ChrisB wrote:
Thanks for that pep talk, Dean :-) I’ve scheduled a visit to the doctor
for Friday 17 December. It’s about time I had a PSA check . . .
Sadly, my eldest brother died from prostate cancer in 2010, aged 64 years 10
months. He had been diagnosed in 2003/2004. Since then, I have taken some
interest in this cancer.
Several years ago there was a one-hour documentary on UK TV that illustrated
the lives lead by three cancer sufferers, one of whom was suffering from
prostate cancer. As part of his segment, the film crew visited the
physician who had devised the PSA test, and that physician said on camera
that he no longer used the PSA test as a diagnostic tool, as it was too
unreliable. This echoed the comments made by my GP the first time that I
had visited him for a check.
Your GP will probably offer you the PSA test, but be prepared for another
sort of examination, one that is more appropriate for this digital age --
yes, a digital examination(!)
Finally (and this may be apocryphal), your PSA level can vary from day to
day, and I have seen suggestions that you should refrain from "conjugal
activities" for several days prior to the PSA test. Also, it is suggested
that you should not travel to the PSA test on a bicycle. (Hmm, both of
those sound like facts one would read on the internet, but if I read them on
the internet, they must be true.)
-- from CyberSimian in the UK
--
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