Prostate Cancer

[Captain Kong]

Good Men for telling all this , For too long Cancer has been hushed up, People do not like to talk about it,` in case they catch it?` It used to be spoken about in whispers many years ago As if it was something shameful.
.Most Cancers are now curable if caught early, so have the tests regular regardless of what your Doctor says. Not all Doctors are good Doctors. A lot of them think more of their budgets rather than the Patient so some will not referr you to a Specialist Consultant because it comes out of his budget. Always beware of Medical negligence.
My Dad had bladder cancer, it started with Polips in the bladder, he then had to have the op to remove the bladder, the op was a success, they were sending him to a convelesent home to recuperate. The Porters pushed him on a trolly to the Car park for an ambulance to pick him up, They went to have a ciggy, the ambulance was diverted, it started snowing and he was covered in snow and then developed pneumonia and died. He was a big powerful man and killed because they went for a ciggy.
I donate by a direct debit to Cancer Research UK every month, they do fantastic work in helping to find cures for Cancer and today the survival rates are wonderful compared with just a few years ago.
They are always short of money, no government help. My son worked for them a few years ago and they had to release him as they had no money for salaries.
So with more money they can do a lot more research and save more lives.
Cheers
Brian.

[Lou Barron]

I did not want mention this but the talk of it made me think .
A couple of years ago after a couple examinations he told i could have prostate trouble and he said not to worry about it to much and he prescribed these pills Terazosin2mg and to take one pill once daily .So here is hoping

[happy daze john in oz]

Colin #30, yes it may sound a bit out of,left field but this is my way of dealing with it, for me it works. Never let things get to you if you can avoid it, I saw cases at the hospital far worse than I. But as Brian rightly tells it, do not hush it up, bring it out into the open the more it os spoken of the more people will come to realise it may not always be so bad.
For many on this site the information may be of little use as many are most certianly passed their 'best before date' some close to their use by date no doubt. But if they can convince their children and grand children to take better care of their health than we did, go for regular teats, then I know postings such as mine will not have been in vain.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
Take heart from a man who doesn't believe. I got prostate radiation treatment 10 years ago in Westmead hospital with follow up treatment in Nepean like Ritchard. have now been on hormone treatment for over four years, blood tests still below .003. The last time I visited the Dr he said you will die but not from your Prostate. I will expect the queen to acknouledge me with a telegram.
Cheers Des

[Richard Quartermaine]

Des,
On my last visit to my oncologist in September last he noted the PSA rise from 0.01 to 0.3 followed the last injection of the hormone Lucrin in December, 2010 and if, when I see him again next month it is up to 0.04 he indicated some action must be taken. I would expect this to be to go back on the hormones. I have gained lots of information from this thread and will have a lot of questions for this next visit. I will also ask him about Terazosin so I can tell Lou his opinion.
Cheers,
Richard

[Neville Roberts]

before my operation I as feeling very tired after working in the hotel that I was a concierge in ,so I went too the doc for a chech up it was fine , 2 days later the doc called and asked me to come in for another blood test a my psa was 16 ,the next one was up to 24 wich is off the charts . that was when I was sent to the urologist and got the needles up the rec very painfull ,and was peeing blood for 3 days after ,results were cancer , so off I went for the operation that I posted earlier (.ouch )

[Roger Dyer]

Hi Richard (Quartermaine)...your #29 refers.

Many thanks, mate, for uploading the 'pics' of your time at the Nepean Cancer Care Centre ( my old alma -mater), they certainly brought back many memories. Memories of my first visit there........ feelings of trepidation that were soon dispersed when I realised I was in the care of some wonderfully professional and friendly people (Dr. Do runs a happy ship doesn't he ?). The blue cotton trousers with the tie at the side that we patients were required to wear (whilst carrying the rest of our clothing in a basket). By completing my course of radiotherapy in October it seems we only just missed one another by a few short weeks. I can well imagine the mirth of your Xmas celebrations and yes, Richard, I do remember one or two of the 'Angels of the Radiology suite' in your 'pics'. Initially, my own treatment was oversighted by Dr.Do (a nice man), but when, for some reason, he was called overseas, I was left in the capable hands of Dr.Amy Hayden (another gem). Some weeks after completion of my treatment, I returned to the Care Centre to see Amy Hayden for a follow-up examination (wonderful after sales service ), during the course of which she carried out a 'digital probe'. It was whilst she was doing this that I questioned the wisdom of her choice of specialised medicine, something along the lines of " What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this" ?
To my delight she burst out laughing, as did I. The things that amuse eh? It's strange, I suppose, that I should have happy memories of that place, but I do.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for a good result when you visit Dr.Do in April. Once again, Richard, many thanks for the 'pics'.


....................Roger

[happy daze john in oz]

Hi John.
Take heart from a man who doesn't believe. I got prostate radiation treatment 10 years ago in Westmead hospital with follow up treatment in Nepean like Ritchard. have now been on hormone treatment for over four years, blood tests still below .003. The last time I visited the Dr he said you will die but not from your Prostate. I will expect the queen to acknouledge me with a telegram.
Cheers Des

Des that is great news mate. for you the radiation therapy was the right one, but sadly not for all depends on the nature of the Cancer.
As to the telegram, well mate there were times when you would have got a lot more from a 'queen' that a telegram.

[happy daze john in oz]

Des,
On my last visit to my oncologist in September last he noted the PSA rise from 0.01 to 0.3 followed the last injection of the hormone Lucrin in December, 2010 and if, when I see him again next month it is up to 0.04 he indicated some action must be taken. I would expect this to be to go back on the hormones. I have gained lots of information from this thread and will have a lot of questions for this next visit. I will also ask him about Terazosin so I can tell Lou his opinion.
Cheers,
Richard

Richard as with any treatment there are always the risks of side effects. A guy I know here in Melbourne had hormone therapy prior to radio therapy, the result he grew a pair of size 36D mens boobs and had to undergo a double mascetomy.

[happy daze john in oz]

A couple of further points on this subject. Not sure how things go in UK but judging by the internet BBC News today the number of Prostate cancer cases in UK is very high, but it would appear that insufficent funding and information is availble to the average male, a sad situation.
Here in Oz, no doubt no different to UK, many complain about the wait for a public hospital bed. No dount many of the complainents have never even been inside a hospital. Here the order of priority is, Life threatening, serious medical condition, mobility difficulties, life style improvements, cosmetic.
But the dedication to the task shown by all from the surgeon down to the guy who cleaned the ward was exterordinary. I recieved dignified treatment coupled with compassion and care, it is not possible to fully express my total thanks to those concerned.
Lastly I am touched by the number of likes, but more so thanks this post recieved, I may have for some touched a bit of a raw nerve, but if I got the message across about mens health then it was all worthwhile.