By way of introduction.........

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 is described as "low grade, contained and curable". I will return to this in a later blog, but for now this is the basis of my comment about "the best, bad news".

This excerpt from a recent (unconnected) test I took, resonated with me:

You begin by asking, "What do I understand?"  You aren't immune to the feelings and perspectives of others, but your starting point is your own insight, your own understanding. You see the world as a series of collisions between competing parts, pieces, and agendas; and you are compelled to figure it all out. For you there's nothing quite as thrilling as finding a pattern beneath life's complexities, a core concept that can explain why things play out the way they do, or better yet, predict how things are going to play out.

I am incapable of approaching the case of my cancer in any other way. I have done a lot of listening to specialists, read a lot and conducted many internet searches. I then reflected (and continue reflecting) on how it all fits together in order to understand what it means to me and to recognise my path through both my immediate treatment and beyond. This blog is aide to me on that journey with the added benefit it might help others also on this journey. I know I am lucky with the support I am receiving, so maybe a share a little of that too.

After the initial flurry of posts as I empty my head and worry sack, I cannot say I will post daily or even regularly. Instead it will be when I feel the need or have something I feel worth saying.

At the risk of closing on a preachy note I would like to encourage any men over the age 50 and those with any family history to ask their doctor for a PSA test. While not perfect this test is the best for early warning indicator currently available. The significance being that the earlier this diagnosed and treated, the better the chance of a cure.¹

#prostate #cancer #PSA

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