summut serious

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Oh well. It seems that I already have that terminal illness called LIFE.

Or perhaps we should take all things in moderation! Except moderation of course.

[... 1,411]

THATLL DOFOR ME BILBORO

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

LOL

[OLDACE 196]

A Charlesworth, my PSA was only 6.5 but my Gleason score was 3+4, and my tumour was, like yours T2c. The tumour was stuck to the sac, and, before it was removed, was about to become advanced, also like you, the PSA test saved my life.

If people do not want to be tested, then that is their choice, all we can do is advise. However, to advise against it would horrify the specialist surgeons and nurses who have do deal with the consequences.

When I visit my specialist every six months, I meet the men who did not get tested in time, their PSA levels are in the 30s, 40s and some are in the 100s. Their treatment is not curative, it is palliative.

So, you blokes out there, get tested, there is nothing to lose and it may save your life.

[LizzieM 9,511]

I refer to my post # 12 on this thread .......... I'm with my husband and his brother at the moment and have read out to them all the comments that have been posted by the men who have been tested for prostate cancer and those who are doubters as to the accuracy of the PSA blood test and biopsy. As I said before, neither of them had any problems before the blood test but took up the opportunity, just like most women take up the offer of a breast screening and most sensible folk of both sexes will do the bowel screening test when it's offered to them. They both think that any man of a certain age who is not willing to have a PSA is STUPID. It's flippant to say that more men die WITH prostate cancer than because of it. We all die when we stop breathing .........

[Bilboro-lad 294]

Well what's that certain age then? And how many die at that certain age? If you think the medical establishment is wrong - then write to your MP.

So your husband and his brother have taken into account the false positive PSA test? The false negative biopsy results? The side effects of biopsy such as infection and impotence? Dismissed the entire medical profession's opinion? And then calls everyone STUPID that follows medical advice? Well he must be some clever fella, I can see why you married him.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Like I've said before, my doctor only wants the money. She is not interested in patients. I doubt if I could get a referral for anything. I have had a hernia for 5 years. They just carry on as if it wasn't there. I just don't have the time or patience to challenge it. I just keep going to work and suffer the pain.

[... 1,411]

Lizzie m if you and your family are near a brick wall go and talk to it you will get more sense out of it .It seemswhat i and other people have done to survive is wrong he dont seem to understand that there is risk in everything including mamograms after all you are going into a radioactive room that is why radiographers wear lead protection if he read that medical evidence he would probably advise against checks for breast cancer.I am sorry he feels that way and genuinely hope his attitude does not make him make wrong decision on his own health.Please look at the whole picture anot snippets from hit .Bilbraborn talking about flippant your Doctor seems to have gone to the same school as above i thought that a hernia could be potentialy dangerous is there not another GP at your surgery where you might get a second opinion. No one shouldbe in pain all the time i hope you get in sorted mate .

[... 1,411]

Bilborolad i again refer to your post on our younger days where you advocate taking drugs and then on this topic you accuse people of being hypocondriacs and call people that have smoked drank or overate i suppose you are looking for a quote to say that taking non prescibed drugs is fine .

[Bilboro-lad 294]

I was 17 at the time. Judge me on my current age (60).

[Bilboro-lad 294]

Anyone that says the whole of the medical profession is wrong and they are right isn't really an authority on the subject are they?

[... 1,411]

Recent quote from you regarding Drugs sex rock and roll twas fun id do it again tell that to people who are addicted or dead . I have never said anywhere that i am a expert on anything it is you that is asking people to write to there MPif they disagree with you please stop misquoting me.

[OLDACE 196]

Bilboro-lad, have you ever heard of the Darwin Award?

[Bilboro-lad 294]

Well if you are not an expert on anything stop disregarding information given by experts all over the world. As far as the drugs thing goes, I quoted an oft repeated idiom: Sex, drugs, rock and roll. It refers to a lifestyle. I have never injected any substance or touched hard drugs. As a matter of interest, smoking cigarettes kills more people than all the illegal drugs combined and multiplied by ten. The difference between you and me in regard to PSA testing is that I am happy to change my mind when the combined medical opinion of the world changes. You are not. You've made up your mind and that's all there is to it. It's called 'dogma' and it isn't healthy.

[... 1,411]

Look bilboro lad myself oldace and thousands of people like us go through all sorts of degrding proceedures you have doctors going where you would not want them to go you wear things where youd rather not wear for periods theres parts of your body that leaks youd rather not leak theres periods of pain and i am not going into really personalresults our lives will never be the same and that of our partners so dont dare tell me i dont know what im on about our stupid are you do you honestly think people would go through this if there was an alternative the fact is i would have apsa tomorrow and go through what ive gone through because i am alive with a slightly lessened quality of life and i thank god for my life. The point of this original post was to give people the same chance of life that i had my and oldace were told by experts that a lot of men dont get tested .GET TESTED.

[OLDACE 196]

Bilboro-lad, read this slowly and try to understand.

A Charlesworth, myself and Piggy chose to have a PSA test.

A. Charlesworth, myself and Piggy are still alive because the PSA was accurate and led us to having further different tests (MRI for example) and then, treatment for our cancers.

The reason we recommend that men of a certain age (50+) have the test is because we have personal experience of the consequences of having prostate cancer, and the benefit of a timely diagnosis.

I think all three of us wish we had taken the test earlier.

[... 1,411]

Just thought throgh bilboro lads objections we have covered ay fears people might have had theresnothing better than life.

[OLDACE 196]

A, Charlesworth, I sure do know what you mean, it was all worth it though.

Some people would rather not know, and that is a fact. Some people refuse surgery, I met one of those.

I was in the UCAN Suite at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, there was a man post-op he was in for stent removal, the second guy was also post-op, but his PSA was above 100, he was in to be told the bad news, and he knew it. I was pre-op, there to be admitted to the surgical ward. Our conversation was mainly about alternative therapies for the guy with metastatic cancer.

A fourth bloke came in, he was an oil worker, in for the result of his biopsy, we all knew that he was positive, otherwise he would not have been there, but we did not tell him. When you are told the news by the specialist, you are able to ask as many questions as you like, and you are given as much time as you need to let it sink in. This chap went for his interview, and was back within minutes, the poor chap had walked out soon after he had been told. He was terrified of the disease and the treatment and said he would sort it out himself.

Maybe Bilboro-lad is like that guy.

[Bilboro-lad 294]

It doesn't matter how slowly you read it - medical opinion is against PSA testing per se due to its unreliability and the side effects of biopsies.

It's not ME you have to convince but the medical establishments across the world.

So get over it eh guys? Stop preaching. Then again I guess you know best eh? What a pity that medical research around the world is so stupid.

You remind me of those people that are pro smoking because their granny smoked and lived to be 95.

[Stan 386]

This is a very vexed issue. As one who had a friend die in great pain from this problem I can understand all the above arguments. One thing I remember from my earliest days in the dissecting room was the Prof . saying that if you lived long enough prostate cancer will get you ! Of the cadavers the incidence was about 1 in 5 at 85 years, increasing until it will surely get you at a 100!

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against PSA-based screening for men who do not have symptoms that are highly suspicious for prostate cancer. The USPSTF states that PSA testing in healthy men, regardless of age, offers no net benefit or that the harms outweigh the benefits. This has been a very controversial point of view, and many experts in the field of prostate cancer do not agree with the USPSTF recommendations.

In the UK at present prostate cancer is the leading cancer at about 25% having taken over from lung cancer(which is still top in Australia with prostate 2nd)

• Screening needs to be an individualized decision. All of the organizations recommend that doctors discuss the benefits and risks of PSA testing with men at a certain age or in high-risk groups. Doctors should help men make their own decisions about screening, based on age, risk factors, life expectancy and personal preferences.
• Older men may not need to be screened. Some organizations recommend that screening isn't necessary for men age 75 and older or those who aren't expected to live more than 10 years. The American Cancer Society advises that this decision should be made on an individual basis. It is very important, however, to keep in mind that decisions need to be individualized and not assume that all prostate cancer screening must stop once a man is in his 70s.

• Men at high risk should discuss screening at an earlier age.Some groups recommend earlier discussions for men in high-risk groups — those with a family history of prostate cancer and African-American men.
• So I reckon the following is the best advice.

• Weighing the benefits, limitations and potential risks of the PSA test can help you make an informed decision.

  Benefits of the test
  A PSA test may help detect prostate cancer at an early stage. Cancer is easier to treat and is more likely to be cured if it's diagnosed in its early stages.

  But to judge the benefit of the test, it's important to know if early detection and early treatment will improve treatment outcomes and decrease the number of deaths from prostate cancer.

  A key issue is the typical course of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer usually progresses slowly over many years. Therefore, a man may have prostate cancer that never causes symptoms or becomes a medical problem during his lifetime.

[Bilboro-lad 294]

Basically the gist of it all is that if you go looking for trouble you'll probably find it. In our litigious society hospitals will elect to operate to avoid a 'failure to act' lawsuit.

Personally, I'd rather keep my tackle in working order until there is a problem.

That's my choice and it's made after reading about the issue and following best medical practice.

I'm not in a high risk group. I'm white and there is no familial history.

[... 1,411]

I DONT BELIEVE YOU /YOU ARE ADVISING PEOPLE TO NOT GO LOOKING FOR TROUBLE BUT DESPITE ALLYOUR SO CALLED KNOWLEDGE YOU GO TO YOUR DOCTOR ASKING THEM FOR ADVICE DOES THAT MEAN YOU ARE A HYPOCONDRIAT/PRACTICEWHAT YOU PREACH.

[Bilboro-lad 294]

Stop shouting and show me an NHS, Cancer Research, or similar website that suggests that I (with no health issues) should get PSA tested.

You had unexplained weight loss and familial history - that is FAR different from the rest of us. I can't even find a website that suggests PSA testing the general population saves lives. Maybe you can show me one.

[... 1,411]

Unlike you ill practice what i preach and go and have a conversation with a wall .talk about hypocondriats i have never known someone so scared of needles all i suggested was a bllood test did the doctor tell you it hurts ....well it dunna.Trust me you are unlikely to die from a pin prick its only after that you make decisions . And trained surgens give you that advice or you can listen to a bloke who thinks prostate cancer is nothing to worry about no matter what the surgeons say cus he knows different he read it in a book .

[Bilboro-lad 294]

Oh I've had big operations, way bigger than that little one you had.

Just stop giving bad advice to the general public - that's what the health service is for. (giving good advice to the public).

Now you go and talk to that wall, that's the most sensible thing you've said so far.

Then come back and show me a website that backs up your stance on PSA testing (he won't).