Age 67, urinating weak, can be a touch 'urgent' sometimes but not noticeably much more frequently.
DRE done & doc said prostate enlarged but soft & spongy. Lots of bloods 2 weeks later & results yesterday. Everything else OK & PSA was 0.9 so GP says PSA & DRE lead him to think it is a benign enlargement & tablets are the way to go, alpha blockers I presume.
I'm a bit puzzled as I keep reading that PSA results do not necessarily confirm or discount cancer, therefore is this enough of an examination/test to determine cancer is definitely not present?
I'm wondering whether I should ask for a Free and Bound test (privately by referral if not available on NHS) to be more confident this IS benign.
Perhaps I should mention that our 35 year old son had been 'diagnosed' with Irritable Bowel Syndrome for some years. Our ignorance, complacency (trust in the NHS) plus his GP's lack of proactivity & the 'he's too young for bowel cancer' attitude cost our son his life. Diagnosed after emergency admittance via A&E on 8 Dec & he died less than 2 months later on 31 Jan.
My wife told our GP that my bowel movements had changed a little & I'd got a bit of a pot belly, so he has decided to send me for a colonoscopy to rule out bowel cancer, it is the same practice (though different GP) as our son, so I think he has decided to demonstrate what SHOULD have been done for our son perhaps.
We are more concerned that the PSA, DRE & my age are enough to make a 'benign' decision regarding my prostate. I'd appreciate some opinions just to put our minds at rest. Obviously we aren't looking for MRI & biopsy, just maybe some reassurance of what's been done is enough.
The tablets will start once the colonoscopy is done & results given.