Prostate cancer is reputedly to be slow growing…….NORMALLY!
From initial PSA check in April 2006 until diagnosis with what now appears to be either T2a or T3a cancer – we’ll find out which when the post RP pathology is available, just 21 months passed. That’s not slow growing!
My advice to anyone with a short doubling time is to “take the bull by the horns” and run with it. YOU need to get on top of this as fast as possible. Nobody, except yourself, is going to push this for you.
You will need to get as much information as possible about your (possible) condition. Remember “Knowledge is power!” …and “Time is Life!”
Armed with knowledge, you should have tests as frequently as possible, I would suggest 3 monthly, and have a DRE every time you visit the Urologist – if he doesn’t do it, then ask! Other tests are also possible, like the PCA-3 test. You need to catch this as early as possible. Waiting for the medical bods to consult each other is like waiting for the plumber to call…You’ll be there a while!!! They will dictate reports to each other, wait on results of tests etc. Every step of the way, there will be a delay of a day or two, at best, and this is all robbing you of time.
You can shave a day or more off every ‘leg’, if you pick up the phone and get a push on everything.
Get all contact info for every person/hospital/clinic you attend; name(s), phone no(s), fax no(s) and email address(es). If one test centre can’t do things quick enough, go to another.
For example, I was asked to go for an MRI and, instead of waiting for Mr. Q to dictate a letter to Mr. L., who in turn would dictate one to me, asking me to contact his clinic to arrange the MRI. I rang around all the local hospitals/clinics doing MRI, and also those in the two nearest cities, asking for the earliest possible MRI. For all in Cork, except one, there was a 3 week waiting list and a 5 day wait in one of the other cities. I got a slot within 3 days, made a tentative appointment, pending referral from my G.P. or Urologist, then both the G.P. and Urologist and had both fax through a referral letter. In doing this I probably saved myself at least a week, if not more.
Insurance
If you are reading this and have no have critical illness insurance or Life Insurance, then think long and hard before deciding against taking out cover.
Critical Illness normally only covers a relatively small number of illnesses, and even then there are restrictions on what is covered. The chances are that you will never develop one of these illnesses, so paying for CI cover will be a complete waste.
If on the other hand, you do develop one and you have NOT got cover, then, I’m sorry, but you are uninsurable. You will NOT get CI insurance after the event. Neither will you be quoted for Life Insurance. The horse has bolted!
Showing posts with label PSA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PSA. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Third PSA Check and First Biopsy
April 2007
April came round and I scheduled the PSA check ahead of the Urologist appointment. Of course, it had to be fitted round my busy work, running and racing schedule. A week or so later I got a message from the Doc, saying that the “PSA is 6.8, whatever that means”. Not a good sign.
I saw Mr. L. and he recommended a biopsy. I didn’t have a DRE this time, and didn’t ask for it either. The biopsy was scheduled for Tuesday June 4th, the day after the Cork City Marathon, where I was running one of the relay legs.
June 3rd
Cork City Marathon. I was Deputy Race Marshall but thankfully the Marshall was fit and able to cover the event, so I went off and took photos of all the Eagles I came across and also some around the mile mark and again around the two mile and three mile stages – these were all within 200m of each other.
With that done, off I went to my relay handover point; Victoria Road. I was to run the fourth stage, 6 miles, to Leesdale on the Model Farm Road. Probably started out too strongly but felt good. Nobody passed me, relay or marathon runner, until Ballyphehane Church. I’d been battling with someone from the South Link, having made up about 300m very, very quickly. Coming across Ballyphehane, I found the going heavy and thought “I measured this! This is the hardest leg! How the fuck did I end up doing this leg!!” Shortly after this the guy I was battling passed me and by Hartland’s Avenue had gained about 5m on me. I kept repeating the mantra “You can beat cancer!” in my mind. Going down Glasheen Road, towards the 18M mark, I had the upper hand but was mindful of the impending hill coming up onto Wilton Road. That was a tough hill and ‘yer man’ caught me just before the top and powered down Wilton Road, gaining about 15m in a short space of time. I thought he had me buried but, after we turned on to Model Farm Road, he seemed to tread water. He must have thought that he was only going to the turn…but we had another 1.5 miles to go, with about ¾ of that uphill – and the weather was scorching – about 22oC! I poured it on, maintaining my mantra and, very quickly, I felt him drop away, though he made a good early effort to stay with me – heard his laboured breathing. I thought the handover would never come – the handover straight seemed endless and I couldn’t pick out Paul until, it seemed, the end stages of the changeover ‘chute’. I looked back but, unfortunately, couldn’t pick out the guy I’d been battling. The 6.5 mile leg took me 36:15 and I was happy with that. The team, Golden Eagles, ended up in 14th place, in 2:48:xx. Not bad for a group with an average age of 48!
June 4th, 2007
Biopsy today. Not too bothered about this. I’m in good health. As P. says, “You’re running too well to be ill!” I reckon that this won’t show anything and then we’ll have to go looking for other causes of the elevated PSA.
I didn’t find the biopsy too bad. Dr. C did the biopsy and I got little or no info from him. During the insertion of the probe, I reckoned that he didn’t use any/enough lubricant. It felt rough. For the next 6 to 8 weeks, I still had soreness in the anal area. Preparation H and Daktarin (not both at the same time) helped. The discomfort wasn’t there all the time, though. Some time later, my G.P., Dr. C, suggested that the discomfort might have been due to micro-piles. Maybe so, but I reckon that the other Dr. C was too rough and probably didn’t use enough lubricant.
June 2007
I had a long wait for the biopsy results. Mr. L is on holidays for three weeks, so I won’t see him until he gets back. My appointment is for July 27th, however some pleading/grovelling got me in on July 4th. July 4th is a good day for us. I proposed on July 4th 1975 – I call it Dependence Day (it’s Independence Day in the U.S.A.). In hindsight, I wouldn’t advise waiting so long between the biopsy and getting the results. I found the wait very, very stressful!
July 4th, 2007
D & I went for my 10:00am appointment. I was up to high doh! Mr. L. ushered us in, making small talk on the way. Once we were seated, he started speaking about something – I don’t recall what, when I blurted out “What are we dealing with?” D said later that she was amused at my reaction. He told us that “there is no evidence of cancer.” This was a huge relief. We saw the pathology report and there was no indication of cancer whatsoever found. He said I was statistically “well outside the norm”, so I asked what the standard deviations were. He said more than three. I was hugely relieved. No cancer! D had always maintained that my metabolism is “not normal”: My resting pulse is normally in the region 46-48 and when I strolling around, will hit around 58-60, while my blood pressure is consistently 110/70. So she wasn’t a bit surprised that I was clear. At the end of the consultation, Mr. L. advised another PSA in 6 months.
Afterwards, I again started thinking “Doubling Time!” There had to be an explanation for doubling time, “odd metabolism” or not. In hindsight, I think we missed something crucial at this stage. I think that another DRE should have been carried out, irrespective of TRUS biopsy and its findings. I would also do another PSA check after 3 months. If either or both of these had been carried out, then we could have gained a possibly crucial 3 to 6 months advantage on the disease. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
I’m just an Engineer, not an Urologist, but, in my job, I regularly find problems that I have to extrapolate on and ask the question “Where else are we likely to have this?” and “How can we detect it sooner?” If we’d adopted this type of thinking here, I would have certainly looked for intermediate examinations/tests.
April came round and I scheduled the PSA check ahead of the Urologist appointment. Of course, it had to be fitted round my busy work, running and racing schedule. A week or so later I got a message from the Doc, saying that the “PSA is 6.8, whatever that means”. Not a good sign.
I saw Mr. L. and he recommended a biopsy. I didn’t have a DRE this time, and didn’t ask for it either. The biopsy was scheduled for Tuesday June 4th, the day after the Cork City Marathon, where I was running one of the relay legs.
June 3rd
Cork City Marathon. I was Deputy Race Marshall but thankfully the Marshall was fit and able to cover the event, so I went off and took photos of all the Eagles I came across and also some around the mile mark and again around the two mile and three mile stages – these were all within 200m of each other.
With that done, off I went to my relay handover point; Victoria Road. I was to run the fourth stage, 6 miles, to Leesdale on the Model Farm Road. Probably started out too strongly but felt good. Nobody passed me, relay or marathon runner, until Ballyphehane Church. I’d been battling with someone from the South Link, having made up about 300m very, very quickly. Coming across Ballyphehane, I found the going heavy and thought “I measured this! This is the hardest leg! How the fuck did I end up doing this leg!!” Shortly after this the guy I was battling passed me and by Hartland’s Avenue had gained about 5m on me. I kept repeating the mantra “You can beat cancer!” in my mind. Going down Glasheen Road, towards the 18M mark, I had the upper hand but was mindful of the impending hill coming up onto Wilton Road. That was a tough hill and ‘yer man’ caught me just before the top and powered down Wilton Road, gaining about 15m in a short space of time. I thought he had me buried but, after we turned on to Model Farm Road, he seemed to tread water. He must have thought that he was only going to the turn…but we had another 1.5 miles to go, with about ¾ of that uphill – and the weather was scorching – about 22oC! I poured it on, maintaining my mantra and, very quickly, I felt him drop away, though he made a good early effort to stay with me – heard his laboured breathing. I thought the handover would never come – the handover straight seemed endless and I couldn’t pick out Paul until, it seemed, the end stages of the changeover ‘chute’. I looked back but, unfortunately, couldn’t pick out the guy I’d been battling. The 6.5 mile leg took me 36:15 and I was happy with that. The team, Golden Eagles, ended up in 14th place, in 2:48:xx. Not bad for a group with an average age of 48!
June 4th, 2007
Biopsy today. Not too bothered about this. I’m in good health. As P. says, “You’re running too well to be ill!” I reckon that this won’t show anything and then we’ll have to go looking for other causes of the elevated PSA.
I didn’t find the biopsy too bad. Dr. C did the biopsy and I got little or no info from him. During the insertion of the probe, I reckoned that he didn’t use any/enough lubricant. It felt rough. For the next 6 to 8 weeks, I still had soreness in the anal area. Preparation H and Daktarin (not both at the same time) helped. The discomfort wasn’t there all the time, though. Some time later, my G.P., Dr. C, suggested that the discomfort might have been due to micro-piles. Maybe so, but I reckon that the other Dr. C was too rough and probably didn’t use enough lubricant.
June 2007
I had a long wait for the biopsy results. Mr. L is on holidays for three weeks, so I won’t see him until he gets back. My appointment is for July 27th, however some pleading/grovelling got me in on July 4th. July 4th is a good day for us. I proposed on July 4th 1975 – I call it Dependence Day (it’s Independence Day in the U.S.A.). In hindsight, I wouldn’t advise waiting so long between the biopsy and getting the results. I found the wait very, very stressful!
July 4th, 2007
D & I went for my 10:00am appointment. I was up to high doh! Mr. L. ushered us in, making small talk on the way. Once we were seated, he started speaking about something – I don’t recall what, when I blurted out “What are we dealing with?” D said later that she was amused at my reaction. He told us that “there is no evidence of cancer.” This was a huge relief. We saw the pathology report and there was no indication of cancer whatsoever found. He said I was statistically “well outside the norm”, so I asked what the standard deviations were. He said more than three. I was hugely relieved. No cancer! D had always maintained that my metabolism is “not normal”: My resting pulse is normally in the region 46-48 and when I strolling around, will hit around 58-60, while my blood pressure is consistently 110/70. So she wasn’t a bit surprised that I was clear. At the end of the consultation, Mr. L. advised another PSA in 6 months.
Afterwards, I again started thinking “Doubling Time!” There had to be an explanation for doubling time, “odd metabolism” or not. In hindsight, I think we missed something crucial at this stage. I think that another DRE should have been carried out, irrespective of TRUS biopsy and its findings. I would also do another PSA check after 3 months. If either or both of these had been carried out, then we could have gained a possibly crucial 3 to 6 months advantage on the disease. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
I’m just an Engineer, not an Urologist, but, in my job, I regularly find problems that I have to extrapolate on and ask the question “Where else are we likely to have this?” and “How can we detect it sooner?” If we’d adopted this type of thinking here, I would have certainly looked for intermediate examinations/tests.
Urologist Referral
January 2007
I saw Mr. L and he carried out a DRE, finding nothing unusual. He discussed the scenarios and options with me but suggested that my PSA readings “should return to normal” at the next test. Whilst the illnesses around the time of the previous tests shouldn’t affect the PSA result, he felt that my level of fitness and activities might have a bearing on the matter. I was to have another blood test in May, 6 months after the previous one.
I saw Mr. L and he carried out a DRE, finding nothing unusual. He discussed the scenarios and options with me but suggested that my PSA readings “should return to normal” at the next test. Whilst the illnesses around the time of the previous tests shouldn’t affect the PSA result, he felt that my level of fitness and activities might have a bearing on the matter. I was to have another blood test in May, 6 months after the previous one.
Second PSA Check
November 2006
I developed small blisters on the upper chest and back. At first I thought I had an allergy of some sort but at D’s instigation, I went to the doctor. I had the blisters for about 4 days at that stage. The Doc immediately diagnosed Shingles but expressed surprise that I wasn’t “tired, fatigued or in pain”
She put me on antibiotics; €192 for seven capsules. P.M said “at that price, you should be winning the races!”
About two weeks later the Doc left a message on the answering machine giving me the PSA result; 4.9ng/L, asking me to ring him. When I got hold of him, he recommended that I see an Urologist and gave me a list of three people. The first was away for two to three months and, as I generally don’t wait on my health, I immediately tried the second, Mr. L. and made an appointment for early January.
I developed small blisters on the upper chest and back. At first I thought I had an allergy of some sort but at D’s instigation, I went to the doctor. I had the blisters for about 4 days at that stage. The Doc immediately diagnosed Shingles but expressed surprise that I wasn’t “tired, fatigued or in pain”
She put me on antibiotics; €192 for seven capsules. P.M said “at that price, you should be winning the races!”
About two weeks later the Doc left a message on the answering machine giving me the PSA result; 4.9ng/L, asking me to ring him. When I got hold of him, he recommended that I see an Urologist and gave me a list of three people. The first was away for two to three months and, as I generally don’t wait on my health, I immediately tried the second, Mr. L. and made an appointment for early January.
First PSA Check
April 2006
I had my first ever PSA check done. I’d had a race the day before. I had also had a low grade chest infection for quite a while, probably since late February. It was because of this that I went to the Doc. He put me on antibiotics. PSA result came back about 10 days later; 4.3ng/L. This is marginally above the ‘normal’ range for men in their 50’s, but he said we’d check again in 6 to 12 months.
I had my first ever PSA check done. I’d had a race the day before. I had also had a low grade chest infection for quite a while, probably since late February. It was because of this that I went to the Doc. He put me on antibiotics. PSA result came back about 10 days later; 4.3ng/L. This is marginally above the ‘normal’ range for men in their 50’s, but he said we’d check again in 6 to 12 months.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Why have a blog about Prostate Cancer and running?
Well, when a routine PSA prostate check in May 2006 showed a slightly high reading of 4.3 for a 52 year-old, and a subsequent test 6 months later showed a rise to 4.9, I started checking things out and found little or nothing on the Net relating to runners or running.
I was convinced that vigourous competitive running influenced the PSA reading, in a fashion similar to cycling but found little to back the hypothesis up. Googling found little relating to running after Prostate surgery.
I was convinced that vigourous competitive running influenced the PSA reading, in a fashion similar to cycling but found little to back the hypothesis up. Googling found little relating to running after Prostate surgery.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)