Sorry to hear about your brother howard
We loose so many to cancer just hope at some stage they find a solution.
In a lot of cases, all the doctor can give you is a risk assessment based on what happened on average to other patients.
My wife was told that the average 5 year survival rate was 10%ā¦ she now at 13 years and has been declared cured. Statistics about averages do not give much guide to what will happen to an individual.
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Lies, damed lies, and statistics !
There are so many other factors to take into account, age, BMI, activity, family history, race, lifestyle, food intake, where you live, stress levels. Bet other factors.
So pleased for you Neville, may that continue for a long long time.
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My first wife was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer in January of 1989, she had surgery, radiation treatment and who knows what else!!! She passed away in July of 1989, I still believe the doctors were out for money, more than a healing.
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They always are, that is how the medical system functionsā¦ they dont have the equivalent of open source volunteer contributorsā¦ honorary surgeons used to draw a salary and give treatment free ā¦ there are very few of them today.
Sorry Daniel. This conversation is probably challenging for you. Being on the wrong side of a statistic would make one feel unfairly treated.
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Yes I will not white-wash what happened, it was a very difficult situation, and about the only thing one has, is faith, and at times that was even shaky. I can only pray that no one else, even though I know they have, has to endure the loss of someone so close, and believe me it is not even now easy to talk about!!!
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" Life is changed, not taken away"
I cant remember the source of that quote
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Sorry Daniel to bring up a delectate subject and memory for you.
As we move through life loss is one of the things that we all experience, my first wife died at 39, and my youngest daughter at 29, both had the same genetic problem for which there was no treatment offered. A family trait for all of my first wifes family.
Who knows today some time later if things would be different.
I feel lucky that the french medical system takes great care and offers first class treatment, expensive. Not sure i would be here if still living in the uk
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I am sorry for your loss, my first wife was 38 when she passed!!! I am sure her cancer could be traced back to the use of the DDT insecticide, used to control boll weevils, for the cotton, where she grew up. And yes, there always seems to be a āwhat Ifā as we live through life, and the guilt of the āwhat ifā So life goes on!!!
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Iām so sorry to read this, @callpaul.eu!
Thank you for the warning!
I had such a test just 2 week ago, the first in my lifeā¦
I passed it 
Slightly higher value, but still in the middle of the OK range.
My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer 4 years ago (was aged 72 then).
Iām not sure what the exact stage it was, he got radiation treatment, and some hormon treatment later. I donāt know more details. The radiation treatment was really hard for him, the side effects basically tied him strictly homeā¦
He is now fine, seems will live forever. He has to do PSA test every 6 months, and the results are excellent.
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Sadly the PSA is not the best test, but today itās the only one available.
Keep up with the tests on a regular basis, especially if you have family history.
I played ostrich until my wife said get the test ! No choice.
Mine some 6 years ago went from 5 to 6 to finally 12. Not big numbers but with the speed of change along with Free PSA test scans then a biopsy they found the cancer so option was radical prostectomy. After which it dropped to 0.04 but slowly over time got to 0.21 so urologist said another check in 4 weeks, same result so radiologist who started the radiotherapy, 34 session later, i am back down to 0.04. Now a waiting game.
Hope your dad keeps a health lifestyle and keeps being checked.
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Not a good strategy! I learned it. My mother-in-law died at 52 because of cervical cancer. She should have pulled her head out of the sand, still would be among us.
I really appreciate you shared this all!
Yes he does. The recurring checks are ordered by the doctors.
As for lifestyle, he cannot be kicked out of the garden, always does something there; digs small pond for goldfishes, plants flowers, grows tomatoes, plucks plums and peaches from the trees and makes jam and brandy from themā¦
And uses Debian on his laptop, so there seems to be really everything healthy in his life.
Sometimes I maintain his system, and taste the brandy.
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Interesting topic (Not looking for sympathy) - Iām actually currently in the middle of this. PSA was elevated. MRI looked pretty good, but a āliquidā biopsy came back not so good. Iām now scheduled for a 12 core biopsy. Dad had prostate cancer.
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Bonne courage for the biopsy!
Hope its not too painful and the results are better than you hope for.
I had the same, bit of a surprise the noise when they do it. Hard to explian
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It worked for me. I had the radical prostectomy. My PSA has been zero ever since.
There is a more sensitive version of the PSA test that does what it calls free and bound psa readings. It helped diagnose my case
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@callpaul.eu
Seems as though we live a parallel life!!! Prostate is not an easy subject for men and the man-thing that prostate cancer eventually leads too. I had my prostatectomy back in early November of 2010 and having to have a catheter for 30 days. I hated the biopsies, they always made me very sick. Cancer has been gone now for over 20 years and PSA is way down. I know of several men in my area that died from prostate cancer.
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Almost all males end up with either
- prostate cancer
- benign prostate enlargement
- prostate atrophy
The psa test goes up with either of the first two. That is why it is difficult to interpret.
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@nevj
I suffered from prostate enlargement for several years before the family doctor sent me to specialist, and the rest is history!!!
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Thanks for all the very personal replies
Why do men have such difficulties talking about some personal subjects, where in general women dont have this hangup.
My friend took me to one side yesterday to say he has prostate cancer and they operate next week. But was so embarrassed and found it so difficult plus needed to do it private as he does not want anyone to know, just like myself, he was looking for reassurance
Yes the other tests are available but the cost puts most off being offered. I had both psa and free psa checked for almost a year before i saw a urologist as lucky my GP wanted to make sure before doing anything. Then the urologist sent me for scans, pet, tpm, syntography, plus biopsy. Very extensive and very quick, saw him the monday and within 2 weeks the biopsy took place and every other day during that time i was hav8ng scans of different types in different hospitals or clinics.
The urologist wrote to my GP, who immediately went on to the french health care system and obtained cancer cover which means any prostate related treatment, exams, operations are paid for by the state, no charge to me no matter what or where.
But my new urologist works outside french health care charges so i pay half of the costs to see him, still worth it for peace of mind.
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