I've been debating posting this for a while and finally decided to go for it. I had prostate cancer. It hit me just before Christmas when I was only 45 years old. I was having my annual physical exam and the Nurse who was drawing my blood for testing asked if I would like a PSA test. I asked what it was and if it would hurt. She said, it will not hurt any more than I already have hurt you because the needle is already in your arm. It tests for Prostate Cancer and it's good to start early so we have a baseline. Well, when I saw the doc a week later for the actual exam, she told me she was a little worried about my PSA and would like me to see a Urologist about it. One thing led to another and now I don't have a Prostate and my PSA has been zero for the past nine years, no sign of the cancer. You are my Brothers and in the spirit of Brotherly Love, I ask each of you to go get a Physical Exam every year and start PSA testing at age 40. I was lucky but as they say, you make your own luck. If I had not having regular physicals or that Nurse had not offered me that test, I might not be here now. So man up and go see the doc every year. One in three men will die with Prostate Cancer. I will be happy to discuss this with anyone. PM me for my phone numbers if you don't feel comfortable discussing your privates in public
My Brother , I just had my prostate exam a few months ago . My nurses at the VA I go to cut me no slack and do not allow me to beg out of exams , they do not give me an option . I do as they say or face the music .
Same thing here Ashlar. As a DAV the VA doesn't give me any options in what exams I get. And they've been giving me prostate exams since I was about 35. Agreed!!! Get checked!
I get my PSA as part of my FD physical and get the "hands on " portion every other year....whether I like it or not
Agree! Been doing PSAs since age 35. AND... At the risk of giving Brothers TOO MUCH INFORMATION, I recommend all my Brothers ask their Dr. how to self-examine yourself in between your annual exams and what to "feel" for. Yes, this in not just what you see on the outside (think "gonads") but also what a good healthy prostate feels like. PSAs don't always indicate the only changes. Knowing what is normal and how normal changes for you is a good skill and good information to have. Bro. Coach
Good point Coach. We don't like to talk about it, much less think about it. It is exceptionally important that we do both. Communication is education. Education saves lives. Ditto. Just make sure the doc doesn't clap his hands in front of your face and shout "Look! no hands!" mid procedure. All kidding aside, this is really important stuff. Get your PSA done first before you get the exam. If they do the exam first, it can cause a false positive on the PSA I'm told. Thanks for sharing this Windrider.
This may be the first time since my surgery that I'm actually glad to be missing that particular gland but do go on Coach
Well, if the PSA or finger wave detects something, the next step is, as my Doc described it, an "Ultrasound". She didn't mention the details because she wanted me to actually show up for it. Think alien abduction and you get the idea...
I have been getting my PSA check as part of my yearly checkups for 5 years or so. So far so good. My dad has been getting his PSA checked for several years and up until Aug 2009 everything was good then on his yearly they noticed a upspike in his PSA Then - CANCER - and in Sept 2009 he had his prostate seeded, now PSA at 0.00 and no cancer. I am really a fan of the test now.
GaryE.....I was always told if you are getting your shoulders massaged while the exam is going on, your insurance probably wont pay for it.....
PSA/Prostate exam Brethren- I am so glad to hear this discussed out in the open. Women get Pap. smears and mammograms; we NEED to get our prostate exams. Neither test is as sensitive as both together, so don't wimp out with just the PSA blood test. What's missed could kill you! I was always very concerned about the macho men who felt the internal exam was unmanly (I did nearly 30 years of Primary Care as a P.A. in a state psychiatric hospital) and thought they would appear a queer if they allowed it. I heard just about every excuse imaginable to avoid the Digital Rectal Exam. Thirty seconds, that's all we need, and it could save your life. Windrider, you may have lost something with your prostate, but we still have you. Frank Zappa, Dan Fogelburg, Bill Bixby, and Brothers Ty Cobb and Bud Abbott, all were lost to prostate cancer. Stay healthy!
I mentioned this as a topic for LOI to a Brother who is also a Prostate Cancer Survivor only to find out he now also has colon cancer. This is one of the men at the lodge that I and many others respect and admire. He's PM, 32 degree, and I also believe KT. He serves as our Treasurer and has been a source of wisdom for me and many others. If anyone can win that fight, he will. I have spoken for men's groups and medical professionals about my journey and try to give back some of what the docs and nurses guided by GAOTU have given me. I chose Laproscopic Radical Prostatectomy (the Di Vinci machine was not available at the time) so I was only in the hospital overnight and have a small scare just above my navel. Not a bad outcome at all. Haven't lost a thing except the ability to produce sperm (which has advantages).
A man stands upon a mountain, 2 tablets in hand, gazing into the light of righteousness..... You want us to cut the end of WHAT OFF? p.s. PSA yearly, quarterly doctor visits to Diabetes testing.
