Know what your "PSA" IS?

Gentlemen; This is directed at the males here. If you are aproaching 40 please get a physical and request your "bloodwork" includes your "PSA" (prostate specific antigen)) levels.
If for nothing else thanto get a baseline # for your body so youcan detect CHANGES.

200,000 New cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year.
I am "only" 51yearsold. in February 2011; I went to a local doc for routine physical because I hadn't had one in many years.

( I don't go to the doctor unless the bone is sticking outand duct tape can't fix it(!) My "PSA" was "up slightly" from what was considered nominal;
I HAD NONE of the commonly described "prostate issue" SYMPTOMS!

Doc says:"Come back in two months for a re-check perhaps its a lab issue,two months later it was slighly higher yet.
Then "Go see a UROLOGIST": He couldn't feel anything during my exam; was perplexed and , he RECOMMENDED a biopsy.
I was definitively diagnosed with a moderately differentiated prostate cancer (several "gleason score 6" and "gleasonscore7" biopsy cores)
Today: I am sitting home recovering from a "Davinci robotic prostatectomy" (pretty cool technology). Awaiting the final pathology results.Surgeon said things"looked" clean inside but only the final pathology report will determine if I dodged the cancer bullet or not.

Once again:I had NO prostate related symptoms.

Cancers and patients are all different and there is much research to be done but if mine was contained within the gland I statistically added at least 15-20 years to my life span.(and I can think of better ways to die than metastasized cancer)

GET CHECKED brothers!.

I can't emphasize enough . Don't wait until you have "issues"( urination or erectile problems
Don't be afraid of thebiopsy ;its embarassing but relatively painless.
WATCH FOR CHANGES.

reply to post by 46ACE



Per the norm, the norm is being questioned again. Now there are studies that say your PSA has no relevence. My Bro in Law has prostate cancer and is in a non-traditional treatment program and is doing good. They won't tell me what they are doing, but news from home is positive. For that, I am grateful.

I'm glad to see your doing good as wel.

reply to post by 46ACE


there has been some stuff in the news lately about doctors lieing about people have cancer and then giving them operations they dont need. wish i had a link to some more info on this to put up. i know there was one officer for sure where the doctor was makeing 100k or more every week off these operations for people who didnt need them

reply to post by 46ACE


I never heard of the "Davinci robotic prostatectomy". Is this a new way to remove the prostrate or a less painful method to remove the cancer than what they used before?

reply to post by unbanable123
Its a complicated issue, my gp also claimed the psa is not a reliable indicator and could be high for a number of reasons. Each case should be handled on an individual basis. in my case ( age and other condition the biopsy results were definitive enough.for me (I didn't want to take the chance) . For an older person who may well die from something else conditions are different. the cancer may spread and kill them in 12years but they may die from something else in ten. All I'm saying is to be aware and see a ("plumbing")pro.

reply to post by unbanable123
sorry mods double post...

Originally posted by WeRpeons
reply to post by 46ACE

 

I never heard of the "Davinci robotic prostatectomy". Is this a new way to remove the prostrate or a less painful method to remove the cancer than what they used before?

Its an improved laproscopic surgical technique utilizing what is basically an industrial robot manipulated by a surgeon.They are also doing head and neck cancer surgeries and hysterectomies with them. the robot is more precise; the surgeon can move his finger 3/8th of an inch and the system scales down the movement to a few hundreths of an inch. A surgeon's natural hand tremor is filtered out. vision is magnified and improved.if you 've got to get it done, it provides quicker recovery times( less collateral damage and blood loss)for the patient and more precise surgery.

you tube to the rescue!

Originally posted by unbanable123
reply to post by 46ACE

 

there has been some stuff in the news lately about doctors lieing about people have cancer and then giving them operations they dont need. wish i had a link to some more info on this to put up. i know there was one officer for sure where the doctor was makeing 100k or more every week off these operations for people who didnt need them

Believe me this thought crosses your mind; but you have to choose to trust your doctors or not. Second opinions are never a "bad idea". Somebody is telling you something from a piece of paper and making recommendations. YOU have to be comfortable. or run away.

I will get a final pathology report this week. I don't expect it to contradict my biopsy.Mydoctors come highly recommended by others I know.. if it should I would seek some form of justice even though my gland can't be re-installed.

Originally posted by TDawgRex
reply to post by 46ACE

 

Per the norm, the norm is being questioned again. Now there are studies that say your PSA has no relevence. My Bro in Law has prostate cancer and is in a non-traditional treatment program and is doing good. They won't tell me what they are doing, but news from home is positive. For that, I am grateful.

I'm glad to see your doing good as wel.

edit on 29-5-2011 by TDawgRex because: (no reason given)

I feel for him... and understand. It's the diagnosis no man wants to hear.Start asking around you'll be surprised at how many men around you have to deal with it.

Cancer and surgical decisions in general are guided by solid studies and hard statistics of actual cases. Doctors are only going by the recognized "parin tables" which match gleason score and psa with outcomes.

Even if there was a 98% 10 year survival rate indicated for a set of conditions. two percent of patients with those same conditions didn't survive.(Odds are acase will fall into the 98% bin but somebody didn't make it to the 10 year mark as a result of "their" cancer). A patient has to choose his acceptance of risk.with the advice of the professionals.

So whether a surgery is "uneccesary" as was implied by another poster could be an unwinnable argument.There are no absolutes. I could have done fine for 15 years and gotten hit by a bus or had a metastasis in 10 and died at 12 years out.No one knows for sure..

Good luck to your bro inlaw with his choices and outcome..