Why did I ask for a psa test???

User

Posted 21 Dec 2025 at 16:45

Thanks for that - it's not until it actually affects your life that you start to realise how much of an inexact science diagnosis and treat of PC is. The fact that I've had/ having, PSA, dre, MRI, bone scan, possible biopsy, shows the extent of information needed to make a diagnosis with some of it seeming to counter intuitive. Then a whole range of possible treatments - it almost makes any decision virtually pot luck...and it could be life or death any way you choose. Maybe I'm being over dramatic because at the moment I have quite a lot of anxiety, some anger and a strange sense of just "ah, it is what it is, bring it on".

User

Posted 21 Dec 2025 at 20:06

Hi Dave,

Believe me it’s a waste of time being bitter and angry about it. But I do understand your range of emotions.

When I got around to reflect on my situation I concluded that actually I was extremely lucky. I could so easily have ignored my symptoms and/or delayed carrying out a decision to go to the docs.

I still hold that view today, even through the down moments. So bring it on 👍 is the attitude.

Best of luck

Spongebob

User

Posted 21 Dec 2025 at 23:02

Hi Dave, My husband's PSA was similar. After MRI, CT, and PSMA-PET, his surgeon said it's PC, no need for a biopsy. We'll do the pathology when I take it out. Which he did because my husband is young, Hope it was worth it but we won't know for some time because of ADT.

User

Posted 21 Dec 2025 at 23:29

Thanks a lot - that helps. I guess it's early days and my emotions might be a bit scattered at the moment. It's good to know there are guys just like me on here who I can call on for words of experience and support - much appreciated.

User

Posted 02 Jan 2026 at 12:45

CT-Scan done. Appointment with consultant 20th jan. Hopefully this will be to discuss treatment.

First prostap 3 done on 31st.

I've looked at a few well respected studies on the subject of ADT duration. The general consensus of opinion is 36 months is NO better than 18 months,

Anyhoo only just started so will see how it goes. Mainly the Side Effects.

If I get a HOT Flush I can go outside and build an Igloo or Snowman as we have at least 12" snow here in Aberdeen today.

Happy New Year everyone....

User

Posted 02 Jan 2026 at 16:11

Happy New Year 🥳

Welcome to ‘Prostap Hell’ Dave. Enjoy those pesky side effects 😬.
18 months. 2 years, 3 years?? Who knows? I’ve got just 8 months more to complete my 3 year misery, my ‘Independence Day’ looms - can’t wait!

Just enjoying Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - my favourite film.

Good luck.

Spongebob

User

Posted 02 Jan 2026 at 17:52

Happy New Year Spongebob. 3 years is a long time so well done to you.. Did you read a post on here where this chap did 8 years. He started ADT in 2018 and he did'nt realised he had been handed over to his GP 2021. Turned out his hospital records had'nt been updated properly. His GP did'nt bother to check for him so he just carried on with 3 monthly injections. 8 years in total!!. You could'nt make it up.

Anyway 30 minutes of Ben Hur before I switched OFF!!!

User

Posted 02 Jan 2026 at 19:14

8 years!! No I haven’t seen that post, crikey! 8 years when you don’t need to be on it - nightmare!

It does seem to have different degrees of impact from person to person, I do hope you get away with it quite lightly Dave. Either way you’ll be fine, you can do it.

Certainly, I agree that the weather you get up there could prove to be a good possible antidote to the hot sweats.
Talking about Aberdeen, have you seen Logan McRae out and about?

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was good, they did manage to rescue grandad and got away in the end 😬.

cheers

Spongebob

User

Posted 19 Jan 2026 at 17:26

Well, scan has showed nothing untoward. Some fatty change in liver. Do'nt drink alcohol any longer but still a tad overweight.

Been on Prostat for 3 weeks and only a few warm flushes. Got some weights and a shiny new exercise bike so hopefully I keep some of my muscle and keep the flab at bay.

A flow test first tommorow which should be a bundle of laughs. Having said that my rate of flow seem to have improved since the prostat injection. Not that it was too bad in the first place.

After this a bit lunch and then a 4pm appointment with my Consultant Clinical Ongologist. Most likely to form the Radiation Plan. I saw a vidio of him and he seems like a happy chappy.

I've seen to many up to date studies which show 36 months ADT is not much better than 18 months or even less (12). Even the MD with the flashy ties (Mark Sholtz MD) seems to suggest shorter ADT especially when no mestasis (spelling) found.

Anyway lets what he has to say.. I'm also thinking I might be OK to switch tablet form ORGOYX (Relugolix). Just another Pill to add to my Pill box.

User

Posted 19 Jan 2026 at 17:41

Hi Dave.

Thanks for update. I'm glad the scan was okay and good luck for tomorrow, mate. 👍

User

Posted 10 Feb 2026 at 21:59

So quick question. Bloods taken after 3 weeks on ADT and PSA was down to 3.5 from 12.1. Having said that the 12.1 was from PSA reading end of july last year. Not a clue if had risen between July and January as I was not offered a test before starting Prostat. Anyway just need to know if this 3 week drop is acceptable... Cheers everybody.. Dave

Edited by moderator 10 Feb 2026 at 22:02 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 13 Apr 2026 at 10:33

Well here I am around 9 months down the road since my early diagnoses.. This coming Friday at 14.18pm? I have my first sunbed treatment. I'm told it will be VMAT. This will be the first of 20 sessions. After almost 4 months of ADT (3 months prostap and then changed to Relugolix tablets). The usual flashes but not too bad although recent pain in my toe joints. This might be a possible side effect I read but who knows?. My Oncologist suggests there's a possibility I might have to Self-Catheratise because I cocked up the Flow Test. So he thinks Urine Retention but I disagree as many tests at home have been good. Anyway what does he know🤔.. If needed my wife who was a trained nurse and pretty good at playing with my todger (before we got married) will help out if and when I need to Self Cathaterise.

Reminds me of the old joke. How do you get your girl friend to stop playing with your willy. Answer "Marry her"😀...

My plan is to stop the ADT after 18 months and to a certain degree my baldy Onco agrees.

I can't be arsed to fill in my details. So as a reminder at the start my PSA was 12.15. After the usual tests I was diagnosed T3a (nods and bone scan clear). I asked for a Pet-Scan but they don't fund this in Scotland unless your at deaths door. I might pay for one myself at the end of the year.

Lastly I hope you are ALL doing well and getting on with life. After all here in Scotland we have 2 weeks of summer to look forward to😎

Cheers Dave

User

Posted 13 Apr 2026 at 12:46

Good luck Dave with your upcoming radio, 20 sessions, it will soon go once you get into the routine of emptying your bowels, filling with water and getting zapped. You even get a couple of tattoos on the belly as a keepsake.
Stick with the HT, you haven’t got enough toes and fingers with which to count all the side effects, joint pain being one of them. But as with all things - we manage.

Enjoy your 2 weeks of Scottish summer if/when it arrives. I was on Mull for a week at beginning of April and can confirm that it was still well and truly winter then.

Cheers

Spongebob

User

Posted 17 Apr 2026 at 09:08

Thanks Spongebob. Watching GB news and sipping the 750mls water I'm instructed to hydrate. Will then leave at 12pm to drive the 50 mins. to Hospital. My appointment is 2.18pm but adviced to arrive one hour early as I did for the planning. On arrival I stick the enema up my bum and wait 15 mins. I take a little lactalose 2 or 3 hours before I leave home and then a dump before I head out. The enema just makes sure my back end is clear. No problem at the planning with this prep. Half an hour before the procedure (2.18pm)? I 'm told to drink 500mls water then wait for the call.

Must admit after lying down on the treatment bed the nurses do'nt stand on ceremony and whip you joggers to your ankles in 1 second flat. I said to them it's quite a while since two nurses dropped my trousers quite so fast. Bit of a wry smile as she said "we've heard this all before"... Not sure if they covered my willy but to be honest I did'nt care. My ex Nurse wife told me they used to use a paper cup. I would have cracked the pint jug joke joke but thought better of it. Yes I realised they had heard it all before. Anyway today is the first of 20 sessions. I'll handle the side effects as and when they come.

We did the 500 last year as this was the only area in Scotland I had'nt worked in. I love the west side. We occassional take breaks in Oban and been over on the Ferry to Mull 3 or 4 times. Weather pretty good at the moment. We lived in Madeira for two years and yesterday would you believe here in Aberdeen we were slightly warmer tha Madeira.

OK will give a run down on how today goes over the weekend.

Cheers Dave

User

Posted 24 Apr 2026 at 09:57

Hi all. Well that's the first week almost over. Today will be 6 out of 20 fractions. Any personal modesty is thrown to the wind before treatment. Joggers and Boxers swiftly yanked down too the ankles by two lovely nurses one on each side of the sunbed. Brings pleasant memories from my distant Past😆

This is where the fun begins with the bladder scan. I very quickly realised this was the most tricky part of the treatment. If your not comfortably full then its off the bed and sent to naughty waiting area with instructions to either wait 15 minutes and if they say so drink a few gulps of CO2... When I first arrived there was a steady stream of men returning to do the same thing. It was either thumbs up or thumbs down. Sometimes a HIP HIP Hurra!!. Our hospital offers free tea or coffee from the volanteers cart. Really funny when the men say better not, but any wife's or partners happily order a coffee.

My first 2 days went great until overnight I somehow twisted my back. Not had this problem for over 3 years. Just Sods Law. I had to get a Porter on the 3rd day because the Radiotherapy Department is about half a mile from the reception entrance. I dug out an old Back Brace I must have bought on Amazon for the rest of the week and managed to get by. THe biggest problem is getting off the sunbed table but we managed to work out how to do it without too much stabbing pains.

So no symptoms appeared as yet and looking forward to Saturday and Sunday OFF!!.

Another 5 fractions next week will bring my just more than half way through my treatment...

Cheers Dave... Appolgies for my spelling..

User

Posted 25 Apr 2026 at 08:11

Thanks for the update, mate. I'm glad that things are progressing and that you are managing to maintain your sense of humour.

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Joggers and Boxers swiftly yanked down too the ankles by two lovely nurses one on each side

I thought you were a Scot, Dave. Wouldn't a kilt allow easier access to your Trossachs? 🙂

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Appolgies for my spelling..

😂

I hope the rest of your treatment goes well. 👍

Edited by member 25 Apr 2026 at 08:15 | Reason: Typo

User

Posted 23 May 2026 at 11:05

Well completed my 20 sunbed sessions 10 days ago. So far no side effects of note. Occassional dash to the pee pan but all good considering my Baldy Consultant seemed to be certain I might need self cathetarisation. I disagreed. It was stress and anxiety that cocked up (parden the pun) my Flow Test on 2 occassions. Anyhoo he signed me off for my treatment. He seemed to enjoy rattling off the other possible side effects short of saying my John Thomas might drop off!. Time will tell but happy at the moment. Bloods in about 5 weeks to see how PSA going.

One possible side effect is from ADT regulolux Tablets started 6 or 7 weeks ago. Aching, sore, stiff feet. Reported this and very nice nurse phoned and said it would'nt be from RAD treatment but would very likely improve as my body got used to the ADT tablets. We'll see.... Stopping ADT at 18 months instead of 24 months. At least that's my plan but need too have good PSA numbers...

THE NURSES, RADIOLOGIST etc. here at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary were all absolutely fantastic. We had a linac break down one day and they coped brilliantly. I arrived for my 3pm appointment to be greeted with a full waiting room full of men with legs crossed with over full bladders. Most were laughing but sum were peeing from their eyes.. I must admit I miss the daily crac. All we really needed was a bar in the corner selling lager instead of flippin water.

Finishing treatment was a fond farewell too the chaps still to complete with the words "Hope we don't meet again back here in the future"...

Love and Peace Dave......

User

Posted 23 May 2026 at 11:22

Good stuff Dave, that’s one hurdle out the way, it will soon be a distant memory. I hope you celebrated, perhaps a curry with a few beers to mark the achievement 😬.
I had a similar situation with a sunbed machine breakdown halfway through being zapped. I was impressed, when they whisked me over to another machine to resume and complete the zapping from when it stopped.

And for what it’s worth, HT also caused irritating foot pain for me, especially the soles, often feels like I’ve got a dog biscuit stuck in my sock when walking around. Like all the other tremendous side effects, we cope, although it is a bit demoralising to say the least when I notice my little Jim resembling a walnut and also with as much life in it as a walnut.

Good luck with the rest of it, there’s light at the end of the tunnel 😃.

Spongebob

User

Posted 23 May 2026 at 12:30

Thanks Spongebob. Interesting that you suffered from foot problems with ADT. With me it's like pebbles on the soles of my feet. It doesn't help when I have a couple of Big Toe bunions which occassionaly flair up. I've had the Doppler Ultrasound which showed there was no sirculation problems. Anyhoo lets hope at goes away.

Sods Law on my last session I just could'nt get my bladder right after 4 attempts. 5th attempt clear to go only just. This was an hour and a half after drinking 750mls of water. The previous day I was taken early and hardly got 400 mls in but passed no problem.

My little Jim seems about the same size but my bollocks have shrunk back too what they were when I was in my teens. Not a bad thing really as I can bend down without trapping them between my legs.

Hows your Spuds?. All ours have come through and earthed up. We did them in bags this year purchased from TEMU quite cheaply. Outside toms are flowering and hopefully will come on fast in this warm weather. Yes even here in Aberdeen its pretty warm. I have 4 thriving Bananas outside doing great. This Global Warming is definately real. Scraped the car windscreen only 2 or 3 times this winter and only one fall of Snow.

Thankfully only PSA blood test needed for now. I was asked to test for the BRAC gene to help in a major research. Phone call yesterday told me I was negative for this gene so good news especially for my son and any other son i might have produced in my distance active past that i'm unaware of.....

OK time for lunch. Your testerone will be slowly returning so fingers crossed this takes you slowly back to normal... What's Normal???

Cheers Dave

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