I'm not the only one...Prostate Health and Colon Health too!

When I heard about Joe B being diagnosed with aggressive cancer, I thought about your situation. Good to hear you are still in treatment. Is it what they refer to as hormonal treatment?

 

Yes. Lupron. The idea is to shut down testosterone completely. Prolia helps with bone mass loss. I was 5'10¹/². Now 5' 9¹/². I get an annual Dexa bone scan.

 

Update.... still beating "it". Going on 8 years. Got a Lupron hormone therapy shot 3 weeks ago. PSA was still <0.1 ng/l. Got my Prolia shot this morning. Helps build up bone mass. Fun times!

 

If you are 40.....
Are you getting your PSA tested along with your annual physical????
Are you getting an annual physical???,

 

Just.....do....it...!

 

You really could have phrased that better.

 

I’ve always have gone in for my annual check up with the primary doctor. At my age, 74, I also see the urologist and cardiologist on an annual schedule. I saw my cardiologist last month and he said “see you next year “. My pacemaker is still keeping the old ticker going. I’ve also started on some weight training (light weights) and have gotten stronger over the last six months. My cardiologist said I have no restrictions.

 

OP I stumbled into the Off Topic Forum and found this thread. Thank you for sharing your journey.

For those on the fence about PSA check an or Prostate Exam, just do it! At 50 my PSA began to rise. At 54 I had Brachytherapy (Radioactive Titanium Seeds) implanted into the Prostate. my PSA went from 5 to 13 now down to <.1

I went to 3 different specialist getting info on Prostate removal vs radioactive seeds. Seeds worked for me. 8+ years later I get PSA Bloodwork every 6 months to look for changes.
Congrats OP on your continued health!

The old saying goes "At 50 get a hobby, get a sports car and switch to a female Urologist". Lol

 

I seem to run high PSA levels. 8 years ago I had a biopsy due to PSA around 10. Found nothing. Three years ago it was back up and I had MRI. Found nothing. Long talk with my urologist. He asked if I studied prior to the PSA test. WTF? He explained so many things can elevate the PSA. Sex within 3 days, riding a bike, motorcycle, horse etc. Sitting on a wood bench for hours and with some drinking Whiskey. I thought back when my numbers were high and yeah, I did all the wrong things prior to the blood draw.

Anyone else hear this?

 

Yeah I get tested every 6 months and the week before the blood draw I abstain from all the things you mention. Sex or long showers (wink) are the big ones.

 

I had never heard of that before. Did a quick read on it. Medical science blows my mind...

 

My prostate was full of cancer. Ruled out the seed implants. DaVinci robotic surgery to remove the prostate. Fun times. 2017. March.

 

Yeah the "Seeds" are radioactive titanium capsules the size of a grain of rice. I had 55 "seeds" implanted into the prostate. The radiation is Cesium CS131. High radiation short life. Basically used for early stage Prostate Cancer. The MRI determines placement and the doc surrounds the area with the seeds. The thing is you can only choose radiation or removal. Once irradiated the tissue dies and it's hard to distinguish the prostate from surrounding tissues for a later removal (so I was told). So if it returns I can only do more radiation.

I was lucky. Detected early and treated right away. I did NOT want the "lets continue to monitor" approach. Once my Urologist did the biopsy (had two of them) I contacted the leading local SF Bay Area, CA specialists on both robotic surgery and radiation implants. Found Dr Steven Kurtzman who was amazing.
https://westernradiationoncology.com/about-us/steven-kurtzman/

For any of you that are diagnosed or on the fence of getting check, I would encourage you to get check then get treated. If you live somewhere where there is not a specialist get on a plane. From my limited research you want to find a specialist even if not local. Don't leave it up to your Health System Urologist. Get a pro!