In article ,
polygonum writes:
On 14/10/2016 11:38, Bob Minchin wrote:
A mate of mine had a physical tap fitted privately some years ago.
We are not good enough friends for me to have seen the "equipment" but
apparently when convenient to him he can open the tap, drain and
re-close it. Saves all the constant wee just for a few drips problem.
He regularly drinks a pint or two down the pub with no obvious
discomfort. Might be worth asking your consultant about it?

Gives a whole new meaning to Tap Room.

I was imagining it being on the bar...

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

In article ,
bert writes:
In article , Mick IOW
writes
Hi all,
I realize this is not an healthcare group, but wonder if
anyone has had a
Private Prostate resection operation who could tell me the rough cost
please?
I have had an enlarged Prostate for many years and have had many test
and am currently on Dustasteride/Tamsulosin tablets per day.
In the past 3 or 4 years my sleep has been terrible because of the
amount of times I wake needing to wee only to do a few dribbles and so
on.
I wear inconstance pants all the time.
My local hospital say I am on the "urgent" list but I can get no "when
date" from them.
If I could afford to pay it would be worth it to get some sleep.
Mick. aged 72.
I'm sure BUPA would give you a quote.

I don't think BUPA have any hospitals anymore, but many (most, all?) of
the Spire hospitals used to be BUPA hospitals and you can be treated
at these privately without being a BUPA member.

Many NHS hospitals also have a private ward, and can do likewise. It
will often be the same surgeon whichever route you go.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 15/10/16 13:13, GB wrote:
On 15/10/2016 11:37, wrote:

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago
which came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men
have undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all
dying of something completely unrelated.


That's about the size of it ;-)

My ex business partner died of it though he was younger than me. I've met
a few more people who subsequently *have* died of it.

It's more than common, it's almost ubiquitous, but it's usually very slow
moving.

Scuse my ignorance but how do you actually die with prostate cancer?
I have no idea, i'm getting on a bit and do have a slight problem with
peeing, sometimes.
I'll admit it, i don't mind being dead but i'm **** scared of dying and
don't wanna be there when it happens.
Any clues?

In article om, bm
wrote:

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 15/10/16 13:13, GB wrote:
On 15/10/2016 11:37, wrote:

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago
which came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men
have undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all
dying of something completely unrelated.


That's about the size of it ;-)

My ex business partner died of it though he was younger than me. I've
met a few more people who subsequently *have* died of it.

It's more than common, it's almost ubiquitous, but it's usually very
slow moving.

Scuse my ignorance but how do you actually die with prostate cancer? I
have no idea, i'm getting on a bit and do have a slight problem with
peeing, sometimes.

What happens is that the cancer - which starts off in the prostate -
spreads to other parts of the body

I'll admit it, i don't mind being dead but i'm **** scared of dying and
don't wanna be there when it happens. Any clues?

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England

On 16/10/2016 06:27, charles wrote:
What happens is that the cancer - which starts off in the prostate -
spreads to other parts of the body

That is dying *OF* prostate cancer.

Dying *WITH* it is when they do a PM and find signs of prostate cancer
but decide it had no impact on your demise.

--
Rod

On 16/10/16 00:09, bm wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 15/10/16 13:13, GB wrote:
On 15/10/2016 11:37, wrote:

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago
which came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men
have undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all
dying of something completely unrelated.


That's about the size of it ;-)

My ex business partner died of it though he was younger than me. I've met
a few more people who subsequently *have* died of it.

It's more than common, it's almost ubiquitous, but it's usually very slow
moving.

Scuse my ignorance but how do you actually die with prostate cancer?
I have no idea, i'm getting on a bit and do have a slight problem with
peeing, sometimes.
I'll admit it, i don't mind being dead but i'm **** scared of dying and
don't wanna be there when it happens.

I think it escapes and starts secondaries and that's what kills you.

That's the way testicular kills if it does,.


Any clues?




--
All political activity makes complete sense once the proposition that
all government is basically a self-legalising protection racket, is
fully understood.

On Sunday, 16 October 2016 00:09:52 UTC+1, bm wrote:
I'll admit it, i don't mind being dead but i'm **** scared of dying and
don't wanna be there when it happens.

Sorry but you have to be present at your own death. It makes the paperwork easier. Can you imagine the complications if you died in bed at the same time as the hospital had you walking twice round the daffodils?

Owain

On 16/10/2016 09:19, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 16/10/16 00:09, bm wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 15/10/16 13:13, GB wrote:
On 15/10/2016 11:37, wrote:

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago
which came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men
have undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all
dying of something completely unrelated.


That's about the size of it ;-)

My ex business partner died of it though he was younger than me. I've
met
a few more people who subsequently *have* died of it.

It's more than common, it's almost ubiquitous, but it's usually very
slow
moving.

Scuse my ignorance but how do you actually die with prostate cancer?
I have no idea, i'm getting on a bit and do have a slight problem with
peeing, sometimes.
I'll admit it, i don't mind being dead but i'm **** scared of dying and
don't wanna be there when it happens.

I think it escapes and starts secondaries and that's what kills you.

That's the way testicular kills if it does,.


Any clues?




When your balls drop off ;-)

On 15/10/2016 23:38, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
bert writes:
In article , Mick IOW
writes
Hi all,
I realize this is not an healthcare group, but wonder if
anyone has had a
Private Prostate resection operation who could tell me the rough cost
please?
I have had an enlarged Prostate for many years and have had many test
and am currently on Dustasteride/Tamsulosin tablets per day.
In the past 3 or 4 years my sleep has been terrible because of the
amount of times I wake needing to wee only to do a few dribbles and so
on.
I wear inconstance pants all the time.
My local hospital say I am on the "urgent" list but I can get no "when
date" from them.
If I could afford to pay it would be worth it to get some sleep.
Mick. aged 72.
I'm sure BUPA would give you a quote.

I don't think BUPA have any hospitals anymore, but many (most, all?) of
the Spire hospitals used to be BUPA hospitals and you can be treated
at these privately without being a BUPA member.

Many NHS hospitals also have a private ward, and can do likewise. It
will often be the same surgeon whichever route you go.


Can I just say how much better off you generally are in (the private
wing of) an NHS hospital than a private hospital, if something goes
wrong. The private hospitals generally don't have doctors available on
the site. Possibly a single generalist duty doctor.

Get it done in a decent NHS teaching hospital. Go privately there for
greater comfort, jumping the queue, and having a named specialist.
Chiefly the last two.

On 15/10/2016 20:17, Tim+ wrote:

The trouble with prostate cancer is that it's a hugely variable beast. A
friend of mine in his 50s went to his doctor with pain in his hip. He was
dead within a year of diagnosis (which was shortly after his first visit to
the doctor).

As a vast generalisation, any cancer that causes pain has probably
spread quite a bit, which means the prognosis is likely to be bad.
Finding it early, before it's symptomatic, makes a vast difference to
the likely outcome.

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 16/10/16 00:09, bm wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 15/10/16 13:13, GB wrote:
On 15/10/2016 11:37, wrote:

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago
which came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men
have undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all
dying of something completely unrelated.


That's about the size of it ;-)

My ex business partner died of it though he was younger than me. I've
met
a few more people who subsequently *have* died of it.

It's more than common, it's almost ubiquitous, but it's usually very
slow
moving.

Scuse my ignorance but how do you actually die with prostate cancer?
I have no idea, i'm getting on a bit and do have a slight problem with
peeing, sometimes.
I'll admit it, i don't mind being dead but i'm **** scared of dying and
don't wanna be there when it happens.

I think it escapes and starts secondaries and that's what kills you.

Yes, yes, but HOW DO YOU DIE?
I realise that you eventually suffer from lack of breath, but how?

GB wrote:
On 15/10/2016 20:17, Tim+ wrote:

The trouble with prostate cancer is that it's a hugely variable beast. A
friend of mine in his 50s went to his doctor with pain in his hip. He was
dead within a year of diagnosis (which was shortly after his first visit to
the doctor).

As a vast generalisation, any cancer that causes pain has probably
spread quite a bit, which means the prognosis is likely to be bad.
Finding it early, before it's symptomatic, makes a vast difference to
the likely outcome.



True enough, but he never had any urinary symptoms at any time or reason to
suspect cancer. Screening asymptomatic people for cancer opens a whole new
can of worms.

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls

In article om,
bm wrote:

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 16/10/16 00:09, bm wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 15/10/16 13:13, GB wrote:
On 15/10/2016 11:37, wrote:

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago
which came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men
have undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all
dying of something completely unrelated.


That's about the size of it ;-)

My ex business partner died of it though he was younger than me. I've
met
a few more people who subsequently *have* died of it.

It's more than common, it's almost ubiquitous, but it's usually very
slow
moving.

Scuse my ignorance but how do you actually die with prostate cancer?
I have no idea, i'm getting on a bit and do have a slight problem with
peeing, sometimes.
I'll admit it, i don't mind being dead but i'm **** scared of dying and
don't wanna be there when it happens.

I think it escapes and starts secondaries and that's what kills you.

Yes, yes, but HOW DO YOU DIE?
I realise that you eventually suffer from lack of breath, but how?

In my father's case he was being given drugs to suppress the cancer growth.
These also affected his immune system. As a result he contracted pneumonia
which killed him. - so yes, lack of breath.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England

On Sat, 15 Oct 2016 03:37:40 -0700, c.r.baxter wrote:

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer,

During my 'PVP' laser TURP in at Haywards Heath in 2004 he first
checked the bladder and found a pre-cancerous polyp, which he first
zapped before proceeding further.

Quite a bonus - though unwelcome; there were no prior symptoms.

--
/\/\aurice
(Replace "nomail.afraid" by "bcs" to reply by email)

On 16/10/16 11:57, bm wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 16/10/16 00:09, bm wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 15/10/16 13:13, GB wrote:
On 15/10/2016 11:37, wrote:

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago
which came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men
have undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all
dying of something completely unrelated.


That's about the size of it ;-)

My ex business partner died of it though he was younger than me. I've
met
a few more people who subsequently *have* died of it.

It's more than common, it's almost ubiquitous, but it's usually very
slow
moving.

Scuse my ignorance but how do you actually die with prostate cancer?
I have no idea, i'm getting on a bit and do have a slight problem with
peeing, sometimes.
I'll admit it, i don't mind being dead but i'm **** scared of dying and
don't wanna be there when it happens.

I think it escapes and starts secondaries and that's what kills you.

Yes, yes, but HOW DO YOU DIE?
I realise that you eventually suffer from lack of breath, but how?


usually from a morphine overdose to be strictly honest.

I am no oncologist, but AFAICT cancer eventually causes one or more
vital organs to fail, and that is what kills you - renal failure, immune
system failure or WHY?
This is a good answer

"More often, however, what ends up killing the cancer patient is what's
known as metastasis. This is when cells from a tumour separate from it,
find their way into the lymph system or the bloodstream, and spread
throughout the body. When this happens, the tumour is said to be
malignant. (Benign tumours are those that do not spread. They can still
cause problems in some cases, like the heart or brain.) Particular types
of malignant tumours often "metastasise" to particular organs--for
example, colon cancer tumours often metastasise to the liver. But cancer
cells from malignant tumours can invade many different tissues, such as
bone, lungs, spleen, and more.
Each metastatic cell begins dividing and forming a new tumour in its new
location. This is where the real problem is. Our bodies usually can't
support the growth of that many tumours, and the tumours can disrupt the
normal function of the organs they're growing in. If that happens, and
if the disease is left untreated, the patient will die. Treating a
patient who has malignant cancer is difficult, because the metastatic
cells are actually the patient's own cells!

--
The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all
private property.

Karl Marx

On 16/10/2016 12:17, Tim+ wrote:
GB wrote:
On 15/10/2016 20:17, Tim+ wrote:

The trouble with prostate cancer is that it's a hugely variable beast. A
friend of mine in his 50s went to his doctor with pain in his hip. He was
dead within a year of diagnosis (which was shortly after his first visit to
the doctor).

As a vast generalisation, any cancer that causes pain has probably
spread quite a bit, which means the prognosis is likely to be bad.
Finding it early, before it's symptomatic, makes a vast difference to
the likely outcome.



True enough, but he never had any urinary symptoms at any time or reason to
suspect cancer. Screening asymptomatic people for cancer opens a whole new
can of worms.

Indeed. The issue with the PSA test is that it is so non-specific. I
still think it's worth getting done.

In my case, I had a raised (and rising) PSA. A digital examination
showed an anomaly. An MRI likewise. Fortunately, a biopsy found nothing
cancerous. As it turns out, I would have been better off without the PSA
screen, as I wouldn't have gone through all that. However, I still think
it was useful, and I'll be keeping an eye on my PSA in future.

"GB" wrote in message
...
On 15/10/2016 18:42, tim... wrote:

"GB" wrote in message
...
On 15/10/2016 13:13, GB wrote:
On 15/10/2016 11:37, wrote:

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago
which came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men
have undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all
dying of something completely unrelated.



It seems it might be a bit lower than 80-90%. This says

"To estimate the prevalence of unsuspected prostate cancer, we
reviewed 19 studies of prostate cancer discovered at autopsy among
6,024 men. Among men aged 70-79, tumor was found in 36% of Caucasians
and 51% of African-Americans."

They go on to discuss the importance of distinguishing between lethal
prostate cancer and what they term indolent prostate cancer, because
there's no point undergoing treatment (with all its side effects) if
the cancer is relatively slow growing and not going to kill you.

the point is:

Not going to kill you before you die of something else. It will always
kill you eventually if you wait long enough.

Fair 'nuff.

15-20 years is the norm. Diagnosed in a 75 year old, the risk of the
operation is greater than that from the cancer, or was when my dad had
it.

(and it *did* kill him)

I'm really sorry for your loss.

he was 87

it was 10 years ago

he had got to be a cantankerous old sod

tim

"Tim+" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:

"GB" wrote in message
...
On 15/10/2016 13:13, GB wrote:
On 15/10/2016 11:37, wrote:

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago
which came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men
have undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all
dying of something completely unrelated.



It seems it might be a bit lower than 80-90%. This says

"To estimate the prevalence of unsuspected prostate cancer, we reviewed
19
studies of prostate cancer discovered at autopsy among 6,024 men. Among
men aged 70-79, tumor was found in 36% of Caucasians and 51% of
African-Americans."

They go on to discuss the importance of distinguishing between lethal
prostate cancer and what they term indolent prostate cancer, because
there's no point undergoing treatment (with all its side effects) if the
cancer is relatively slow growing and not going to kill you.

the point is:

Not going to kill you before you die of something else. It will always
kill
you eventually if you wait long enough.

15-20 years is the norm. Diagnosed in a 75 year old, the risk of the
operation is greater than that from the cancer, or was when my dad had
it.

(and it *did* kill him)

tim

The trouble with prostate cancer is that it's a hugely variable beast. A
friend of mine in his 50s went to his doctor with pain in his hip. He was
dead within a year of diagnosis (which was shortly after his first visit
to
the doctor).


As was previously described, there are two forms

the normal form, with a prognosis of 15-20 years, and the rapid form,
perhaps as little as 6 months.

99% of cases are the normal form

tim

"Rod Speed" wrote in message
...


"tim..." wrote in message
...

"Andy Burns" wrote in message
...
Mick IOW wrote:

My local hospital say I am on the "urgent" list

Have they got a last minute cancellations list you can get onto?


They will always put you on that list

what I can't understand is why being on the normal list has taken as long
as it has

OP appears to have chronic symptoms which must have started (as not so
severe) long ago (many years).

Once it has been established that the meds don't work for you (and they
can't be if they haven't shrunk the prostate to a point where you have no
symptoms) they will put you on the list for an op (assuming you agree
with that course) even if the symptoms are bearable.

You should get to the top in less than a year.

That is an utterly obscene delay when the medical
problem is so distruptive of normal day to day activity.

As I tried to say:

you *should* get on the list long before it is as disruptive as for the OP.

I'm still at a loss as to why this didn't happen.

tim

"bm" wrote in message
eb.com...

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 15/10/16 13:13, GB wrote:
On 15/10/2016 11:37, wrote:

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago
which came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men
have undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all
dying of something completely unrelated.


That's about the size of it ;-)

My ex business partner died of it though he was younger than me. I've met
a few more people who subsequently *have* died of it.

It's more than common, it's almost ubiquitous, but it's usually very slow
moving.

Scuse my ignorance but how do you actually die with prostate cancer?
I have no idea, i'm getting on a bit and do have a slight problem with
peeing, sometimes.
I'll admit it, i don't mind being dead but i'm **** scared of dying and
don't wanna be there when it happens.
Any clues?

My dad's moved into his blood and started killing off, IIRC, his red blood
cells.

He collapsed in the street from general fatigue (seems perfectly reasonable
if you have fewer red blood cells to take the oxygen to your muscles - that
is how it works, isn't it?)

They gave him a transfusion lest this reduction in red cells was a one off
occurrence, but when the new red cells started to be killed off told us
there was nothing they could do.

Gone within a couple of week.

Loads of worse ways

tim

GB wrote
wrote

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago which
came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men have
undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all dying of
something completely unrelated.

The problem is that while that is true and is due to the very slow
growing nature of that cancer, there is also a much faster growing
form which can and does kill you and it is very hard to work out
what you have until the fast one has proven its the fast one and
is killing you.

And you can't even just play it safe like you can with breast cancer
and just have it removed to ensure it can't kill you because of the
significant other downsides with prostate resection, a high risk of
impotence and incontinence.

I've been through the system. The story started a couple of years ago when I decided getting out of bed three or four times a night to pass a spoonful of urine merited going to the doctors. My gp performed the lubricated finger test and pronounced my prostate was enlarged. I had a psa test and was sent for a cat scan and consultant referral to the hospital. The gp prescribed Tamsulosin (relazes muscles around the bladder) and the hospital referral began a watch and wait process. About six months went by and the relief given by the Tamsulosin became less. The gp added Finasteride (shrinks the prostate) to my medication and again referred me to the hospital. The Finasteride improved things for a while then my psa started to rise again. I was sent for an mri which revealed something amiss in the prostate. As a result I was sent for a biopsy and a bone scan. Results showed I had an aggressive cancer within the prostate but fortunately it was still confined within it.
Once cancer was detected the system moved into higher gear. I saw the surgeon two weeks later and offered treatment options. Having considered these I chose radical prostatectomy with traditional front incision as I wanted the surgeon to have full access rather than poking about via keyhole methods. The operation was carried out 30 days later at the beginning of February this year, the gland removed and sent for further testing to ensure it had come out with clear margins. The removal went well and the tests actually showed the tumout had a very aggressive centre so it was absolutely the right decision.
Pain relief and nursing care was excellent. Following the operation I was catheterised for a couple of weeks then it was removed which left me incontinent and wearing pads for a few months as the sphincter and shut off capability of the prostate were gone. It takes time for other muscles to learn to take over their function. The recovery of control varies but is normally a few months to a couple of years) Happily I am now (October) able to go 24 hours with one pad to give me confidence that a sudden movement or laughter doesn't cause problems and wet trousers.
I would suggest you revisit your gp and request an update on progress. If you are dissatisfied then contact PALS (Patient advice and liason service) who seem to have a big whip they crack to get things moving.
John 69 years.

On Sun, 16 Oct 2016 13:40:52 -0700 (PDT), Cynic
wrote:

I've been through the system. The story started a couple of years ago when I decided getting out of bed three or four times a night to pass a spoonful of urine merited going to the doctors. My gp performed the lubricated finger test and pronounced my prostate was enlarged. I had a psa test and was sent for a cat scan and consultant referral to the hospital. The gp prescribed Tamsulosin (relazes muscles around the bladder) and the hospital referral began a watch and wait process. About six months went by and the relief given by the Tamsulosin became less. The gp added Finasteride (shrinks the prostate) to my medication and again referred me to the hospital. The Finasteride improved things for a while then my psa started to rise again. I was sent for an mri which revealed something amiss in the prostate. As a result I was sent for a biopsy and a bone scan. Results showed I had an aggressive cancer within the prostate but fortunately it was still confined within it.
Once cancer was detected the system moved into higher gear. I saw the surgeon two weeks later and offered treatment options. Having considered these I chose radical prostatectomy with traditional front incision as I wanted the surgeon to have full access rather than poking about via keyhole methods. The operation was carried out 30 days later at the beginning of February this year, the gland removed and sent for further testing to ensure it had come out with clear margins. The removal went well and the tests actually showed the tumout had a very aggressive centre so it was absolutely the right decision.
Pain relief and nursing care was excellent. Following the operation I was catheterised for a couple of weeks then it was removed which left me incontinent and wearing pads for a few months as the sphincter and shut off capability of the prostate were gone. It takes time for other muscles to learn to take over their function. The recovery of control varies but is normally a few months to a couple of years) Happily I am now (October) able to go 24 hours with one pad to give me confidence that a sudden movement or laughter doesn't cause problems and wet trousers.
I would suggest you revisit your gp and request an update on progress. If you are dissatisfied then contact PALS (Patient advice and liason service) who seem to have a big whip they crack to get things moving.
John 69 years.

John and everyone else, thank you so very much for your helpful
thoughts and experiences.

My testing route has been much the same as Johns but spaced out longer
due to waiting longer for appointments.

I am lucky that no cancer has showed up yet.

I understand from them that after the operation I may be worse off for
a while but should then hopefully improve.

Going private is beyond my means so I am at the mercy of the waiting
list.

Mick. IOW.

On Mon, 17 Oct 2016 06:10:11 +0100, Mick IOW
wrote:

On Sun, 16 Oct 2016 13:40:52 -0700 (PDT), Cynic
wrote:

I've been through the system. The story started a couple of years ago when I decided getting out of bed three or four times a night to pass a spoonful of urine merited going to the doctors. My gp performed the lubricated finger test and pronounced my prostate was enlarged. I had a psa test and was sent for a cat scan and consultant referral to the hospital. The gp prescribed Tamsulosin (relazes muscles around the bladder) and the hospital referral began a watch and wait process. About six months went by and the relief given by the Tamsulosin became less. The gp added Finasteride (shrinks the prostate) to my medication and again referred me to the hospital. The Finasteride improved things for a while then my psa started to rise again. I was sent for an mri which revealed something amiss in the prostate. As a result I was sent for a biopsy and a bone scan. Results showed I had an aggressive cancer within the prostate but fortunately it was still confined within it.
Once cancer was detected the system moved into higher gear. I saw the surgeon two weeks later and offered treatment options. Having considered these I chose radical prostatectomy with traditional front incision as I wanted the surgeon to have full access rather than poking about via keyhole methods. The operation was carried out 30 days later at the beginning of February this year, the gland removed and sent for further testing to ensure it had come out with clear margins. The removal went well and the tests actually showed the tumout had a very aggressive centre so it was absolutely the right decision.
Pain relief and nursing care was excellent. Following the operation I was catheterised for a couple of weeks then it was removed which left me incontinent and wearing pads for a few months as the sphincter and shut off capability of the prostate were gone. It takes time for other muscles to learn to take over their function. The recovery of control varies but is normally a few months to a couple of years) Happily I am now (October) able to go 24 hours with one pad to give me confidence that a sudden movement or laughter doesn't cause problems and wet trousers.
I would suggest you revisit your gp and request an update on progress. If you are dissatisfied then contact PALS (Patient advice and liason service) who seem to have a big whip they crack to get things moving.
John 69 years.

John and everyone else, thank you so very much for your helpful
thoughts and experiences.

My testing route has been much the same as Johns but spaced out longer
due to waiting longer for appointments.

I am lucky that no cancer has showed up yet.

I understand from them that after the operation I may be worse off for
a while but should then hopefully improve.

Going private is beyond my means so I am at the mercy of the waiting
list.

....in which case, I think GB's five-point checklist up ^^^ thataway
could be the way to go.

Nick

"Cynic" wrote in message
...
I've been through the system. The story started a couple of years ago when
I decided getting out of bed three or four times a night to pass a
spoonful of urine merited going to the doctors. My gp performed the
lubricated finger test and pronounced my prostate was enlarged. I had a
psa test and was sent for a cat scan and consultant referral to the
hospital. The gp prescribed Tamsulosin (relazes muscles around the
bladder) and the hospital referral began a watch and wait process. About
six months went by and the relief given by the Tamsulosin became less. The
gp added Finasteride (shrinks the prostate) to my medication and again
referred me to the hospital. The Finasteride improved things for a while
then my psa started to rise again. I was sent for an mri which revealed
something amiss in the prostate. As a result I was sent for a biopsy and a
bone scan. Results showed I had an aggressive cancer within the prostate
but fortunately it was still confined within it.

Oh how different hospitals work:

I got picked up on the "well man's" clinic at the doc when I had a PSA of 6
(it should be under 2, but ramps up to over 50).

(for those that don't know/haven't been offered one, everyone over the age
of 50 should be offered one, that's offered as in "we really really think
that you should come in for this")

Off to the hospital clinic ASAP (they rang me out of the blue to say the doc
had referred me, except that he had forgotten to tell me, and as they didn't
introduce themselves properly I hadn't a clue what they were talking about),
but I digress

At the hospital, "compulsory" pee-flow test. Absolutely appalling results
on this - I had noticed this symptom, but didn't really think it worthy of a
trip to the doc, and why would you?

Off to see the consultant, finger test and then an ultra sound scan to
confirm a 20% (ish) enlarged prostate.

booked in for biopsy a few weeks later.

Fortunately came back negative.

Put me on the drugs that Colin mentioned, but I couldn't take them. Made me
dizzy every time that I stood up, so I stopped taking them. The dizzy
spells lasted at least three weeks after I stopped, so they really did
affect me badly.

Hospital couldn't do enough for me, suggested that I go on the list for an
op, but given the possible side effects and the very minor inconvenience
that I suffer (who the flip cares if I spend 2 minutes at the urinal instead
of 30 seconds?) I declined. I can re-open that possibility when I do get
kept awake at night.

There is a concern that the benign enlarged prostate will mask the
possibility of cancer later, as, as I posted previously, the PSA test
results look the same (there is no causal effect here, it is just chance if
you get both).

So I have to watch my PSA on a regular basis, fluctuates between 7 and 9 at
the moment.

As an aside, I am also on blood pressure drugs - some of these, with
hindsight, game me the same "needing to pee at night" symptoms as the
prostate might do. We (me and doc) obviously thought this was the prostate.
But I didn't take to the range of blood pressure drugs that is in the doc
normal repertoire so I went to see a BP specialist (you'll be surprised how
hard is it to find one of these, or perhaps you wont) and he suggested some
alternatives.

One of which fixes the blood pressure with no adverse symptoms at all, so my
prostate hadn't got worse at all!

tim

On Mon, 17 Oct 2016 10:40:00 +0100, tim... wrote:

who the flip cares if I spend 2 minutes at the urinal instead of 30
seconds?)

What convinced me to get the resection done was the advice that
otherwise - as it becomes more and more difficult to pass urine -
it can start backing up into the kidneys, and then you have a nastier
situation...

Even now - 12 years after the PVP - I'm seldom up more than twice
overnight (sometimes only once) and have no problem travelling.

I am taking the alpha-blocker Alfuzosin (Tamsulosin at first but
changed to lessen chance of problems with cataract op's), and at first
experienced a stuffy nose, but that stopped eventually.
It is a slow-release drug, but a couple of years ago I started on a
batch from a different manufacturer and immediately suffered an
early-morning blackout (probably due to its erroneously not doing slow
release), not repeated after switching brand...
--
/\/\aurice (Age: Only 83)
(Replace "nomail.afraid" by "bcs" to reply by email)

on 17/10/2016, tim... supposed :
"Cynic" wrote in message
...
I've been through the system. The story started a couple of years ago when
I decided getting out of bed three or four times a night to pass a spoonful
of urine merited going to the doctors. My gp performed the lubricated
finger test and pronounced my prostate was enlarged. I had a psa test and
was sent for a cat scan and consultant referral to the hospital. The gp
prescribed Tamsulosin (relazes muscles around the bladder) and the hospital
referral began a watch and wait process. About six months went by and the
relief given by the Tamsulosin became less. The gp added Finasteride
(shrinks the prostate) to my medication and again referred me to the
hospital. The Finasteride improved things for a while then my psa started
to rise again. I was sent for an mri which revealed something amiss in the
prostate. As a result I was sent for a biopsy and a bone scan. Results
showed I had an aggressive cancer within the prostate but fortunately it
was still confined within it.

Oh how different hospitals work:

I got picked up on the "well man's" clinic at the doc when I had a PSA of 6
(it should be under 2, but ramps up to over 50).

(for those that don't know/haven't been offered one, everyone over the age of
50 should be offered one, that's offered as in "we really really think that
you should come in for this")

Off to the hospital clinic ASAP (they rang me out of the blue to say the doc
had referred me, except that he had forgotten to tell me, and as they didn't
introduce themselves properly I hadn't a clue what they were talking about),
but I digress

At the hospital, "compulsory" pee-flow test. Absolutely appalling results on
this - I had noticed this symptom, but didn't really think it worthy of a
trip to the doc, and why would you?

Off to see the consultant, finger test and then an ultra sound scan to
confirm a 20% (ish) enlarged prostate.

booked in for biopsy a few weeks later.

Fortunately came back negative.

Put me on the drugs that Colin mentioned, but I couldn't take them. Made me
dizzy every time that I stood up, so I stopped taking them. The dizzy spells
lasted at least three weeks after I stopped, so they really did affect me
badly.

Hospital couldn't do enough for me, suggested that I go on the list for an
op, but given the possible side effects and the very minor inconvenience that
I suffer (who the flip cares if I spend 2 minutes at the urinal instead of 30
seconds?) I declined. I can re-open that possibility when I do get kept
awake at night.

There is a concern that the benign enlarged prostate will mask the
possibility of cancer later, as, as I posted previously, the PSA test results
look the same (there is no causal effect here, it is just chance if you get
both).

I'm now 58 but worry that I won't know if I get prostate cancer
because, for all of my adult life, I've suffered the symptoms. It's not
unusual for me to pee up to 15 times during the day and 6 or 7 times
during the night. I can feel like I'm bursting to go but then only get
rid of an egg-cup full; it takes a while to get the flow started and
when it does, it's a weak flow.

It's been properly investigated with various tests and cystoscopies*
but they reckon I've just got an ultra-sensitive bladder and can't do
anything about it so I've had to learn to live with it for over 40
years.

*A cystoscopy I had in January 2015 revealed a bladder cancer. However,
it was only a very tiny growth and it was cut out there and then. Back
on the ward they injected Mytomycin into my bladder, which I had to
keep in for about an hour, and that was it. Cystoscopies every four
months since then have shown no recurrence of the cancer, thankfully.

On 16/10/2016 20:47, Rod Speed wrote:
GB wrote
wrote

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago
which came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men
have undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all
dying of something completely unrelated.

The problem is that while that is true and is due to the very slow
growing nature of that cancer, there is also a much faster growing
form which can and does kill you and it is very hard to work out
what you have until the fast one has proven its the fast one and
is killing you.

Clearly, research on distinguishing these through biopsy would be really
valuable.


And you can't even just play it safe like you can with breast cancer
and just have it removed to ensure it can't kill you because of the
significant other downsides with prostate resection, a high risk of
impotence and incontinence.

On 17/10/2016 10:40, tim... wrote:

I got picked up on the "well man's" clinic at the doc when I had a PSA
of 6 (it should be under 2, but ramps up to over 50).

Pretty much the same as mine was.


(for those that don't know/haven't been offered one, everyone over the
age of 50 should be offered one, that's offered as in "we really really
think that you should come in for this")

Off to the hospital clinic ASAP (they rang me out of the blue to say the
doc had referred me, except that he had forgotten to tell me, and as
they didn't introduce themselves properly I hadn't a clue what they were
talking about), but I digress

At the hospital, "compulsory" pee-flow test. Absolutely appalling
results on this - I had noticed this symptom, but didn't really think it
worthy of a trip to the doc, and why would you?

Same as me, but I did see the doctor. Only trouble is that I find the
effect of the meds worse than the trouble peeing.


Off to see the consultant, finger test and then an ultra sound scan to
confirm a 20% (ish) enlarged prostate.

Mine's 75 mls, which is around 2.5 times normal size. FSVO normal, given
that most men my age have an enlarged prostate.


booked in for biopsy a few weeks later.

Fortunately came back negative.

Go the T shirt.


Put me on the drugs that Colin mentioned, but I couldn't take them.
Made me dizzy every time that I stood up, so I stopped taking them. The
dizzy spells lasted at least three weeks after I stopped, so they really
did affect me badly.

There are are two types of drugs. Tamsulosin-type, which generally
loosens up the smooth muscles. That helps peeing, but reduces blood
pressure, which may account for your dizzy spells. I found it gives me
retrograde ejaculation, so I stopped taking that. TMI?

The other type (eg Finasteride) is hormone-based. It reduces the size of
the prostate. It also tends to reduce libido drastically. So, I stopped
taking that, too. TMI again, probably, but YMMV.

Did your doctor discuss Finasteride with you, Tim?




Hospital couldn't do enough for me, suggested that I go on the list for
an op, but given the possible side effects and the very minor
inconvenience that I suffer (who the flip cares if I spend 2 minutes at
the urinal instead of 30 seconds?) I declined. I can re-open that
possibility when I do get kept awake at night.

Same here.


There is a concern that the benign enlarged prostate will mask the
possibility of cancer later, as, as I posted previously, the PSA test
results look the same (there is no causal effect here, it is just chance
if you get both).

So I have to watch my PSA on a regular basis, fluctuates between 7 and 9
at the moment.


The trajectory is as important as the figure, ie if it suddenly shoots
up. Also, the 'Free PSA ratio' is important.


As an aside, I am also on blood pressure drugs - some of these, with
hindsight, game me the same "needing to pee at night" symptoms as the
prostate might do. We (me and doc) obviously thought this was the
prostate. But I didn't take to the range of blood pressure drugs that is
in the doc normal repertoire so I went to see a BP specialist (you'll be
surprised how hard is it to find one of these, or perhaps you wont) and
he suggested some alternatives.

One of which fixes the blood pressure with no adverse symptoms at all,
so my prostate hadn't got worse at all!

Out of interest what did you take? And what do you take now?



tim

GB wrote
Rod Speed wrote
GB wrote
wrote

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago
which came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men
have undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all
dying of something completely unrelated.

The problem is that while that is true and is due to the very slow
growing nature of that cancer, there is also a much faster growing
form which can and does kill you and it is very hard to work out
what you have until the fast one has proven its the fast one and
is killing you.

Clearly, research on distinguishing these through biopsy would be really
valuable.

Yes, but its much harder to do reliably than with many other cancers,
if only because of the difficulty with getting representative biopsys.

And you can't even just play it safe like you can with breast cancer
and just have it removed to ensure it can't kill you because of the
significant other downsides with prostate resection, a high risk of
impotence and incontinence.

tim... wrote
Cynic wrote

I've been through the system. The story started a couple of years ago
when I decided getting out of bed three or four times a night to pass a
spoonful of urine merited going to the doctors. My gp performed the
lubricated finger test and pronounced my prostate was enlarged. I had a
psa test and was sent for a cat scan and consultant referral to the
hospital. The gp prescribed Tamsulosin (relazes muscles around the
bladder) and the hospital referral began a watch and wait process. About
six months went by and the relief given by the Tamsulosin became less.
The gp added Finasteride (shrinks the prostate) to my medication and
again referred me to the hospital. The Finasteride improved things for a
while then my psa started to rise again. I was sent for an mri which
revealed something amiss in the prostate. As a result I was sent for a
biopsy and a bone scan. Results showed I had an aggressive cancer within
the prostate but fortunately it was still confined within it.

Oh how different hospitals work:

I got picked up on the "well man's" clinic at the doc when I had a PSA of
6 (it should be under 2, but ramps up to over 50).

(for those that don't know/haven't been offered one, everyone over the age
of 50 should be offered one,

But there is lots of controversy about whether that offer
should be accepted, even amongst the professionals.

that's offered as in "we really really think that you should come in for
this")

And that stuff in quotes is irresponsible.

Off to the hospital clinic ASAP (they rang me out of the blue to say the
doc had referred me, except that he had forgotten to tell me, and as they
didn't introduce themselves properly I hadn't a clue what they were
talking about), but I digress

At the hospital, "compulsory" pee-flow test. Absolutely appalling results
on this - I had noticed this symptom, but didn't really think it worthy of
a trip to the doc, and why would you?

Off to see the consultant, finger test and then an ultra sound scan to
confirm a 20% (ish) enlarged prostate.

booked in for biopsy a few weeks later.

Fortunately came back negative.

Put me on the drugs that Colin mentioned, but I couldn't take them. Made
me dizzy every time that I stood up, so I stopped taking them. The dizzy
spells lasted at least three weeks after I stopped, so they really did
affect me badly.

Hospital couldn't do enough for me, suggested that I go on the list for an
op, but given the possible side effects and the very minor inconvenience
that I suffer (who the flip cares if I spend 2 minutes at the urinal
instead of 30 seconds?) I declined. I can re-open that possibility when I
do get kept awake at night.

There is a concern that the benign enlarged prostate will mask the
possibility of cancer later, as, as I posted previously, the PSA test
results look the same (there is no causal effect here, it is just chance
if you get both).

So I have to watch my PSA on a regular basis, fluctuates between 7 and 9
at the moment.

As an aside, I am also on blood pressure drugs - some of these, with
hindsight, game me the same "needing to pee at night" symptoms as the
prostate might do. We (me and doc) obviously thought this was the
prostate. But I didn't take to the range of blood pressure drugs that is
in the doc normal repertoire so I went to see a BP specialist (you'll be
surprised how hard is it to find one of these, or perhaps you wont) and he
suggested some alternatives.

One of which fixes the blood pressure with no adverse symptoms at all, so
my prostate hadn't got worse at all!

"Steve" wrote in message ...
on 17/10/2016, tim... supposed :
"Cynic" wrote in message
...
I've been through the system. The story started a couple of years ago
when I decided getting out of bed three or four times a night to pass a
spoonful of urine merited going to the doctors. My gp performed the
lubricated finger test and pronounced my prostate was enlarged. I had a
psa test and was sent for a cat scan and consultant referral to the
hospital. The gp prescribed Tamsulosin (relazes muscles around the
bladder) and the hospital referral began a watch and wait process. About
six months went by and the relief given by the Tamsulosin became less.
The gp added Finasteride (shrinks the prostate) to my medication and
again referred me to the hospital. The Finasteride improved things for a
while then my psa started to rise again. I was sent for an mri which
revealed something amiss in the prostate. As a result I was sent for a
biopsy and a bone scan. Results showed I had an aggressive cancer within
the prostate but fortunately it was still confined within it.

Oh how different hospitals work:

I got picked up on the "well man's" clinic at the doc when I had a PSA of
6 (it should be under 2, but ramps up to over 50).

(for those that don't know/haven't been offered one, everyone over the
age of 50 should be offered one, that's offered as in "we really really
think that you should come in for this")

Off to the hospital clinic ASAP (they rang me out of the blue to say the
doc had referred me, except that he had forgotten to tell me, and as they
didn't introduce themselves properly I hadn't a clue what they were
talking about), but I digress

At the hospital, "compulsory" pee-flow test. Absolutely appalling
results on this - I had noticed this symptom, but didn't really think it
worthy of a trip to the doc, and why would you?

Off to see the consultant, finger test and then an ultra sound scan to
confirm a 20% (ish) enlarged prostate.

booked in for biopsy a few weeks later.

Fortunately came back negative.

Put me on the drugs that Colin mentioned, but I couldn't take them. Made
me dizzy every time that I stood up, so I stopped taking them. The dizzy
spells lasted at least three weeks after I stopped, so they really did
affect me badly.

Hospital couldn't do enough for me, suggested that I go on the list for
an op, but given the possible side effects and the very minor
inconvenience that I suffer (who the flip cares if I spend 2 minutes at
the urinal instead of 30 seconds?) I declined. I can re-open that
possibility when I do get kept awake at night.

There is a concern that the benign enlarged prostate will mask the
possibility of cancer later, as, as I posted previously, the PSA test
results look the same (there is no causal effect here, it is just chance
if you get both).

I'm now 58 but worry that I won't know if I get prostate cancer because,
for all of my adult life, I've suffered the symptoms. It's not unusual for
me to pee up to 15 times during the day and 6 or 7 times during the night.

Fark. I don't even get up once during the night and only **** at most
about 4 times during the day and I am a lot older than you.

I can feel like I'm bursting to go but then only get rid of an egg-cup
full; it takes a while to get the flow started and when it does, it's a
weak flow.

It's been properly investigated with various tests and cystoscopies* but
they reckon I've just got an ultra-sensitive bladder and can't do anything
about it so I've had to learn to live with it for over 40 years.

*A cystoscopy I had in January 2015 revealed a bladder cancer. However, it
was only a very tiny growth and it was cut out there and then. Back on the
ward they injected Mytomycin into my bladder, which I had to keep in for
about an hour, and that was it. Cystoscopies every four months since then
have shown no recurrence of the cancer, thankfully.

In article , GB
writes
snip
A chap I know has just had a 'urolift'; this is a system where clips are
fitted which pull the prostate away from the urethra. Not suitable for
all cases, but minimally invasive. Available on the NHS in some areas.
--
Chris Holford

On Mon, 17 Oct 2016 19:04:23 +0100, GB wrote:

On 16/10/2016 20:47, Rod Speed wrote:
GB wrote
wrote

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago
which came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men
have undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all
dying of something completely unrelated.

The problem is that while that is true and is due to the very slow
growing nature of that cancer, there is also a much faster growing form
which can and does kill you and it is very hard to work out what you
have until the fast one has proven its the fast one and is killing
you.

Clearly, research on distinguishing these through biopsy would be really
valuable.

The last bloody prostate biopsy put me in hospital for 10 days.



--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 17 Oct 2016 19:04:23 +0100, GB wrote:

On 16/10/2016 20:47, Rod Speed wrote:
GB wrote
wrote

As a bonus, they picked up the fact that I have early-stage prostate
cancer, despite my having had a routine NHS PSA test 9 months ago
which came back at 1.3, described at the time as "excellent".

I read a hard-to-believe statistic that something like 80-90% of men
have undiagnosed prostate cancer at the time they die - virtually all
dying of something completely unrelated.

The problem is that while that is true and is due to the very slow
growing nature of that cancer, there is also a much faster growing form
which can and does kill you and it is very hard to work out what you
have until the fast one has proven its the fast one and is killing
you.

Clearly, research on distinguishing these through biopsy would be really
valuable.

The last bloody prostate biopsy put me in hospital for 10 days.

Can you spell out the detail of what went wrong please ? Infection or worse
?

On 18/10/2016 00:04, Bob Eager wrote:

The last bloody prostate biopsy put me in hospital for 10 days.

I assume you caught an infection, which is not all that surprising,
given that they go through the rectum to do the biopsy. But, it's
supposed to be a rare problem. You were really rather unlucky, I'm afraid.

On Mon, 17 Oct 2016 16:52:49 +0100, Steve wrote:

Back on the ward they injected Mytomycin into my bladder, which I had to
keep in for about an hour, and that was it. Cystoscopies every four
months since then

Been there, done that, but for me it's an annual cystoscopy for 10
years, and the 9/10 one is coming up soon...

--
/\/\aurice
(Replace "nomail.afraid" by "bcs" to reply by email)

It happens that Maurice formulated :
On Mon, 17 Oct 2016 16:52:49 +0100, Steve wrote:

Back on the ward they injected Mytomycin into my bladder, which I had to
keep in for about an hour, and that was it. Cystoscopies every four
months since then

Been there, done that, but for me it's an annual cystoscopy for 10
years, and the 9/10 one is coming up soon...

Mine will (hopefully) move to being the same - every 4 months for the
first two years then if no sign of recurrence, every year for the next
8 years.

"Rod Speed" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote
Cynic wrote

I've been through the system. The story started a couple of years ago
when I decided getting out of bed three or four times a night to pass a
spoonful of urine merited going to the doctors. My gp performed the
lubricated finger test and pronounced my prostate was enlarged. I had a
psa test and was sent for a cat scan and consultant referral to the
hospital. The gp prescribed Tamsulosin (relazes muscles around the
bladder) and the hospital referral began a watch and wait process. About
six months went by and the relief given by the Tamsulosin became less.
The gp added Finasteride (shrinks the prostate) to my medication and
again referred me to the hospital. The Finasteride improved things for a
while then my psa started to rise again. I was sent for an mri which
revealed something amiss in the prostate. As a result I was sent for a
biopsy and a bone scan. Results showed I had an aggressive cancer within
the prostate but fortunately it was still confined within it.

Oh how different hospitals work:

I got picked up on the "well man's" clinic at the doc when I had a PSA of
6 (it should be under 2, but ramps up to over 50).

(for those that don't know/haven't been offered one, everyone over the
age of 50 should be offered one,

But there is lots of controversy about whether that offer
should be accepted, even amongst the professionals.

All it is the basic checks

blood pressure, diabetes/cholesterol/PSA etc

Nothing special

We're not talking DNA analysis here

and nothing invasive (other than drawing some blood)

that's offered as in "we really really think that you should come in for
this")

And that stuff in quotes is irresponsible.

So it's irresponsible to let people with latent age related conditions walk
around un-diagnosed because they are one of these "I never go to the doctor"
types, is it?

tim

"GB" wrote in message
...
On 17/10/2016 10:40, tim... wrote:



Put me on the drugs that Colin mentioned, but I couldn't take them.
Made me dizzy every time that I stood up, so I stopped taking them. The
dizzy spells lasted at least three weeks after I stopped, so they really
did affect me badly.

There are are two types of drugs. Tamsulosin-type, which generally loosens
up the smooth muscles. That helps peeing, but reduces blood pressure,
which may account for your dizzy spells. I found it gives me retrograde
ejaculation, so I stopped taking that. TMI?

The other type (eg Finasteride) is hormone-based. It reduces the size of
the prostate. It also tends to reduce libido drastically. So, I stopped
taking that, too. TMI again, probably, but YMMV.

Did your doctor discuss Finasteride with you, Tim?

I tried both of them



As an aside, I am also on blood pressure drugs - some of these, with
hindsight, game me the same "needing to pee at night" symptoms as the
prostate might do. We (me and doc) obviously thought this was the
prostate. But I didn't take to the range of blood pressure drugs that is
in the doc normal repertoire so I went to see a BP specialist (you'll be
surprised how hard is it to find one of these, or perhaps you wont) and
he suggested some alternatives.

One of which fixes the blood pressure with no adverse symptoms at all,
so my prostate hadn't got worse at all!

Out of interest what did you take? And what do you take now?

I've been through the book, too many to mention.

I'm now on Spironolactone at its lowest 25mg dose, which isn't really a BP
drug, but just has a lowered BP as a side effect.

I thought I was doing well on them until last week when I started to suffer
from breast tenderness, (yes, a non gender-specific side effect). Didn't
connect the two until I went to the doc yesterday - "I'm a bloke, why *are*
my breasts hurting!"

Looks like I have to start again.

Next, least worse was 20 mil Lercanidipine, but aside from the nasty dry
throat symptom (which is annoying, but liveable with) pushes my resting
pulse up to 120.

10 mil on its own still left my BP too high.

Combos of 10 mil Lercan and something else didn't improve matters.

Chat with the consultant informed me that my BP problem is not suitable for
correction using surgical implantations, even when they are passed for
general usage, which won't be for minimum 5 years anyway.

tim