Age-related Health Issues

[hermes2015]

Annual health check-ups are wise at any age, but more so as we get older. My doctor has called me in to do my yearly blood and other tests for many years; the last one was in June. She was a bit concerned with the PSA level (an indicator of prostate condition), but when she felt it, it did not seem enlarged at all. She prescribed a course of antibiotics with another blood test after. It showed that the PSA was still elevated, so she recommended a consultation with a urologist. The urologist did an ultrasonic scan, which showed that there was only a very slight swelling of the prostate on one side, but he felt it was wise to do a biopsy.

The biopsy took less that 1 hour. It was done under a general anaesthetic, but I was back home after 2 hours. I was expecting pain and discomfort, as experienced by some people after this procedure, but did not feel anything. The biopsy revealed low to medium  activity cancer. Currently, surgery is only recommended if absolutely necessary; my urologist is in favour of brachytherapy. It involves inserting tiny pellets containing iodine-125, an isotope with half-life of 60 days that decays via gamma irradiation to tellurium. I had to go for an MRI scan to give a 3D map of the prostate. This was used to determine the positions of the radioactive seeds.

I had the brachytherapy two days ago, on 10 August. It was done under general anaesthetic and I was home after less than 3 hours. I have had zero pain and discomfort so far. Thank goodness that our medical skills are still equal in quality to anything in the rest of the world, so I am in good hands. I shall keep you guys updated. As a further precaution, I will have 25 daily radiation treatments in October. I am fortunate to have good medical insurance and it has cost me nothing so far.

This whole sequence of events shows how important annual tests are. I feel perfectly healthy, although I turned 76 last month, without any of the usual symptoms associated with prostate problems. My medical team told me that many men don't realise they have cancer, because they have no symptoms. So, guys, I beg you to not be complacent: schedule your check-ups ASAP.

[Recusant]

Zonks. Glad to hear that it was caught early!

Best wishes for an effective and minimally tiresome course of treatment. 

[No one]

Glad you are doing well.









if you tell anyone, I'll deny I said such a thing.

[hermes2015]

Thank you, Recusant and No one. I've had a good life with very few regrets, so I am much better off than so many others.

Brachytherapy seems to have grown in popularity owing to its high success rate. I was one of 18 patients for it at the clinic on Wednesday morning.

[Magdalena]

I'm sorry to hear about your health problems, Hermes2015, but it's good to hear that you are in good hands. And advising everyone to schedule a check-up ASAP is excellent advice.

[hermes2015]

I'm sorry to hear about your health problems, Hermes2015, but it's good to hear that you are in good hands. And advising everyone to schedule a check-up ASAP is excellent advice.

Thank you, Mags. Of course the recommendation applies to women as well as men. Although, for women breast tests are easier to do at home.

[No one]

Whenever I hear of a regret free life, my mind always goes here:

metal makes everything better!

[billy rubin]

break a leg, hermes

im looking for a GP at this moment. i had a prostate resection a couple of years ago and came clean for cancer at that time.

but that was then

best wishes for a clean bill of health

[hermes2015]

break a leg, hermes

im looking for a GP at this moment. i had a prostate resection a couple of years ago and came clean for cancer at that time.

but that was then

best wishes for a clean bill of health

Thank you so much! Let them check your PSA level.

[hermes2015]

Whenever I hear of a regret free life, my mind always goes here:

metal makes everything better!

Yes, I don't have many regrets, in spite of the many dangerous and silly things I did when I was younger.

[Tank]

Good to hear they got things early. I bet they haven't had a patient with such a good understanding of the treatment process before!

[Asmodean]

The Asmo, too, is suffering most severely from age-related creaks and leaks.

His Divine Shoulder Joint is all creaky and clunky, His back is only bendy when it wants to be, He's overdue for a oil change and could probably do well with a healthier diet too. 

But hey, as slowly falling apart goes - not too bad.

Good to hear that the health checks actually bore fruit for you. Many a scary cancer is, if caught early, in fact not very scary at all.

[hermes2015]

Thanks, Tank and Asmo. I must say that my title of Dr was helpful during my various visits to the Morningside Mediclinic. If nothing else, it can be a useful lubricant sometimes.

https://www.mediclinic.co.za/en/morningside/home.html

[Dark Lightning]

I hope this ends well! I've heard of the radiation treatments. The insertion of the biopsy needle, as well as the insertion of the radioactive pellets aren't without risk, but better than letting the cancer run rampant. A friend of mine had his prostrate removed completely, earlier this year. An interesting thing about prostrate removal, many times the sphincter grows back enough for urine retention. Freaky. My prostrate is enlarged (I'm 69) but sort of being controlled by some meds.

[hermes2015]

I hope this ends well! I've heard of the radiation treatments. The insertion of the biopsy needle, as well as the insertion of the radioactive pellets aren't without risk, but better than letting the cancer run rampant. A friend of mine had his prostrate removed completely, earlier this year. An interesting thing about prostrate removal, many times the sphincter grows back enough for urine retention. Freaky. My prostrate is enlarged (I'm 69) but sort of being controlled by some meds.

Thank you. My team seem to be up to date with the latest thinking and are not in favour of surgery. I just have to rely on their guidance, since I am a chemist and don't have any medical qualifications.