally just monitor and 4 were slightly worse. Overall it was considered a low grade cancer (once itnmy life when being low grade is a good thing), but the presence of the worst 4 tipped me into the category of "warranting treatment". She also reported that the tumor was to the right (ie not around the "plumb...

 So nine days later on 7 August I found myself in an operating theatre on a Sunday afternoon, legs spread and held in stirrups(?) holding my penis and scrotum out of the way with one hand (the alternative was sticky tape!) as doctor performed a biopsy on my prostate. It turns out that they took 24 cores during that session; I just know it seemed to take a while. Having had a local anaesthetic down behind my balls an ultrasound probe was shoved up my rear to help guide a needle which was poked around collecting samples. They said it shouldn't hurt, but one or two were definitely on the wrong side of the "ouch" line. The best description I can give is feeling like one of the static electricity zappers used on fly bites. Considering how little dignity was maintained, it was done with great care. and soon I was heading home. If you need a procedure and you get the chance for a Sunday afternoon I can highly recommend it. Far fewer patients and a calmer atmosphere. Once over th...

For sometime my wife encouraged me to have a PSA test - the test that could indicate the presence of prostate cancer. I didn't see any urgency as I had no (and still don't have any) outward symptoms. Well, long story short, I finally approached my surgery a few months ago to have the test. The doctor phoned me about the request and after explaining that it was not a reliable test, just a possible indicator. He said that some men with high PSA could be cancer free, while others with low PSA could have cancer. For this reason it is not a usual screening test, but in this instance he agreed to it. Taking the blood was simple and happened a few days later. This was followed by a few days of waiting before I finally got a call to go in and see the Doctor about my results on July 13.   At that consultation I was told that my PSA was elevated above the normal level and this suggested something was going on. My GP explained that it did not necessarily mean cancer as there were other re...

I am 63 year old male who has recently been diagnosed with Grade 2 (Gleason 3+4 {for the geeks}) prostate cancer. In many ways this was "the best bad news" I could get - something I will explain shortly.   In truth nothing much has changed; certainly not for the worst. I obviously had this cancer before my PSA was tested a few weeks ago and I still have it today. It is a slow-burn cancer so the past few weeks will have seen little or no growth. I had no other symptoms then and that is still the case now.   What is new is that after an MRI scan and a biopsy I know that I do have a cancer and after the subsequent consultation with specialists I have opted for and commenced a course of treatment that the doctors seem confident will cure it. This optimism is rooted in the fact that we seem to have caught my cancer early, before it has spread! and in their experience of treating hundreds and thousands of cases of prostate cancer this csan be treated successfully.   My cancer i...