PSA 7.3 - referred to urologist

He is a school teacher, and via private message I asked him: “How do you get a point across to a particularly thick and unreceptive pupil?”

I told him to keep taking the tablets and seek assistance for his psychological issues that were apparently triggered by a potential PCa diagnosis, yet still remain despite his all-clear.

I wish Haig all the best, and hope he gets himself sorted soonest.

Cheers, John.

Edited by member 05 Jan 2019 at 14:34  | Reason: Not specified

As you say, next will be a visit to a urologist. He or she will do another DRE (they’ll be much better at it than your GP!) and then probably an MRI scan and a biopsy. Don’t stress about the biopsy - believe me, the anticipation is far worse than the event! It’s not pleasant, but it’s roughly the same order of “not pleasant” as, say, having a filling at the dentist. About two weeks after the biopsy you’ll know the result.

I said “don’t worry” earlier, but that’s me looking back on it from the other side of the experience. It is a worrying time, and you’ll be waiting a long time (at LEAST a month, more likely two months) until you’ll know what’s going on one way or the other. All I can really suggest is keep yourself busy and try not to dwell on it. Even if it is PCa, it’s curable. You don’t die from localised prostate cancer, although you may well die with it.

This site has loads of useful information leaflets. Download them and read them. Phone the freephone number and talk to the nurses if you have any medical questions - they’re wonderful people.

You’ve come to the right place to get support. Welcome to the club! We’ve all (well, all of us of the male persuasion at least) been through it and know exactly how stressful a time this is.

All the best,

Chris

Thanks Steve. Good luck to you on the 28th - I really hope you can move on. I wish I could have the mental strength of all on here - staying positive is something I am not able to manage. I have tried. 

90% of things people worry about never happen.

Enjoy your Christmas with your family and wait for your diagnosis as you can do bugger all till it arrives.

Stay strong fella, I've got Chemo session 5 this morning so had a great early Christmas Day with the family yesterday, they did me proud.

Happy New Year to you Chris and to EVERYONE who has helped me through to this point.

H

Best wishes

The ‘Toolkit’ referred to above is a thick information folder covering every aspect of this disease, and although I spend all day on this IPad, I prefer to have a tangible paper copy to hand rather than a PDF download.

It’s free from this charity, so order a copy and you’ll get it in the post within a couple of days. Hopefully you won’t need to look too deeply into it!

Look up Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) and cross your fingers, as that can cause symptoms similar to your own.

Best of luck.

Cheers, John.

Edited by member 22 Nov 2018 at 00:26  | Reason: Not specified

Hi again Haig.

unless you are planning to get run over on the way to your next appointment I don’t think you will be leaving anyone for a while yet.

i know it is difficult at the moment not know but try not to look at to much on the net about the subject. Best thing is just to read the information on this site as it is probably the most accurate availabl, also read some of the posts on the forum of what other men have been though it has certainly helped me in the last couple of weeks when I have been trying to decide on which treatment I am going with.

as I said in my previous post it looks like they have caught you in the early stages and as others have said it is a very slow growing C. 

I have decided to go down the HT/RT route and have taken my first Hormone tablet today and will be having Radio Therapy in about 3 to 4 months, I have a holiday booked the beginning of April and have been told that if necessary the Radio therapy can be postponed until our return.

i am telling you this to give you an idea of time scale so as to try to stem your worry about having to wait for your appointmen.

Hope this helps 

Bob

Haig sit down with your wife and son if he is old enough and talk it through with them do not bottle it all up to yourself.

There is always someone here to help including wives of sufferers.

Bob

Chris

i admire your stoical approach but from my perspective I've dealt with the Big C by compartmentalising my life into two parts, Life 1 and Life 2. Life 2 is so much different and 3 months after diagnosis its on my mind(obsessively) all the time. Interests i enjoyed in life 1 have fallen by the wayside as I try and deal with the treatment and the changes it has brought. eg I've no idea who my local football team are playing tomorrow and i don't really care, in Life 1 I had the fixtures mapped out. My daily 4 mile walks have stopped, can't energise myself to start walking again.
Just hope a few months down the road I can fully accept this and start enjoying life 2 like i used to enjoy life 1.
What I'm determined to do is to stay strong for my wife and family, who I guiltily feel are the victims in this diagnosis, I'm the poor sap who has to deal with it.

take care guys

John

Edited by member 23 Nov 2018 at 09:48  | Reason: new

Haig,

Feeling resigned to the fact that PCa was a possible, or even an inevitable outcome, was my exact outlook. 'What will be will be.'

Initially, after much internet searching, i was well informed but none the wiser. This forum however, and the kind souls that post their own experiences, has been invaluable. Accepting the possibility has helped in dealing with the reality.

It's not easy, we've all been there, and it does take time to before all the necessary tests are done. Continue to be proactive and as positive as you can possibly be at this time.

I will just reiterate what others have said...early stage PCa can be cured and/or managed. Hopefully, your raised PSA is due to other factors and i will keep my fingers crossed for you.

All the best,

Neil.

Haig,

Call one of the specialist nurses via this website. The number is at the top of the page.

If at all possible have a change of scenery...a weekend away with loved one's. Your wife will be feeling your anxiety too, while also dealing with her own.

At this stage your fears are palpable and understandable. However, with your symptoms and possibly having an enlarged prostrate, it is entirely feasible that your PSA is raised for those reasons.

Wish i could do more to help. Take care.

Neil.

Good morning everyone. I hope that all of you are well and although I do not know any of you personally, I mean this with complete sincerity. I guess many of you are finding me a little tiresome by now. Don't worry, I feel the same about myself, so don't take it to heart. I am not as bad as I was after finding out about my 7.3 PSA and slightly enlarged prostate, which was 'smooth' (was that intended to make me feel any better about the whole bloody thing?). I hope to get to see the urologist next week rather than this waiting game, which I struggle with. I still feel a complete imposter amongst you and should really have only begun to talk after knowing the result of further investigations. In terms of the symptoms, it seems that BPH and PCa are pretty similar, but both talk of needing the loo at night and I don't have this. I guess it is all so different for all of us etc.

Anyway, I'm going to leave you all alone until after the urologist tells me what I have. I promise not to bother you. Until then, keep safe all of you and without you, my last 4 days would have been yet harder to negotiate.

Haig

Haig.

Dont worry about bothering people that is what this forum is all about.

Better to put all your worries in print than to bottle them all up inside. I have started to use this site as part of my therapy as I find talking about what I have is my way of coping with it. I know that some of my friends are sick to death of me talking about it but I don’t care as it is helping me.

hang on in there and what ever the result next week me back and talk it over.

Bob

Hey Haig... 

It's a bugger waiting for tests and results ....we've all been there! 

Try to put your teaching skills into practice and focus on the facts you have before you ..... 

Until you have the results of any tests / biopsies etc you won't know what your situation is... 

I know it's bloody stressful and we all deal with it in different ways ....in your case it may well be not Pca at all! 

Life is full of obstacles and hurdles to overcome....you must know that... 

Maybe a visit to your GP and explain your anxiety will help?  ....he'll only dish out a few pills though .. if they help meantime that's fine innit! 

If it helps you keep on posting your concerns  here..... sometimes the people on this site give more support than a GP would when it comes dealing with this stuff  

Best Wishes 
Luther 

Edited by member 25 Nov 2018 at 18:57  | Reason: Not specified

Haig.

i am not talking about GP’s. All around this Country there are groups of trained cancer support where people like myself and you meet as a group and are able to either talk one to one or in a group, to gove you an example in Chely we have one called Maggie’s. Google it, I know you will anyway, just to see what support is available either that or contact McMillan. 

Do something because you really need support from professionals as well as all the good meaning people on this site.

Bob

My husband was fortunate that he had a positive biopsy first as the subsequent scan was clear, leading the doctors to believe they were dealing with a very small T1. When they operated they found that it was in every segment of his prostate and had spread to his bladder. Since his PSA was only 3.1, if he had had the scan first he may have decided not to go ahead with the biopsy and might not be here now.

I couldn’t agree more! They stopped me getting ahead of myself last week and calmed me down, when I was having a wobble.

Hope you’re ok Haig? X

Hang on in there

Bob

Hi Haig

I said the other day that my husband was awaiting biopsy results. They are now in and he does not have cancer. His PSA was 30 and he was PIRADS 4. We were entirely ready for the worst, but were hoping for contained, we got a nice surprise. 

You won't know until you know. 

My very best to you and hope you can settle a bit while you wait.

Kindest regards 

Janet

Edited by member 22 Dec 2018 at 12:20  | Reason: Not specified

It said: “Suicide may relieve your pain, but then passes it on to others”.

A neighbour opposite me took his own life, leaving a widow and three young lads. Very sad. But then he was a Coventry City supporter, so probably had more excuse than a raised PSA test result!😉

Perhaps you should take up drinking for the festive period, only to go back on the wagon by way of a New Year’s resolution. You’ll look bloody silly if you get the all clear or a G3+3=6 or G3+4=7 result.

Best Christmas wishes to you and the family.

Cheers, John.

Hello. I'm back - mum was lovely, but needed to be with wife and son. A belated Merry Xmas to you all.

Haig

Chris, your words, story and fortitude are simply humbling. I have no words. I wish you peace in the New Year and you, like so many on here have actually restored my faith in humanity. Not that I have ever properly questioned humanity, per se, but when I look around at the world and compare it to the people here, there is a reality check on what it's all about. This all sounds pretty corny, trite even, but I don't give a toss. I believe that courage cannot be learnt, but here I have learnt of it from others and that in itself has given me a strength of sorts.

Bless you.

H

Thanks for sharing your storey with Haig I think the rest of us we beginning to despair and were unable to come up with anything else to help him, hopefully a kindred spirit will.

Bob

Chris

Wow, amazing results! honestly fantastic, hope you are celebrating

love Devonmaid

You stay on here so I have someone to whinge to when I fell s**t from any side effects.

Bob

Let me tell you, my friend: being diagnosed with cancer (two different sorts of cancer in my case) makes you realise, with a clarity that nothing else can, just how precious life is. Far too precious to sit around complaining about stuff you have no control over.

So for God’s sake stop bloody stressing about something that you don’t have, count yourself fortunate that, unlike us, you don’t have it, and starting living your life again.

Chris