Do not defy the prostate
Just over three weeks
after radiotherapy treatment, if I am not already aware of what my prostate is,
where it is, and what effects noticing it can have on you, I will have been in
a parallel universe, but I am here in the full knowledge of this interesting
piece of anatomy the size of a walnut.
Do not be deceived,
its size is hardly indicative of what it portends; it was its growth in size
and volume that suggested something untoward was at play.
Evidently, malignant
prostate cancer after two PSA
tests, a digital
rectal examination, a multiparametric
MRI scan with contrast that presented a PI-RAD
score of 4, needing an ultrasound
guided transperineal biopsy of the prostate.
Keep an eye on your
prostate health
There are a whole
range of issues that could be indicative of an enlarged prostate gland, usually
referred to as benign
prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) that would normally be non-cancerous but it is
necessary to determine that is really the case, no assumptions should be made
without a medical assessment.
The male reproductive system - Macmillan Cancer Support
A good check on your
prostate health can be started with using the International Prostate Symptom
Score (IPSS)
Calculator as the site of the prostate gland below the bladder and
surrounding the urinary tract as it exits the bladder can present issues with the
ease of urination, a high IPSS score should alert you to proceed for the PSA
test.
Dealing with a
prostate cancer diagnosis
After the biopsy, the
prostate was determined to have some cancerous cells and diagnosed as Stage
2 with a Gleason
Score of 3 + 4 = 7, intermediate cancer and very amenable to treatment.
The urology department
then referred me to a cancer specialist hospital for active treatment of cancer.
While there were options for active
surveillance, a radical
prostatectomy, or radical
radiotherapy.
After consultations, I
elected for radical radiotherapy taking 20 courses of hypofractionated
radiotherapy of the prostate for a total of 60 Gy on weekdays.
The side effects, various
and different for each patient are for me concentrated on the waterworks, difficulty
in urinating and burning sensation with the same, while presenting with urgency
and frequency along with nocturia. Also, there is the fatigue that tends to
show up with my voice sounding thin and weary.
Finding time to
recuperate
One area my elective
radiotherapy option might differ from others is I commenced treatment without neo
adjuvant therapy which is hormone therapy to reduce testosterone, I later
found out that my testosterone levels were quite low, which might well have
been a blessing of sorts.
I was active throughout
my radiotherapy treatment including for 75% of the appointments getting myself
to and from the hospital as an outpatient. There were two or so days when after
radiotherapy in the morning, I had to take the rest of the day off. In the
main, I tolerated the treatment well and exercising will and mind over body at
certain times.
However, radiotherapy
while painless exerts quite a toll on the body, it was malignant cancer, and
one needs to find the time to properly rest and recover to give the body the
range and scope to return to full health and vigour. Despite the advancements
in the science and engineering of radiotherapy, radiotherapy will touch healthy
tissue as part of treating the cancer, which needs to heal too.
The outlook is incredibly
good, now, get your checks done.
Blog - Men's
things - Prostate Cancer blogs
Blog - Photons on
the Prostate - XI
