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From a very frightened wife

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User
Posted 22 Oct 2019 at 15:33

Hi all. My young 70 year old husband used to have an annual medical when he was younger, including a prostate check, but that stopped  about 25 years ago. Recently he thought he should have one, thought it was the responsible thing to do. He didn't have any symptoms at all, but our GP agreed to a blood test. A few days later we got a phone call, could we visit the surgery, serious alarm bells! We went, she told us his blood levels were 12, and when she examined him his prostate was larger than it should be. A week later we were at the hospital in the consultants room, he examined him again and told us it was enlarged, but nothing to cause him too much worry. This evening we are going to have a scan, and I am terrified.  I just wanted to be part of the community because I have mental health problems, severe anxiety, and I think being able to connect with people in a similar situation will help. So, my beautiful husband has not been diagnosed yet, and god only knows I hope he isn't, but I need to hang out with you guys, to help me understand. Thank you for reading. 

User
Posted 22 Oct 2019 at 16:28

Hi It is very difficult when the doctor says you Psa is high and your prostate is enlarged .

Until  you have further investigations MRI scan and you get the Gleason score you will not know the options for you husband but please try not to think the worst as there are many treatment options on offer for you and many members on here to give you advice as they did three years ago when i was diagnosed and treated by a great team at the Lister in Stevenage and Mount Vernon.I am three years on from Brachytherapy i had done at the age of 70 and doing well.

Once you get the PSA and the Gleason score you will be able to read up on option on this site and ask more question, but i am sure you will be given the best advice from the specialists.

Good Luck John.

User
Posted 22 Oct 2019 at 17:01

Hi,    It can be difficult to go through diagnosis although it's good for doctors to be thorough. 

A high psa and an enlarged prostate has a good chance of being nothing more than a general prostate problem.

Even if it isn't a good diagnosis there is a good probability of it being totally cured or treated for a long time.

Hopefully the MRI will tell some more and until there is a full diagnosis which might involve a biopsy there is still a good chance it's benign.  You don't read much from people who are found to have nothing serious although there are more of them.   

Feel free to post all your thoughts on here.   All the best, Peter

User
Posted 22 Oct 2019 at 18:15
The majority of 70-year-old men have prostate cancer. Don't be too alarmed; even if he is diagnosed with PCa (as we call it around here) with a PSA of 12 it's overwhelmingly likely to be localised and eminently treatable. Don't regard a PCa diagnosis as a death sentence; the vast majority of men who are diagnosed with PCa have a normal life expectancy and die from something entirely unrelated.

I'm afraid it's just a matter of waiting for the diagnostic processes to be completed, which takes a while. Please don't assume the worst. Wait and see.

Best wishes,

Chris

User
Posted 23 Oct 2019 at 03:06
It's often the way that the partner of the man or his children are more worried for him than he is. You have already have a heavy load to deal with and it is important to consider your own health. Try to put your worries aside regarding your husband at least until the results of all the tests are conveyed to him and even then should the news not be good there are various ways of dealing with what might be found.
Barry
User
Posted 09 Nov 2019 at 18:07
Gwrtheyrn, Colin was subsequently diagnosed with prostate cancer and is now waiting for the MDT to make their recommendation re available treatments. You can check the most recent updates from a poster by clicking on their avatar and then select ‘most recent posts’
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

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User
Posted 22 Oct 2019 at 16:28

Hi It is very difficult when the doctor says you Psa is high and your prostate is enlarged .

Until  you have further investigations MRI scan and you get the Gleason score you will not know the options for you husband but please try not to think the worst as there are many treatment options on offer for you and many members on here to give you advice as they did three years ago when i was diagnosed and treated by a great team at the Lister in Stevenage and Mount Vernon.I am three years on from Brachytherapy i had done at the age of 70 and doing well.

Once you get the PSA and the Gleason score you will be able to read up on option on this site and ask more question, but i am sure you will be given the best advice from the specialists.

Good Luck John.

User
Posted 22 Oct 2019 at 17:01

Hi,    It can be difficult to go through diagnosis although it's good for doctors to be thorough. 

A high psa and an enlarged prostate has a good chance of being nothing more than a general prostate problem.

Even if it isn't a good diagnosis there is a good probability of it being totally cured or treated for a long time.

Hopefully the MRI will tell some more and until there is a full diagnosis which might involve a biopsy there is still a good chance it's benign.  You don't read much from people who are found to have nothing serious although there are more of them.   

Feel free to post all your thoughts on here.   All the best, Peter

User
Posted 22 Oct 2019 at 18:15
The majority of 70-year-old men have prostate cancer. Don't be too alarmed; even if he is diagnosed with PCa (as we call it around here) with a PSA of 12 it's overwhelmingly likely to be localised and eminently treatable. Don't regard a PCa diagnosis as a death sentence; the vast majority of men who are diagnosed with PCa have a normal life expectancy and die from something entirely unrelated.

I'm afraid it's just a matter of waiting for the diagnostic processes to be completed, which takes a while. Please don't assume the worst. Wait and see.

Best wishes,

Chris

User
Posted 22 Oct 2019 at 21:01

Thanks all, we are now back from the hospital, and I suppose now it is just a waiting game. We are due to go on holiday in for weeks for a month, the consultant told us not to cancel until we know what the diagnosis is. I think I suddenly realise we are getting on a bit! I have just been diagnosed with pre diabetes, my ex husband is in hospital with only days to live, he has a rare form of blood and bone cancer, my children are heartbroken, my son has come over from Australia to say his goodbyes and both my daughters are up and down the motorway from Gloucester, we live in West Yorkshire. One son in law has a father with COPD and has just been told he has 2 shadows on his lungs and is on permanent oxygen, my other son in laws dad is in a similar position, in and out of hospital. My dad is 86 and has had 5 strokes, fell and broke his hip and while he was in hospital we had the "talking to" from the doctors 3 times, then he had a heart attack, and got MRSA... twice. My 96 year old mother in law is in the final stages of Alzheimers.

My lovely Colin says he isn't too concerned, but I think he is trying to be positive. God I love that man. Hope you all have a great evening. x

User
Posted 23 Oct 2019 at 03:06
It's often the way that the partner of the man or his children are more worried for him than he is. You have already have a heavy load to deal with and it is important to consider your own health. Try to put your worries aside regarding your husband at least until the results of all the tests are conveyed to him and even then should the news not be good there are various ways of dealing with what might be found.
Barry
User
Posted 09 Nov 2019 at 16:47

It’s good to have it checked out. However, a high PSA level and enlarged prostate at your hubby’s age might not be PCa but could be just prostate enlargement (happens to all men!)

A scan (MRI presumably) will help - one reason that PSA blood levels aren’t routinely used to screen for PCa is because of false positives, that is that it can lead to lots of men having unnecessary biopsies which reveal no carcinomas.

Should it turn out that he has it, treatment and outlook these days is amazingly good and improving very quickly, with favourable 10 year survival rates.

 

User
Posted 09 Nov 2019 at 16:53

Sounds like you have a lot on your plate at present.

i can understand your Colin not being too worried about his condition. My PSA was 330 and I have locally advanced PCa and will have radiotherapy in the new year but am philosophical about it. Treatment success rates are pretty good these days.

User
Posted 09 Nov 2019 at 18:07
Gwrtheyrn, Colin was subsequently diagnosed with prostate cancer and is now waiting for the MDT to make their recommendation re available treatments. You can check the most recent updates from a poster by clicking on their avatar and then select ‘most recent posts’
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

 
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