Matt
“…I thought I’d take a moment to share my personal journey which started mid November’24, with the sole purpose of raising awareness of men’s health. And when I say “men’s” health, I mean; Father’s, Sons, Brothers, Husbands, Uncles, Nephews & “mates”…
Like most things in life this journey started down the pub, a routine ‘lads’ catch-up/pub crawl where we put the world to rights and generally talk complete rubbish – more so the later the day goes on. However, on this particular occasion the conversation drifted into a more mature discussion about 50 yr+ men’s health and screening for potential issues, specifically prostate cancer.
Not being quite as old as my drinking companions, nor having any symptoms, I was completely unaware of my prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels having not quite reached the half century mark. After sobering up and taking an opportunity to have my first test whilst attending a routine GP appointment. In England the advice is to start testing at 53 yrs…
Typical levels for a 40-50 yr old should be between 0 – 2.5µg/L – On the 21st November mine recorded 34µg/L.
Needless to say, the following 4wks of further PSA, urine tests, an MRI, a bone scan & rather unpleasant biopsy procedure (don’t Google it!), led to being diagnosed on the 27th December 2024 with stage 2 prostate cancer. Not the best Christmas present one could wish for!
Fortunately for us chaps, medical science and all the great work various cancer institutions have conducted over the years to fight this disease, has resulted in multiple treatments now available within both the NHS & the private sector. So, with one last scan to go, I started my treatment plan in the following weeks with the long-term prognosis being favourable.
The principal purpose of this note is simply to raise awareness to everyone (male or female) that if you or your partner/family member is mid/late 40’s – Go get tested! – the check is much easier these days. A simple blood test identifies whether you or your partner/family member has raised PSA levels which ‘could’ be an indication of the disease materialising.
What would be amazing to know is a simple response saying; “I’m” / ”My husband” / “My Dad”/ “My brother” etc, etc is getting tested. That would be a fantastic outcome to know on the back of sharing a snap-shot into my journey and help increase awareness of this disease – Thanks…” 😊
Nick
“…Having recently been diagnosed I write this not for sympathy, but for awareness. Please nag your father, brother, uncle, cousin, husband (even ex-husbands lol) or mate. If they’re over 50 tell them to go to their doctor and ask for a PSA blood test. It takes seconds and could be a life saver. I only went as 2 friends had recently been diagnosed. I had no symptoms, felt healthy (for me anyway 😀). Luckily it is an early diagnosis and my prognosis is very good, treatment starts soon.
Prostate Cancer UK is here to stop prostate cancer being a killer. One man dies from prostate cancer every hour in the UK and deaths from prostate cancer are set to soar over the next decade. By finding better tests, better treatments, better prevention and better support we aim to dramatically reduce the number of men dying from prostate cancer…”
