Given the terrible news that trundle recently posted, I hope you will bear with me and read this post. I know that the word "cancer" alarms people and, for many, the inclination will be to skip this post and move on. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS! What I have to say could conceivably save your life and, if only one person benefits from reading this, it will be worthwhile.
You see, I had prostate cancer as many of you know. The thing is, I HAD NO SYMPTOMS. The classic tell tales include weak urine flow, difficulty in containing it, needing to pee frequently and getting up in the night to do so. As it happens I had the waterworks of someone 30 years younger. I had absolutely no symptoms whatsoever and, as my articulate and well mannered partner coarsely put it; "You piss like a racehorse".
Dawned the day I went to see my doctor about something entirely unrelated. He recommended, given my age, that I have a PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) blood test as a matter of course. I rubbished the suggestion, protesting that I was fighting fit (which I was) and that my waterworks were probably sounder than his (which they probably were). But he insisted and he saved my life. Dramatic? No, he did just that by his insistence.
My blood tests showed a high reading. Now begins a story in its own right but I will skip that to cut to the chase. I had a number of biopsies which showed negative. But I was now having regular blood tests and the PSA level kept on rising: so I was subjected to a really thorough biopsy that showed my prostate was 90% infiltrated. Ninety per cent!!!!!!
I had immediate meetings with a consultant surgeon who recommended surgery as opposed to radiotherapy. His reasoning was that the latter might not work given the hold the cancer had on me and it would be months before the overall result would be known, by which time it might be too late for me if it hadn't worked. Surgery, he said, would plain and simple remove it there and then. I took his advice and that also saved my life. After the operation, he told me that when they took a close look at it, the cancer was on the point of bursting out of the prostate.
I had three clear years and it returned. A little infected tissue still remained but continued blood tests detected it and it was so small that this time radiotherapy was able to deal with it.
So my message is this. Don't be alarmed by prostate cancer. It is present in more senior men than not and more people die WITH it than OF it. The thing is this: if you ignore it, it will certainly kill you. If you deal with it early, you have a HUGE chance of recovery. If you have reached the age of 50 then SEE YOUR GP AND ASK FOR A PSA BLOOD TEST. I don't care how well or fit you feel, JUST DO IT, and the sooner the better. I felt like a million dollars at the time it was diagnosed and I couldn't believe the findings. But the fact is, I was carrying a silent killer inside me, an early death sentence in fact.
If you do visit your doctor, one of two things will result. The resultant blood test will show if you are at risk or not. If you are, you are lucky because it can be dealt with immediately. If you are clear, think what a relief it will be. You will then be subjected to regular PSA blood tests for the rest of your life but you know that if the thing strikes you, it will be detected early, which almost always means successful treatment.
I apologise if I have alarmed anybody but if I hadn't been so lucky I wouldn't be here now. I am hoping that this post will inspire those who haven't done so, to get a check up. If you do, I am sure that you, your family and friends will be so thankful you did. Come on, my fellow Jacks, you know it makes sense!!
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