Thread: Cancer. The awkward conversation.

In brief, my story ...
Have been checked for cholesterol and PSA annually since I turned 50, some 8 years ago.
PSA went up a little bit one year, from about 3.8 to 4.0. Not much, still in the "safe" zone. No symptoms.
However, my 'free PSA' percentage moved markedly, from 25% down to 15%, somehting like that.
GP says go get an MRI just to check.
MRI inconclusive, off you go to a urologist.
Questionnaire, digital exam (which is the old-fashioned way!), nothing.
But, to be sure, let's do a biopsy given family history of prostate cancer. (Dad's got it, but he's in his 80's at this point, and therefore not really an issue.)
The biopsy - or at least the after effects - is not pleasant.
Result shows cancer, early stages and contained.
Lots of research and discussions with urologist and a nurse advocate, weighting up the pros and cons for different treatments.
In my case, I went the full robotically-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy.
All cancer removed, all nerves still intact.
That was 5 years ago.
Cancer free, everything works just like it used to.
I got lucky.
Don't be to afraid ask your doc, and talk to your mates about screening.
You can't die from embarrassment, but you can from prostate cancer.

Just thought i would give my 2 bob’s worth. I fell out of my prime mover 2 months ago. Slipped on top step, broke both my wrists and cracked my head, needless to say i was given a full body scan and they found a large tumour in my bladder. That was cut out 2 weeks ago and now i have a year of immunotherapy and chemo. I am on a trial for one of the hospitals. It is 10 weeks of treatment then 10 months of monthly treatment.

I am obviously very concerned but to be honest i am happy to talk to people about it if they ask. It makes me feel a bit stronger about fighting it. I would never have found the tumour if i had not had the accident.

My thoughts now are to get a yearly CT full body scan as it can pick up stuff you never knew. I am nearly 60 so i am suggesting it is an age thing also. I wish i had got a scan earlier and found the bloody tumour but there you go. All the best everyone.

It just goes to show that with all the tests you done they came back negative but the Urologist decided let’s go for the biopsy and that is what saved you. Just goes to show if you still don’t feel right about it, keep pushing, your gut instinct saved you.

I am glad you are fully recovered. Good on ya.

Originally Posted by Scozzzy

Just thought i would give my 2 bob’s worth. I fell out of my prime mover 2 months ago. Slipped on top step, broke both my wrists and cracked my head, needless to say i was given a full body scan and they found a large tumour in my bladder. That was cut out 2 weeks ago and now i have a year of immunotherapy and chemo. I am on a trial for one of the hospitals. It is 10 weeks of treatment then 10 months of monthly treatment.

I am obviously very concerned but to be honest i am happy to talk to people about it if they ask. It makes me feel a bit stronger about fighting it. I would never have found the tumour if i had not had the accident.

My thoughts now are to get a yearly CT full body scan as it can pick up stuff you never knew. I am nearly 60 so i am suggesting it is an age thing also. I wish i had got a scan earlier and found the bloody tumour but there you go. All the best everyone.

I've heard two similar stories, my neighbour had a mild heart attack and was sent for a scan before they installed stent/valve and they saw a dark spot on his kidney, turned out to be cancer so had one kidney removed.

A friend hurt his back also sent for scan, spot noticed in colon, cancer removed via keyhole surgery.

My dads brain lesions were spotted accidentally during a CT of his sinus. Complications of the Lung Cancer he was already being treated for, but that was found after a "that cough is probably viral but I'll just send you for a CT". If that CT had been 3 weeks later we'd be looking at a different prognosis.

I agree with being open about it. I found out about my bowel cancer after a colleagues husband died of bowel cancer, and I decided to get checked out rather than ignore what we're mild symptoms. Turns out it was bowel cancer, and I was now on the treadmill.
In my case it later spread to my lung, then later to my ribs next to my lung. So now I am missing bits in al of those 3 areas.
It all started with a conversation to wake me up.

I never knew I had any problem with cancer. I have had a few heart issues over the years, including a couple of heart attacks and most recently, atrial fibrillation.
It was during an ultrasound check-up after my last bout of AF that the young girl operating the ultrasound noticed "something unusual" in the left kidney area. She contacted my doctor and got a request for CT scan, which was conducted about an hour later (I live just around the corner from the Hospital in Kalgoorlie).

The CT Scan identified a lump / growth the size and shape of a football where my left kidney should have been. Arrangements were made for me to get into a hospital in Perth, and less than a week later I was operated on and the "lump" removed. I have photos of it - a pretty grotesque looking thing - which has apparently been preserved and is used in one of the teaching hospitals / universities in Perth now. The remains of my left kidney was in the centre of this "lump". Biopsy results indicated that they had got all of the cancer and that I was in the clear.

Two years later during follow-up checks and scan and consultation with urologist, he observed another growth, this time on my liver. More scans etc and again down to Perth in a matter of days, where almost half my liver was removed. This was in April this year. Biopsy results again indicated "all clear" - but subsequent scans done locally suggest possibly enlarged lymph nodes. So I'm off down to Perth again in a couple of weeks for a PET Scan (can only do CT and MRI in Kalgoorlie - not set up for PET Scan). Following that scan, I already have appointments booked with Oncologist and Urologist specialists. I guess I will know more next month.

I stopped working in April this year (I had been working for a South Australian company developing an iron ore beneficiation plant and export facility at Port Augusta). They have recently asked me to do some more work for them - mainly home based but with occasional visits over there for meetings with design engineering companies etc. Will see what happens next month - I'm not really inclined to go back to work at the moment, partly because my health situation is likely to cause disruption to work activities - and I turn 66 a bit later this year anyway, so I reckon it's probably time to call it quits. For now, I have got stuck back into my woodwork hobby in my shed and I'm enjoying the time doing what I like to do most - though I do also like the challenges of what I have been doing for a living for years now.

Originally Posted by BMKal

I never knew I had any problem with cancer. I have had a few heart issues over the years, including a couple of heart attacks and most recently, atrial fibrillation.
It was during an ultrasound check-up after my last bout of AF that the young girl operating the ultrasound noticed "something unusual" in the left kidney area. She contacted my doctor and got a request for CT scan, which was conducted about an hour later (I live just around the corner from the Hospital in Kalgoorlie).

The CT Scan identified a lump / growth the size and shape of a football where my left kidney should have been. Arrangements were made for me to get into a hospital in Perth, and less than a week later I was operated on and the "lump" removed. I have photos of it - a pretty grotesque looking thing - which has apparently been preserved and is used in one of the teaching hospitals / universities in Perth now. The remains of my left kidney was in the centre of this "lump". Biopsy results indicated that they had got all of the cancer and that I was in the clear.

Two years later during follow-up checks and scan and consultation with urologist, he observed another growth, this time on my liver. More scans etc and again down to Perth in a matter of days, where almost half my liver was removed. This was in April this year. Biopsy results again indicated "all clear" - but subsequent scans done locally suggest possibly enlarged lymph nodes. So I'm off down to Perth again in a couple of weeks for a PET Scan (can only do CT and MRI in Kalgoorlie - not set up for PET Scan). Following that scan, I already have appointments booked with Oncologist and Urologist specialists. I guess I will know more next month.

I stopped working in April this year (I had been working for a South Australian company developing an iron ore beneficiation plant and export facility at Port Augusta). They have recently asked me to do some more work for them - mainly home based but with occasional visits over there for meetings with design engineering companies etc. Will see what happens next month - I'm not really inclined to go back to work at the moment, partly because my health situation is likely to cause disruption to work activities - and I turn 66 a bit later this year anyway, so I reckon it's probably time to call it quits. For now, I have got stuck back into my woodwork hobby in my shed and I'm enjoying the time doing what I like to do most - though I do also like the challenges of what I have been doing for a living for years now.

Good luck with it all, mate! On a lighter note, there's not too many people who can claim that their kidney attends uni lectures.