Hi Sandwich.

I can understand your worries. But when I was diagnosed, my PSA was way up at 70. But due to my dear wife making me go to the doctors, it was caught early. I was treated with hormone therapy and also radiotherapy and my psa dropped down to 0.01, the lowest they can measure. It is still very low some years later so I hope you can take comfort in my story. 

I wish you and your husband good results. Please let us know how he gets on, Brian

Hello woodworm and telemando, thank you for your kind words and useful information. Well the results show prostate cancer but looks to be contained. Will receive a letter for a biopsy appointment and then radiotherapy. Half expected but still a shock when you actually hear the diagnosis :(

He was given the choice to have the prostate removed, but seems to have opted for radiotherapy due to the side effects. I'm not sure whether it would be better just to have the operation and at least have reassurance that it was all removed??

Hi sandwich2

Your husband is in the driving seat. If he opts for a different treatment then they will obey his wishes. 

There is a prostate cancer UK website with its own forum which he might find useful. 

Hi All,

Finally some more news...turns out to be a gleason score of 7 and T3. Hospital are arranging a bone scan just to be on the safe side as this wasnt done at the the time of the mri and biopsy.

Going to start him on hormone tablet form and then radiotherapy and follow up injections. 

Staying positive and trying to be light hearted as the side effects sound like something I can relate to - hot flushes, etc, etc ;)

Hi Sandwich

Your comment regarding the hot flushes rang a bell with me. When I was on the hormone therapy, I suufered badly with hot flushes. My wife and I had a contest to see who was having the most. At one point I was way in the lead both for the amount and for the severity. If I had a £1 for everytime I heard my dear wife say, "Now you know what us women have to go through" I would be a very rich man ha ha.

I found those hot flushes are crafty littlen devils. I used to be sitting still when suddenly without any warning I was covered in sweat. Just like someone had poured a cup of warm water over me. Thankfully they would go just as quickly. The other side effects were I put on quite a bit of weight which I am still strugling to lose. One more side effect I found hard to deal with. They say it can bring on mood swings which I never suffered from but it did have the effect that if I heard sad or sometimes even good news, I would have tears running down my face and I had no control over this. I found this very embarassing. I was watching TV one night and thought my wife was in the kicthen. The news was on and they had just broadcast an item about the husband and wife who abused their eighteen month old daughter. I love kids and suddenly I was in floods of tears. Suddenly My wife who had come into the room said, "Why are you crying". I had to explain the reasons why to her. 

The treatment your husband has been prescribed worked well for me so I trust it will work for your husband too. Wishing you both all the best and thanks for the update, Brian.

Hi Sandwich 2, how is your situation now. Have you had treatment and what was your gleason score after the prostate was removed and examined.

Hi,

Waiting for things to start or for information is always hard. I think we all feel better once the treatment starts I know I did. Let hope you get good results, Brian

Hi telemando,

Really interesting to read your comments. I am 63 diagnosed with prostate cancer with Gleason score of 4-3 all contained and clear bone scan, My PSA was 6.1 in May 2018.. I am booked in for surgery to have prostate removed on December 10th. My problem is with having no symptoms whatsover I am finding it hard to beleive I have the cancer at all. Due to my age and general good health all the experts have advised me to have the surgery, even the the doctors i work with have said surgery is the best option for me. The urology nurse also states that this is a cure and not treatment. Yor comments have really helped me coming to terms with this. One question if I may, did you have any symptoms when diagnosed?.

hope you carry on being well, and to everyone else in this forum good luck. I am very nervous about the forthcoming months ahead but also i am a little reassured that this will soon be cured and not just treated. Good luck everyone.

Also i will be happy to answer any questions and help anybody in the future if I can.

Hi Tommo. Welcome to the forum.

I personally did have some symptoms of a swollen prostate and prostatitis. However, after my operation a prostate support group started in my home town, and I've met a number of fellow sufferers. Most of them with early stage cancer said that they had no symptoms other than a raised PSA. A lot of them also were generally fit and healthy, and found their diagnosis to be a shock, a bolt out of the blue. 

Thank you for your good wishes. May I also wish you a good outcome and a speedy recovery.  

Hope my story helps due to AUR several years ago I have had several PSA tests MRI Biopsy other tests no Cancer found my PSA is taken every 6-12 months it has fluctuated from 5 to 12.1 when it was at its highest was because and incomoetent consultant took me over Finasteride now back on it dropped by over half the one consultant I trust stated MRI  showed my prostate is X4 bigger and my PSA is about where they expect been discharged back to GP latest test a week ago he just wants informal chat not sure why as it is at its lowest level ever some tips if it fluctuates normally a good sign if it rises bit by bit its not if it goes into 20s and higher not so good the key question related my story have you enlarged prostate if so its almost certainly the reason and if DRE finds nothing if it is PCA then its contained I would recommend an MRI its the most accurate Biopsy is hit and miss hope this helps

Hi hope you don't mind me butting in, there's so many chat lines checking them all takes ages. I only found yours this morning I've talked to woodworm (Brian) before, when they found my cancer my psa was 1500 gleason 8 they told me that it was not curable it had gone to bone (spine, pelvis and ribs) & 1 lung. This was 2016 Feb on hormone therapy for rest of life had chemo to stop it going any further dec 2018 psa 0.4 it's going to go up again then I have some more chemo, I have wrote in other places, living with cancer and prostate cancer hope everything keeps going well.Iwas ill before I new about the cancer, but it was because I had a hernia I was lucky because if not being checked out cancer would have gone a lot further.

Billy 

Hi hope you don't mind me butting in, there's so many chat lines checking them all takes ages. I only found yours this morning I've talked to woodworm (Brian) before, when they found my cancer my psa was 1500 gleason 8 they told me that it was not curable it had gone to bone (spine, pelvis and ribs) & 1 lung. This was 2016 Feb on hormone therapy for rest of life had chemo to stop it going any further dec 2018 psa 0.4 it's going to go up again then I have some more chemo, I have wrote in other places, living with cancer and prostate cancer hope everything keeps going well.Iwas ill before I new about the cancer, but it was because I had a hernia I was lucky because if not being checked out cancer would have gone a lot further.

Billy 

HI Billy i will include you in my prayers and pray to getbetter. How does hormone therapy make you feel. Im worried mainly about losing my sex drvie which i read about.

Hi herc what sex drive to much damage done by cancer (at least I had a great time when I was younger) been married over 45 years worst thing is hot flushes I mean Hot had them over 3 years now but rest of life is something else. One thing I did learn is went for injection saw nurse she said back in a minute she came back said someone had given her the cheaper medication she said there are other meds but they don't do the job as well trouble is I don't always see same one so I don't know what I'm getting some times. Anyways best of luck.

Billy 

HI Billy, i pray you get better and things get easier. Thanks for sharing. Herc

Good morning Billygoat hope you dont mind me replying as my husband was diagnosed in november 2023 with prostate cancer not curable his PSA was 776 Gleason level was 4+5 after having CT And bone scan showed that the cancer had spread to his bones but only from his neck to his groin and a little bit in  2 of the lymph nodes at the back of his stomach after having 1 HT injection his PSA level had dropped to 81 we go back to hospital on the 1st feb so we are hoping that his PSA has dropped again even lower it has been worrying me sick always having break downs carnt seem to cope as my husband is ok reading your story has given me a little more hope i have sent you a friend request on here hope you dont mind