My brother-in-law has just been diagnosed with prostrate cancer, thankfully at an early stage. This prompted me to get a PSA test - thankfully normal.
Although PSA tests are a little unreliable (with some risk of false positives and false negatives) they do help to establish early diagnoses of prostrate cancer. So chaps, you are entitled to a PSA blood test when 50+, so see your GP and get one, especially if there is any history in your family.
Nothing to lose, and potentially much to gain, as prostrate cancer caught early will be smashed.
I find that really strange that you can read these reports/results before seeing your specialist. Pretty sure here you don’t see them until they do, guess it’s to stop people from using Dr Google before they get a chance to explain it properly.
I did log into mine and they were all there except for the 2 tests that I did last week.
Dan hope they get on top of this quickly to give you the best opportunity to overcome this. Love your strength.
Being symptom free I have not bothered to have one. Chris Hoy’s recent diagnosis and terminal prognosis and some unexplained pain in my chest and shoulders that investigations so far give no clue as to why I am experiencing it, have prompted me to get one.
I am a UK based Freemason and they hold regular PSA testing days that are open to the Brethren, their family and friends for a small donation to the Graham Fulford Charitable Trust.
Three of my Masonic friends had high PSA results, got further tests done with their GP and then with the hospital. All were found to have Prostate Cancer, but none of them had any symptoms whatsoever and all felt well.
I’m pleased to report that since treatment, they are all OK.
Graham Fulford Charitable Trust [GFCT] supporting prostate cancer awareness and early diagnosis through PSA [testing].
I had a prostate check, prompted by a friend being positively diagnosed. The doctor called me before I had the PSA test to explain, very clearly, that a negative PSA was no guarantee whatsoever that there was no cancer, and that a high result was no guarantee that there was. You can have prostate cancer and yet have a normal PSA score. The doctor suggested that even if the test was negative I should still have my prostate checked physically. One of the practice’s doctors is massive, so I said I didn’t want him. Luckily I ended up with a female doctor with nice dainty hands. I certainly wouldn’t rely simply on a PSA test.
I have to admit that I am not good at taking up screening test opportunities but a recent scare led to many tests.
PSA plus MRI and CT scans. Physical prostate examinations and a camera into the bladder.
All very scary when you are being dealt with by a team who specialise in rapid cancer intervention. I’m very pleased that there is little to worry about now, but it has brought it home to me just how frightening these situations can be. I have nothing but praise for the people I have dealt with and I have seen the inside of my bladder whilst the camera was moved around!
Inevitably we all have to deal with these things to varying degrees but I can only imagine the distress of ongoing treatment that some of you guys are experiencing. My absolute best wishes to Dan and all of you.
It’s easy for me to say “Stay strong” but please do!
Anyone who hasn’t had a PSA test done, make sure you do!
As HH has said, it’s not 100 percent accurate but it is a starting point. If you have symptoms then there will be more tests / examinations, but the relief when the result is ok makes it more than worthwhile.
Rooting for you Dan and everyone in similar situations Look after yourselves and keep on enjoying the music if you can.
Not sure Russian techno will have the same effect for everyone though.
Does NHS pay you free visit to specialists, like heart, ears, nose….doctors. ( sorry, too lazy to search in google to see what are the correct terms ). ?
Are you restrained to common hospitals or can you go to the best ones?
Maybe should i subscribe to NHFS here, to have free audio components prescribed by my doctor. ( N HIfi S).
Yes, but waiting times can be long for non-emergency care. You would generally be referred from Primary Care (General Practice/Family doctor) to see a specialist in Secondary Care if they felt it was required or sometimes by one hospital specialist to another in Secondary Care. The NHS is mostly paid for by general taxation and National Insurance payments which support many forms of ‘welfare’.
The NHS is something of a ‘hot potato’ politically.
If you get referred to a specialist it would generally be to a local hospital specialist rather than being able to pick and choose any specialist you wanted in the UK. Not quite as simple as that, but unless certain services were only available in select hospitals you’d generally go to one of the closest ones which for most people would be the most convenient anyway.
All NHS medical care is free at the point of delivery. As @Alley-Cat says you don’t usually get a choice of who you see. One of the lesser known benefits of being a cancer survivor I have discovered is the GPs often send you on the urgent referral pathway if symptoms are not clear cut. But sometimes you get sent via the normal referral pathway and that can mean a long wait currently due to reasons we don’t discuss here. I am about to have a cataract operation that I have waited 10 months for, which is longer than I would like to wait but it is what it is. Whilst I could afford some private health care, I chose not to. As a mental health professional (a systemic family therapist), I could have done a mix of NHS-funded work and private work but chose only to work in free point-of-delivery services as private health care doesn’t sit easily with me.
The NHS is not a perfect service but despite the current problems, it is still a very good provider of health care, I don’t like the current phrase saying it is broken. I see it as suffering from a work-related injury from trying to do too much and needing extra support whilst it recovers from this injury and assistance in finding better ways of working so it doesn’t suffer further injuries.
Difficult to make a comparison with the French system. Most doctors or services in hospital are free if you have a private insurance who pay you the complement to pay. Mine is good, I pay around 100 euros per month.
The largest bill is taken by the government ( assurance maladie), but each person is taxed per month on his salary.
For good specialists, like for cancer or difficult « bones « ( legs, arms…) surgery, you can wait sometimes 6 or 10 months.
In public hospitals, such very good specialists don’t exist.
Could that just be public perception? I’d imagine your public hospital specialists are all qualified appropriately and try to do their best? Naturally some may be more experience than others depending on age and other factors.
I haven’t had that wait time at all here, prostate, breast, pancreatic cancer amongst friends and ourselves. All seen very quickly and treated well and followed up on a regular basis. There are differences but our experience is that the French system is vastly more responsive than the UK system. I could give details but I don’t want to be drawn in to a political discussion or to putting down the excellent front line people in both countries.
After being treated by one consultant on the NHS, I later discovered they were highly regarded and considered to be one of the best surgeons in his field and that whilst I was unlucky to need his services I was fortunate to have him as my surgeon. After hearing this a while later, at one of my follow-up appointments, I asked if he did private work and he said no, but he did sometimes get referred people who had private surgery that went wrong and their ongoing care was transferred to the NHS.
In my professional experience and latterly, in my personal experience as a patient, I have discovered that whether a doctor or other health care professional practices in private or NHS medicine doesn’t really have a bearing as to how good they are, most are more than competent and the excellent ones are working in both private and public health care.
They are qualified. But sometimes when it’s complicated, you want the best .
Public hospital in France becomes more and more problematic. But no everywhere. Some can wait 20 hours ….
Depends where you live. In Paris, it’s ok. But not in August
I think the key with PSA tests is to have the test annually, and look for any steep increase in the returned value. As one gets older it is expected for the value to creep up a 10th or so per year, but if there is a large increase year on year that that can be a good indication of something developing.
I have been getting the test done every year or two over the last decade. My father died many years ago from prostrate cancer. So far (touch wood) i seem to be ok, and I am now older that he was when he died.
Just to give you all an update. Picc line is being fitted this friday. Then on Tuesday 10th December the chemo starts. Continuous infusion days 1 to 4 hospital then back again every 3 weeks. 18 week course of treatment , with 6 sessions.
Needs must and all. It has been booked in good time, so no complaints there!
Week one is a right off. Week 2 will feel a bit better. Week 3 should be better still. By the time it gets to sessions 4, 5 and 6 I will have no immunity and will go downhill.
Last time I had chemo I ended up with no energy at all, and needed a blood transfusion. It’s gonna a be a hard winter slog!
But I am ready, willing and prepared
I intend to work as before but smaller jobs with regular customers. Nothing too heavy!
