Hello everyone. I thought I would say hi as I am hoping to be here a while. Things for me started really in January this year with some toilet issues. Urgency, frequency and pain post urination. It came to a head when I very nearly wet the bed and thought for a 53 year old, sober man, that is not normal. I called GP and a urine test and blood test was organised. After a few days I called the receptionist and she said all ok apart from a low white and red count so that needs to be tested again. I breathed a sigh or relief, and went about my day. One hour later the GP himself called and said my PSa was “Extremely high” and not to put too fine a point on it I should be thinking cancer! Well that took the legs away from me but I did appreciate his candour. He said he had made an urgent referral to urology. In fact I saw the Urologist 2 weeks later who did a DRE and ultrasound and confirmed he wasn’t happy with what he felt. He did say this could be anything but organised a CT, MRI, Bon escan and TR biopsy. Long sorry short the results are in and in many ways it’s not good. Bone scan showed Mets to sacrum and ribs, biopsy had all 8 cores cancerous and a Gleason of 9 with a 5/4 split. I have since found out my PSa was 127. Urologist did amdmit he thought cancer straight away. Unfortunately the CT and I imagine the MRI show the the cancer had also left the prostate and is in areas around the prostate itself. So a diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer.
I have started on the life long hormone therapy and await the appointment with the oncologist to see what can be done to hold things back. Emotionally it has been a rollercoaster of course. The aim for me now is to squeeze as many years as possible out to life, so long as they are with good quality. I am fit, active and have been keeping that way. The worst symptom I have at this moment apart from the the lack of sleep due to being up at toilet is a slightly swollen left ankle. Otherwise I am ok.
For anyone else in my position I hope you can stay strong and positive.
