Looking for Advice

I'm lucky in that I have various medical friends. One is a retired GP from the UK who has recently had his own cancer issues. 

Last Wednesday I sent him the following email

Can I pick your retired brain?

Has a trip to the finger up the bum Dr today. Enlarged prostate, but not hard and no nodules. It could just be an infection, but I'd have to have a biopsy to find out. I have two weeks for that decision to be made. Is there any reason not to have the biopsy?

I'm not waking to pee, or peeing more than before, and there's no blood. The only reason we picked it up is that I had a blood test a couple of weeks ago and my PSA was high.

His response was

Go for it!

A biopsy is not a big deal and you will have a definitive answer. Otherwise you’ll always be wondering about prostate cancer.

Hope all goes well

 I guess that means yes to the biopsy.

Dr's Appointment, 28 August

Off to see nice Dr L, to see if she can think of any reason for not having the biopsy. 

She thinks the urologist thinks there's no need for a biopsy, and that's why the he didn't say I have to have one. So it's a blood test in 6 weeks and a pause to think .

It's when they use that word with a C (even when they're telling you it's NOT that) suddenly makes you feel un- invincible. Possibly for the first time ever.

First Appointment with the Urologist

So. In to Châtellerault to see the urologist.

Dr B. speaks good english, but his opening line needs some attention. He explained that prostate cancer is common, most men get it, not many die of it, and there is an option to do nothing. He then adds "but end of life care in France is really good".

That is sobering, and I think at that moment all the air went out of the room. I felt sick. Really like I was going to throw up and pass out.

It's then time for the finger up the bum routine. I'm taken into a side room, told to drop them and bend over a bed. I have to admit it wasn't nice, but nor was it painful or embarrassing. 

We're told that my prostate is enlarged, but there are no modules in there. It might just be an infection, but the only way to know is if I have a biopsy. It sounds like that it's my choice, so I ask if we can think about it. 

We make an appointment for two weeks time, and leave. It's a sombre mood on the way home, and I'm having problems dealing with it all. 

I need to talk to people.

It would have been my mother's 89th birthday today. I'm not sure how - or if - I could have told her that.

August PSA Results

Damn. My PSA levels are 23.01. That means the last test wasn't just a one off and we actually have to do something. My first appointment with the Urologist is next week.

Had a chat with a mate. His levels are highish but there's no sign of cancer. He had to have a biopsy to find that out.

Blood test

I had a blood test today to see if the PSA level last time was a mistake.

That means walking to the bottom of our road to the domiciliary nurses' office.

And so it starts

I was nervous at the Doctor's, even though she is a nice lady who speaks excellent English.

She explained that my previous blood test had shown an elevated PSA* level. Previously (July 2021) the level was 5, now it was 17•8. She explained about PSA, but said it didn't necessarily mean cancer, sometimes you can have an aggravated or infected prostate. I'm not sure why nothing was said two years ago, because the desired level is less than 4.

I'd been cycling quite a lot, and getting sore in the seat, so she prescribed another test, just in case it was just a blip, but she wrote a referral to a urologist for additional tests.

Just the mention of the C word is bloody scary. When I was growing up it meant massive weight loss, and was never mentioned until the funeral 6 months later.

I have been happier...

*PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, is a protein produced by the prostate gland. A small amount of PSA is normally released into the bloodstream. However, when the prostate gland is enlarged or inflamed, or when prostate cancer is present, more PSA is often released, which can be detected in a blood test.