Gripe of the day - What is yours?

[redtrummy]

Signed up to Future Health R1ff nothing to lose. You do well to use an exercise bike doing that amount, I think its about as interesting as watching paint dry! I have a set of semi professional rollers - now using those is interesting, one breaths a sigh of relief at the end of a session if I avoid falling off! Not tried using them since the 'event' - perhaps I never will now we shall see . I had a PSA test recently, my Dad had terrible prostate problems which I want to avoid, but it was not an easy process to get approved. Its not foolproof but its all thats available at present.

[Craig380]

GPs do seem to dislike doing PSAs, yet it is an important diagnostic indicator that's used all the time by actual oncology specialists for monitoring the progress of patients with prostate cancer. In other words, GPs aren't always right!

(PS: I can't stand Henry Cole either)

[R1ffR4ff]

Originally Posted by redtrummy

Signed up to Future Health R1ff nothing to lose. You do well to use an exercise bike doing that amount, I think its about as interesting as watching paint dry! I have a set of semi professional rollers - now using those is interesting, one breaths a sigh of relief at the end of a session if I avoid falling off! Not tried using them since the 'event' - perhaps I never will now we shall see . I had a PSA test recently, my Dad had terrible prostate problems which I want to avoid, but it was not an easy process to get approved. Its not foolproof but its all thats available at present.

I think you have to ask them for your results as it's part of a survey system. I think I got a letter through the post a while later. I'll check on Monday when I go. I'll takes owt that's free

On the exercise bike I find I like it in silence and it becomes meditative

[redtrummy]

Well done. When we cycled the C to C the second time we did use the exercise bike to try and lift our fitness a bit.

Got to agree re Cole - his patronising voice really does me - signed Grumpy old man.

[R1ffR4ff]

Originally Posted by redtrummy

Well done. When we cycled the C to C the second time we did use the exercise bike to try and lift our fitness a bit.

Got to agree re Cole - his patronising voice really does me - signed Grumpy old man.

The main incentive for me losing weight was the that I refused to buy 40" pants when my 38" ones got tight <grin> :O

I've dropped several notches on the old belt now plus of course the health and wellbeing are improved.

Also if I can succeed on getting down close to 12 stone from the 16 Stone I will I lose this unwanted pillion passenger !!!!

I keep this picture in mind to keep me going

[redtrummy]

'GPs do seem to dislike doing PSAs,' Too true but the blood test costs the NHS less than £70, not a huge amount. It probably needs taking in conjunction with the finger examination, not a pleasant bexperiencebut its all we have. Better that than what Chris Hoy is faced with. I know at least 10 men who have had to have treatment, luckily none (at present) have died.

[Sir Trev]

I had to argue with a "nurse practitioner" or some sort of not-quite-a-doctor to have my last PSA test. Bafflingly, a mate of Lady Poppy's was a receptionist at a neighbouring surgery to ours and they were told to test any bloke who asked, because it was much cheaper for the NHS in the long run compared to radiotherapy and chemotherapy if not caught in time. Quite the lottery.

As my dad is unlikely to make it to Christmas, after being treated for prostate cancer for over a decade, I have a good argument for periodic testing. EVERY man over 50 should be screened, regardless of family history, but I doubt anything that sensible will ever happen...

[Seeker]

My PSA is high, last check it was 9.4 after being stable around 7.5 for a few years (should be < 3). I get checked every 6 months and will be getting a blood draw soon. My GP did my first check and I was immediately fast tracked once my high results were returned.

I've had 2 MRI's, the second one being a multiparametric which is more accurate and allows prostate to be measured (mine is large at 67mils, apparently).

What's frustrating about the PSA test is that it gives false positives and false negatives, but is the only test available (at the moment).

I asked my urologist about this:
https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/news/art...-cent-accuracy

He hadn't heard of it nor another South Korean test that was proving accurate, which I find disappointing.

Prostate cancer is a blanket term and there are multiple types. If you're "lucky" and have the slow growing type the current medical thinking is that it's better to leave it rather than treat it, since you will have died of something else by the time it becomes a problem.

What we all try to avoid is the biopsy, 12 needles up your derriere which often can cause more damage.

[Craig380]

Originally Posted by Seeker

What we all try to avoid is the biopsy, 12 needles up your derriere which often can cause more damage.

I would strongly recommend trying to avoid that. During my diagnosis the urologist took 10 samples from different areas of the prostate, 12 needles each time. I've never known pain like it.

[Bibio]

Having just been through the whole prostrate cancer thing is all i can say sort term pain is better than long term cancer. GET CHECKED PEOPLE. I was one of the lucky ones and got treated in time.