Cancer Support

I'm a "early years" survivor. In my case prostate cancer. I had robotic surgery to remove the prostate and surrounding cancerous tissue. I then had 32 True Beam radiation treatments.

My post treatment numbers are great PSA 0.00. Hopefully those numbers will continue to the 5 yr., 10 yr. benchmarks and beyond.

BUT MY MESSAGE TO ALL MEN. Get a YEARLY PSA test. Regardless of your GP's recommendation. A simple blood test.

I had yearly PSA with results within normal range numbers (< 4 ng/mL). THEN the national recommendations changed to not needing a yearly PSA. I then went three years before my next blood test. You can guess what happened. A double digit number.

Then it begins, biopsy, diagnosis, second opinions, treatment recommendations, second opinions, decisions..decision. Surgery with months of recovery and side effects. Then follow-up radiation therapy with recovery and side effects.

Three plus years of decision and worry about what next. And of course INSURANCE coverage.

Get a YEARLY PSA test. Regardless of your GP's recommendation.

One final note from my prostate robotic surgeon. A quote " I would like to get my hands on the people that change the testing standards". It was a bad recommendation causing late diagnosis of the cancer.