CANCER............. do we men take enough care ?

[rona]

Hi all,
I have just spent an hour reading 'Tassie Kiwi' article on depression, this is an item all of us should read and also be aware of, because it can be just around the corner.
This has prompted me to write a few lines about my problems during the past 4 to 5 months. One Saturday afternoon while playing with the computer, I sneezed, and the second time I tried to stop myself, as we have all done, and ended up breaking a rib. After about two weeks, I decided to go and get it x-rayed, sure enough one broken rib, about two weeks later similiar pains started on the other side so of to the Doctor again and another x-ray, this time nothing so I was the booked in to the Ballarat Hospital for a bone scan the next day. I had this and the Doctor also decided to give me a CT scan as well, so I came home and early next day he visited me to give me the 'good' news;
I had 95% Cancer to my bones throughout my body, and Prostate cancer as well with a PSA reading of 1966; the normal reading is 4.

[rona]

Up until this time I had no signs or indications that I had any problems, no prostrate problems, which I thought would have been noticeable and certainly no aches or pains with my bones or body.During the past three months following treatment I have got the PSA reading down to just over 1000, this is
derived from blood tests.
There are basically 4 solutions to this, 1 Hormone injections 2, surgery, 3 radiation 4 chemo; I chose no 1, and so far things appear to be going OK.
Had to have a complete change in diet, no red meat, only fish and chicken and plenty of juices. On 5 different lots of tablets, plus 6 monthly injection which costs $2097.00.
OK, the message here is................ we men do not look after ourselves the ladies regularly go for checkups, pap tests,breast scans etc,any slight pain or problem off they go to the Doctor. Now us men need to get into a routine and have a blood test at least every 6 to 12 months, probably starting from when you are 40 !If there is a problem with Cancer get it early!
I hope this has been of interest, Kind Regards, Ron.

[Shedhand]

Sorry to hear of your travails mate. Know what your going through. My bro (53) had major surgery for oesophagal cancer 12 months ago. He had no idea untill he started flatulating from his mouth. He was a body builder and fit as a mallee bull. He now has no stomach except for a small sac the size of a squash ball. They gave him 6 months. Still kicking on with a radical diet, radiation and pills from a quack in the US which he bought off the internet. He seems content and has lived 6 months past his use by date. I guess being positive is a big part of recovery cobber so stay bloody positive and may good things happen for you. :2tsup:

[dan_tom]

http://www.prostatehealth.org.au/

http://www.menshealth.org.au/

http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?Section=mens%60health

Some useful websites that give pertinent and correct information about men's health screening that I thought may be useful to some members.

Cheers
Dan

[TassieKiwi]

Jeez rona, that's a raw deal. I trust that you have family and friends to help you through what must be a bloody awful time. Thanks for the heas up on screening - you're quite right. After all, the car goes in for a checkup every 10,000 k's, why shouldn't we? All the nice tools in the world are useless if you're too crook to use'em.
Best wishes for your treatment mate.

[Ironwood]

I too have had a few problems lately.
June last year I decided to get my knee repaired after a motorbike accident 20 years ago had damaged the anterior cruciate ligament. Got a ligament reconstruction, 2 weeks later I was due to go to the doctor to get the brace off, during the night I developed chest pains, got a stab of pain in my left side if I took a deep breath. It was only a couple of hours until I was to see my doctor, so I waited till then.

Told her of the pains and she rushed me in for a CT scan, they found I had pulmonary embollisms (blood clots in lungs), presumeably from the knee surgery, that meant 3 days laying in bed (hospital) while injections and tablets thinned my blood.(my lungs had partially collapsed by this time)

On the CT scan they also picked up that my Thyroid gland was enlarged, they did a fine needle aspiration on that and tested it. Turned out I had Thyroid cancer. This had given me a blood disorder which caused the clots.

They told me I had to have surgery to have the thryoid removed, but they couldnt risk it while I had the embollisms, so I had to wait until they thought the blood clots had dissolved, but because I was on Warfarin tablets (to thin my blood) and had to stay on them for 12 months, There was risk that I would bleed to death on the operating table, beacause my blood wouldnt be able to clot.

In August I went to Brisbane and had the operation, which lasted 7 1/2 hours. They took my Thyroid out, and 30 glands out of my neck and chest. Also had blood transfusions.

I have since had radioactive iodine treatment, which didnt manage to nuke it all. Am going back to Brisbane soon for another dose, hopefully this lot will get what is left.

So I went from a supposedley fit and healthy person, to that, in the blink of an eye.

Theres a lot of things to deal with while this sort of thing happens, we also had 2 deaths in the family. Depression tries to take you over, you need to stay positive, and have goals to work towards.

This forum was a big help to stay sane through it all, as it gave me somewhere to go to get away from my other problems for a while.
Thanks Ubeaut. :2tsup: (edit: and all members who add to the forum)

[journeyman Mick]

.............................This forum was a big help to stay sane through it all, as it gave me somewhere to go to get away from my other problems for a while.
Thanks Ubeaut. :2tsup: (edit: and all members who add to the forum)

I'll second that, no serious health problems myself but I've been nursing my sick wife for some time now and the forums have been a good escape.

Mick

[TassieKiwi]

It's easy to say things like 'If you haven't got your health you've got nothing' etc, but living it would be a totally different thing.

Thanks for sharing fellas, and godspeed with recovery. Don't let the black dog take over - keep talking, and keep checking on these bunch of twits - there's distraction/trivia/laughs aplenty!

[pawnhead]

This forum was a big help to stay sane through it all, as it gave me somewhere to go to get away from my other problems for a while.
Thanks Ubeaut. :2tsup: (edit: and all members who add to the forum)It's good to have people who will lend an ear, and the members here all seem like beaut people.
I'll second that, no serious health problems myself but I've been nursing my sick wife for some time now and the forums have been a good escape.Ditto here. I was on my back for a year after a three story fall, but an operation fixed me up. My back's still a bit crook though.
Now I'm a full time carer for my frail and aged mother who suffers from bipolar and depression. I've got nothing to complain about though, and life, though it has been better, is still pretty sweet for me.
It's easy to say things like 'If you haven't got your health you've got nothing' etc, but living it would be a totally different thing.
I'll second that.

I hope you guys that are suffering some ailments have a swift recovery.

Keep your chin up. :)

[meerkat]

Well first off I'm sorry to hear of all these health issues and we are here to help to keep you sane.

Secondly, do we take enough care ????

:hellno:

Some stats for y'all

"Men are half as likely as women to see a doctor – they are less knowledgeable in general about health and symptoms of specific diseases, less responsive to health care information, and less likely to utilize the health care system. In one study, in a 15 minute conversation with a medical doctor, the average number of questions a woman asked her doctor was six, whereas men averaged near to zero questions."

http://www.menatrisk.org/health/endangeredhealth.html

[Iain]

Had a few problems lately with a wog that just wouldn't go away, went to see the Dr who sent me off for XRays, came back, I got the X Rays he got the results, I looked at chest X Rays and saw a bloody great big shadow and wouldn't go back.
SWMBO threatened Dr with castration with a blunt knife if he wouldn't tell her what the problem was.
Chest X Rays all clear but sinuses are blocked.
I feel such a cockhead..................SWMBO says I should because I am:no:
However, she is not a Dr, so I am probably half right, still have to go back this weekend after CT scans to the head (probably to look for the logic part of brain).

[steb]

Had a few problems lately with a wog that just wouldn't go away, went to see the Dr who sent me off for XRays, came back, I got the X Rays he got the results, I looked at chest X Rays and saw a bloody great big shadow and wouldn't go back.

AAAARGH. The big white shadow in the middle is yer heart. Just as well for the other half........

but this does make the point rather well. We dont tend to followup on things and we do tend to bury the head in the sand...

[Five Thumbs]

I fully support the message that we men must have regular checkups. After I turned 60 in August 2004 I decided to get my GP to do a '60,000 mile service' on me. No rush of course so the checkup occurred in April 2005! A blood test resulted in me having a colonoscopy a week later that revealed a stage 3 tumour in the rectum. Apparently tumours are graded from 1 to 4, with 1 being the 'least serious'.

Radiation and chemo treatment in May/June 2005 followed by surgery in August that year to remove the tumor and attach an ileostomy bag. In May 2006 an operation to remove the ileostomy bag. I also needed further chemo treatment for 6 months between operations. I also needed many months to recover from each operation and the second lot of chemo really took a lot out of me between the two ops. So all in all not a very pleasant time and of course a very worrying period for my wife and children. However my last blood test in November 06 showed me free of cancer so I am looking forward to plenty of good years in the future.

Interesting comment on maintaining a positive outlook by my Oncologist. He said, that although there is no scientific evidence that having a positive attitude helps to defeat cancer, it certainly makes you feel better and also helps your family to cope with life whilst you undergo all the treatment.

Like others mentioned above I was fit, going to the Gym three days a week, played golf twice a week, gave up smoking in 1990 and drinking in 2001. Still got cancer despite all that and no family history of cancer. However if I had started having blood tests at, say 55, the cancer would have been detected earlier as polyps in the bowel that could have been dealt with during a colonoscopy.

So I add my voice to the need for regular checkups for our own sakes as well as for our near and dear.

Cheers http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon7.gif

5T

PS. Some medical terms - ileostomy - from the Ileum or small bowel. Colostomy from the colon or large bowel.

[ciscokid]

This post has certainly given me food for thought. I was supposed to go in for the full blown checkup when I hit 45. I'll be 46 in three months. Still no visit. I guess I'm just afraid of what he might find. :(

[rona]

Cisko Kid,
Don't hesitate, I must admit I was a bit hesitant also, but you must do it, because if there is a problem it needs to be sorted out as early as possible. If I had gone much earlier I would not be in the situation I am in now.
In my thread, I didn't mention that I now have a lot of pain in my legs, I spend all but 2 hours a day in bed, can't sleep on my side, etc I managed to catch mine in time, all the aches and pains started about three weeks after I was diagnosed, but I feel as though I am improving if I can get this PSA reading down further in the next three months I should be rid of a lot of the pain. OK now off to the Doc and don't be nervous, because there are others out there that care also, so let me know how you go........ and goodluck.
Cheers, Ron.

[Oz.Man]

Hey gang,

I thought that I would share my experiences as well. Two days before my 30th birthday I was told that the ulcer on my tongue was in fact a stage 2 tumour. I had been experiencing shooting pains in the right side of my jaw that, in my young male manner, I had just assumed were being caused by my wisdom teeth. After three months of putting up with the pain under the belief that it would just go away like my previous bouts of wisdom teeth pain, SWMBO finally lost patience and made an appointment for me to see the dentist. The dentist informed me that whilst my wisdom tooth was indeed impacted, it was not causing the pain. A quick trip to a good GP, booked once again by my wife, turned up the ulcer on the side of my tongue which was biopsied to reveal that the ultimate cause of my pain was a tumour that was growing into my tongue and putting pressure on one of the nerves.

I've never smoked and I'm not a serious drinker, I was 29 and relatively healthy. To cut a long story short, I had part of my tongue removed and a six week course of radiotherapy and I have been disease free for four years now. I had my final follow up session with my ear, nose and throat surgeon just last week at which he told me to go away and (hopefully) never come back. I was lucky because the tumour was found relatively early, but it could have been found much earlier if I hadn't indulged in self-diagnosis. As is often the case in these stories it was my wife who did all of the work in getting me to the medicoes.

So in answer to the question posed in the thread "do we men take enough care" I would have to say that in the past I did not, now I do. It is a shame that it took cancer to point this out to me.

Cheers,

Oz Man

[Eddie Jones]

I had a similar experience as Oz. Man. In 1990 - at age 43 - I was diagnosed with a stage 4 cancer of the Maxilla - upper jaw. The slight pain I felt, when chewing etc, I self-diagnosed as a dental problem. I put off seeing a dentist for 3 months. Stupid mistake that nearly killed me. The dental Xray showed a shadow up above my teeth that turned out to be a cancer. After partial removal of the upper jaw, plus a month of radiotherapy, the long wait started to see if they got it all. Although it's now nearly 17 years and I am fairly confidant, you are never quite sure.

My surgeon told me I probably wouldn't have seen out 6 months if I hadn't had the op.

So please add my voice to the others. Don't put it off! Get that checkup! Get it now! If not for you, for the sake of everyone you love.

Eddie

[Iain]

Got my CT results, I have a blocked sinus caused by an absess on a front tooth, the nerve was removed from the tooth many years ago hence no pain but it will have to go, damned expensive excercise as this tooth is one that a metal plate hangs on to, so a trip to the tech for some mods to the plate as well.
Can't be simple can it:-
The icing on the medical cake is that I lost my reading glasses last weekend, that's only about $300 so I'm wearing some old pair that I've put together from bits laying around, and it's obvious too, one silver arm, one gold one, different lengths and styles, just haven't had time to get to the optician yet.

[Eddie Jones]

Don't have to worry about the medical bills any more! Just turned 60, and along with the Vet Affairs pension, a GOLD CARD turned up! Totally unexpected!

Almost worth getting sick.

Almost.

[rona]

OK Cisco Kid, how did you go with the check-up a week ago, I trust everything was OK, i know the thought of going is not nice, but it has to be done ! Good to see that a couple of the other fellas have also been along. I went back for another reading a week ago and it is not looking good, I have only lost 2 points on my PSA reading in the previous 7 weeks which brings it down to 1189, so have a long way to go; Have to decide now if I am going onto Chemo as of next Wednesday, So I'll say it again to everyone..............
if your over 40 please go and have a PSA bloodtest it only takes 15minutes
and it may make a hell of a difference down the track.
I don't like to be dogmatic about anything but when there are others, like wifes and children, to think of.............. go and do It!

Cheers,
Ron.

[Shedhand]

I gave up male doctors many years ago because they just didn't seem to care about what I was saying and asking. I've always been inquisitive anmd health conscious (in spite of smoking for 50 of my 55 years.) Female doctors are much more empathetic and willing to listen and talk. I love my Doctor (metaphorically I mean) and we have become good mates (she still charges me though). I can tell her anything and I listen to her advice. However, I told her I don't expect her to check my prostate :C :B and that made her happy.

[rona]

Hi Sheddie,
I can appreciate your decision to give up male doctors and go with female ones, and I possibly agree with you that they are more attentive in listening and understanding your problems. However atthe end of the day, a doctor is a doctor and if you are in need of treatment or attention of any sort they will make themselves available and help in the best way possible.
The thought of a female doctor wishing to attend to your prostate may seem daunting at first, however remember firstly you get a blood test and if your PSA reading is normal ( 4 ) or close to it, there isno need for her to do the manual bit that you are worrying about If on the other hand you have an abnormal reading, well in excess of 4 (like mine at 1966 ) you will be given a refferal to a specialist who will then proceed with testing your prostate and taking a bi-opsy. So if you have any concerns don't put it off because down the track you may regret your decision, just because she is a female she may never get the opportunity to put that hand there anyway.

Cheers,
Ron.

[Stuart]

???? me , but there is some scary stories in that lot. I hate doctors - so many are a waste of space, and money. Go see one and they invariably send you off with a script that costs a squillion dollars to fill, and doesn't fix the problem anyway.

So many times I have taken an issue or other to the doctor (normally because of the the red hot poker that SWMBO is waving behind me), and have had the issue waved away, or given some pointless script. My fear is one day they will dismiss something that really was important.

However, I'm not against regular checkups etc, and the above examples highlight just how important they are. Just wish doctors (ie GPs) had more credibility.

[Ivan in Oz]

A Vet Surgeon once gave me some advice;
[ Yes; some Ppl think I am an Animal ]

#8. Cherish your health.
If it is good, preserve it.
If it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

From the BLOGS of 'Count' on www.Person.com


I like #4 -------- Enjoy the simple things :D

[rona]

Hi Stu,
Unfortunately what you are saying is usually right, many doctors do not have the patience interest at heart like they used to. My own Doctor is a personal friend and i know him well outside of the medical centre, actually I will not step foot inside the medical centre for reasons similiar to what you have mentioned. My Doctor visits me 2 or 3 times per week at my house and stays for 2 hours or so each time........... a bit different to the norm.
One thing that has been a surprise to me is that anything connected with cancer, especially specialist visits are free, tablets are very basic price
example six month injection $2097.00 was only $22.95. most others are over $100.00 and cost around $20 - $30.
I was very concerned early days as I am no longer a member of a health insurance, which is a rip off anyway.

Cheers,
Ron.

[Ironwood]

Well I'm off to Brisbane in the morning for my next round of cancer treatment.

'Radioactive Iodine', just have to pop a pill, and then sit in an isolation room for 3 days, and wait until I stop glowing green.

Not much fun. I was hoping I would be able to watch the cricket final, to soak up a bit of time, but thats fallen through now :~ .

I'm hoping this dose will nuke what is still in my system. Fingers crossed.

[Gumby]

I think we are at the stage where we should ask for a second opinion on major health issues. In past generations, they used to take the doctor's word as gospel but not so anymore.

But to save time and money, i just bypass the first doctor and go straight to the second one for his opinion. It has saved me heaps over the years.:wink:

[Shedhand]

I think we are at the stage where we should ask for a second opinion on major health issues. In past generations, they used to take the doctor's word as gospel but not so anymore.

But to save time and money, i just bypass the first doctor and go straight to the second one for his opinion. It has saved me heaps over the years.:wink:I have always advocated a similar approach to wives. :-

[rona]

I went to see the other specialist yesterday, he is possibly the top oncologist in Australia and is based in Ballarat, fortunately he visits Stawell each fortnight to see patients. It is frightening to see the number of patients that are waiting for him each week.
After going through all the pros and cons of my prostate it is becoming rather daunting, as it is classified as aggresive and very difficult to control so
starting next Wednesday I will be on chemo,followed by radiation the following Wednesday and a drip with a bone strengthener to try and build up the bones before they start breaking on me too. This will go on for quite a few weeks to see how it takes.A few CT Scans thrown in,along with blood tests every two weeks. If I had been seeing the Doc probably 10 - 12 years earlier I may not be in this situation now, but you must think positive and try
and beat the bloody thing.When my PSA readings were coming down I thought I was OK, but they have plateaud (Leveled out) at 1189 so thats why I am in trouble now because the figure we were looking for was 4.
I am pleased to see that over 700 have read my thread regarding cancer, I would of course like to see more read it and more importantly g for those check-ups!. I have never been one to try and push anyone into doing things,letalone going to the Doctors, but I can now see that it must be done as I may not be round much longer.

OK , All the best,
Cheers, Ron.

[Eddie Jones]

[quote=rona;460196]......I was very concerned early days as I am no longer a member of a health insurance, which is a rip off anyway.
quote]

Ron,

Glad you brought that up, I'd forgotten about that part.

When I was ill, apart from the operation and the follow-up radiotherapy, I had around 3 CT scans, one MRI, god knows how many normal XRays, plus a total of 3 weeks in Royal Adelaide. Plus flown Darwin - Adelaide, plus accomodation.

The cost to me? Zippo, zilch, nuffink! Why? Because I was a public patient. I don' pretend to fully understand the workings of the system, but if I had had private cover it would have cost me thousands. Apparently if whatever you have is life threatening, you not only get priority, but it's free too. Well at least it was for me.

I agree - Private cover is a total rip-off.

Eddie

[rona]

Hi Eddie,
About five years ago, I went to pay my health insurance. Had to send it off to Ballarat as there wasn't an agent in Stawell, so I posted it on the Thursday night, on the following Tuesday i received a letter from the ballarat office saying it was overdue and they cancelled my membership. Now it would have arrived at their office in plenty of time, however this b1t** who was the Manager would not back off, had been a member for 46 years at that stage so I told her to her face what I thought of her and also their insurance policies.So needless to say, havn't been a member since, but as mentioned earlier was a bit concerned there for a while.
Cheers,
Ron.

[Shedhand]

Hell Ron. You've drawn the bloody short straw mate. Listen, you just keep the positive thoughts flowing cobber. We're all pulling for you to get on the comeback trail. And don't just slide off into the sunset. Keep us up to date so we can keep supporting you.
All the best.
Cheers
Mike

[rona]

Hello Mike,
Thanks for the Kind words,i haven't been sick all my life, then whammo you end up with something like this, I am getting plenty of support this way, which is great but still hard to handle. I have just upgraded everything in my workshop so I can perhaps spend 1 - 2 hours a day out there to get my mind of it. Also the fellas on this forum are terrific, its probably the only thing thats keeping me on track at the moment.
Thanks mike,
Cheers, Ron.

[rona]

Hi,
Having written a thread on Cancer problems a few weeks back, and also had
over 800 members view the thread, and several replies along with many showing interest as to 'it's time they went for a check-up', I just thought I would
let you have an up-date view as to where we are at.
I started my first week of Chemo on Wednesday, now I had heard may stories in relation to this and was very unsure as to what was going to happen during the time you are in there and also reactions to it for the next couple of days.
Well, I was ushered into a large room where there were eight people in the same situation as me, all sitting in big comfortable armchairs, with four nurses in attendance atall times. You are put at ease by the nurses immediately, given a cup of coffee to relax and then about 15 minutes later the action starts. A pillow is placed across your knees and a drip is inserted into the back of your left hand, this remains in position until all the fluid has entered your veins; I had a further drip inserted after as they are putting a bone strengthener in as well as all my bones have become so fragile and if I fall, there is a big chance I'll break bones. When this also drains it is removed from your hand, and then after about ten minutes to stabilize yourself you are then allowed to go home.
I felt a little light headed and knees were aching as usual, but quite well apart from that, I went to bed approx two hours later and stayed there until next morning. (The actual time in the armchair was four hours) I have had no side effect at all so far, unfortunately some people are quite sick, loose there hair later, and suffer for weeks, hopefully I may be lucky.
So once again, I am saying if there is any indication of prostate problems go and see about it. My PSA was dopping quite well, however this has now plateaued at 1131 which still has a long way to go.
I am not trying to frighten anyone into the whole cancer scene, but please if you have any doubts, go and see about it.
If you are concerned and want to talk to me , for instance,do not hesitate to send me a PM, and I'll phone you back, no matter where you live.

All the best,
Cheers,
Ron.

[Shedhand]

Thanks for the update Ron ol' sock. Keep the chin up and the bum will keep pointing down if you get my drift.
All the best mate. :2tsup:
Mike

[Ironwood]

Ron,
I wish you all the best with the Chemo, I hope you are one of the lucky ones that doesnt get too sick from it.

I had my radioactive iodine treatment 2 weeks ago (2nd lot), it knocked me around a lot more than the first dose. They gave me a stronger dose this time.
Still unsure if it has gotten rid of all the cancer yet, I have to go back to Brisbane in May to talk to the Doc about whether I'll be needing a 3rd dose.

[Big Shed]

Ron,

Hope it all goes well for you. My daughter is a chemo nurse here in Bendigo, so I hear all about these things regularly and she is forever on my back for check-ups etc.
A couple of years ago I was building a pergola and lifting heavy beams, as I was doing this I was rubbing my chest. She saw this and asked whether I had chest pains, I replied that there was only a bit of discomfort. Well between her and SWMBO I was pushed to the doc the next day and had a strees test the day after. Two days later I was in Epworth for an angiogram, they found a 95% blockage in the left anterior artery, and the next day I had 2 stents inserted. Doctor said I was a walking time bomb and if it wasn't for the quick action of SWMBO and daughter I would have been a goner. Two days ago I had my final echo and stress test and got the all clear. Feeling as right as rain and have been bike riding a fair bit.

So this story reinforces your message, don't ignore any symptoms and don't play the big toughy, look after your health and have it checked out. Better to be a live wooz than a dead hero!

Ron, I hope things will go well for you, what I have seen of the health system has really impressed me despite all the negative stuff in the media and I know that all those dedicated health professionals will do their utmost to get you back on track.
Keep us updated on your progress, my thoughts are with you.:2tsup:

Fred

[fred.n]

Ron
Hope all goes well, and you have a speedy recovery:2tsup:

[rona]

Big Shed & Fred.n,
Fred & Fred,
Thanks fellas for your kind remarks and best wishes, It's a matter of hanging in there I think, pretty hard to do sometimes. Your comments re the dedicated professionals who are there to help you through it all is remarkable, They are truly dedicated not like in the system even as far back as five years ago where it was just a job to most, now they are right there their PR skills alone are fantastic.The local hospital is great, but the St.John of God Hospital in Ballarat is one in a million, absolutley fantastic.
In many areas now the word dedicated is meaningless, teaching for instance, I had 25 years in there and when I look at some of them today they are most certainly not dedicated it's purely a9.00 to 3.30 job.
Thanks again fellas, and best wishes,

Regards,
Ron.

[Metal Head]

Prostate Cancer Misdiagnosed

March 28, 2007 06:28am
Article from: AAP
<!-- END Story Header Block -->

OVERWEIGHT men are far more likely to get misleading results to prostate cancer tests that compromise their treatment, new research has revealed.

A study has found that prostate biopsies commonly used to diagnose the extent of the disease regularly underestimate the severity in men carrying extra weight. The results, published by US scientists today, suggest that many men receive inadequate or inappropriate treatment that is not aggressive enough to combat the true nature of their disease. Cancer Council Australia chief executive, professor Ian Olver, said the findings were concerning, and urged clinicians to carry out more thorough testing on these patients.

The study compared biopsy results with actual disease in more than 1100 US men who had had their prostate removed as part of their cancer treatment. A biopsy - surgery to remove and test small slices of the organ - typically follows the standard PSA blood test used to indicate the presence of disease. The research, led by Duke University, showed that obese men were 89 per cent more likely than slim men to have a more aggressive form of prostate cancer than was indicated by biopsy.

Men who registered as overweight but not obese had a 44 per cent increased risk.

Study leader Stephen Freedland said the results were worrying because under-diagnosed men potentially miss out on additional treatment, like hormone therapy, that could save lives. It was already known that PSA test readings were less accurate in overweight men, he said. "These findings further suggest that we could be missing even more high-grade disease among obese men," Dr Freeland wrote in the latest issue of the journal Urology. The reason for the discrepancy was still unclear. But the researchers believe obese men's larger prostates could mean that the usual number of samples taken during a biopsy is insufficient to reveal the gland's actual status. Prof Olver said it was important clinicians were aware of the problem and conducted more biopsies on these patients to get a more accurate result. "It also underlines the fact that we need better ways to diagnose and predict the outcome for this disease," Prof Olver said.

[Poppa]

Ron (and the rest of you sick buggers), just read through this thread and wanted to add my support. I've been lucky with health so far but I guess it is just a matter of time. I have a good friend at the moment who has lung cancer, and this has metastasized to her brain so the outlook is not good. But she is a fighter and doesn't give up easily.

So positive thoughts flowing your way, keep your chin up and stay alive! Hope the results keep improving.

On the subject of health insurance, I'm a fan of it actually. I've been a member for a long while of the Government Employees Health Fund, which is now called Australian Health Management (AHM). They are very helpful, and have forgiven us a couple of transgressions regarding being late with notifications and renewals (we've moved countries a couple of times in the last 5 years). Since I've been a member we've had two kids, I've had gall bladder surgery and a vasectomy and not paid a cent for any of this. They pay towards chiropractic, dental and orthodontic, and some of their benefits even rollover between years (not many funds do that). I reckon it has saved us a heap over the years. For example, when I had gall bladder surgery I went private because the public waiting list was over 12 months. I was in and out within a week and cost me nothing. I can't imagine how painful it would have been to have waited 12 months - I had two pethedine injections in the emergency ward within a week before I had the surgery.

Here in NSW the public system seems awful. Although our last babe we had in the public hospital on our doc's recommendation and that went all right. But they didn't even provide food for goodness sake! Very basic facilities too.

[DeadEye68]

I have just finished reading all the posts in this thread and felt compelled to pass on my best wishes to all of you who are sick or otherwise incapacitated.

Good luck, and may you find better health and happiness in the very near future.

Regards

Richard

[Glen]

Any body regardless of age should go see doctor if they have any doubts about their health and don't be afraid to see a second doctor if first one doesn't diagnose problem to your satisfaction.

Two cases.

1. mate of mine 44 years old thought he had irratable bowell syndrome ignored it, diagnosed primary bowel with other cancers now has only a very short time to live.

2. son of one of my wifes clients, 17 year old now, severe headaches for a year, kept being diagnosed with migraines, mother took him to another doctor, cat scan straight away, has a brain tumour and has now had a stroke before they could operate.

If you won't do it for yourself do it for your family and friends.

I wish Ron and any one else who is ill that the outcome be positive.

[Ironwood]

As posted earlier in this thread I have been getting ongoing treatment for thyroid cancer.

I have just spent the last 3 days in an isolation cell in Royal Brisbane Hospital, while I had radioactive iodine treatment (3rd time in 12 months).

Got out yesterday after my levels were low enough to be around other people, had the full body scan, the doctor gave me good news, the spots I had which were in places that were inoperable, have been killed off by the radiation, I have 1 very small spot left in the side of my neck (which can be removed by surgery if need be) which he says will probably also be gone by the time the radiation is fully gone from my body.

They are just going to monitor with blood tests now and see what happens.

This news was like winning the lotto for me, hard to explain the feeling. :o :B :2tsup: :U :; :D :)

[Gingermick]

Good for you:2tsup:

[Shedhand]

Good one mate. :2tsup:

Anyone heard how Rona is?

Cheers

[rona]

Hello Fred, Mike, Fred n, and others out there,
Sorry I haven't been around for a while, but everything seems to be coming along OK at present. Finally I have got my PSA reading down to 62 (was originally 1966 almost 12 months ago - should have been 4) I hopefully go for my last Chemo Wednesday week, won't be sorry as it knocks you around forat least 2 weeks after. One of the fellas mentioned they had 2 doses of petedrine to ease the pain, however they gave me one about two months ago and it had no effect at all; a waste of time. I trust all of you are going well, my apologies for not answering some threads, but I get to the stage that I can't even sit at the computer for even 5 minutes and have to head off back to bed.
I just checked through the prize draws for the last three - four months, there has certainly been some excellent donations made for our forum members - I'll just keep on hoping ! I see Neil has made some changes to the web page since I last visited; colour wise not sure whether it's good or bad, perhaps a little harder to read than before.
OK, best wishes to all, and I'll try and keep my computer up and running.

Cheers,
Ron.

[Big Shed]

:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:That is great news Ron, I am very happy to hear that you are heading in the right direction:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

Keep your chin up mate, positive thoughts are the best medicine.

Fred

[AlexS]

Good to see you back on deck Ron. Keep it up.

[Ironwood]

Good to see you back on the forum Ron. Hope things continue to improve.
All the best mate.

[Shedhand]

Good to read things are going well for you Ron. All the best.
Mike

[Colin Howkins]

So sorry to hear of all the things that can make life a misery.

I'd like to share my 'spin' on things and I hope you don't take it as a holier than thou attitude.

My old man lived to be 93 an my Mum to 95 so I suppose I've got good genetics on my side. You could say the old man's innings were pretty good, but I can tell you the last session after tea was pretty shaky, and that went on for a number of years.

The old man was first diagnosed with a 'prostate' problem in his 70's and was told it would not be a problem for 5 years or so. So he put it off because he'd 'bed dead by then'. He kept this attitude up until his late 80's when finally the condition became life threatening and he was operated on. He ahd other health problems which made his quality of life pretty rugged.

I try to learn from life and looked at my old man and thought there has got to be a better way. I am a great believer that early diagnosis = good prognosis and a good outcome.

To that end I took it upon myself to have a really thorough check up, this was at age 40.In these check ups [last one cost $800 and there is no rebate as you instigate it yourself] they look at

Cholestrol levels
Sugar levels
Sodium Tryglicerides
Blood platelettes
Red/White blood cell count
look for cancer markers in your blood
Sight
Hearing
Check for sun cancers, moles etc
Check all muscle groups
Check balance
Full stress test - on a treadmill till you drop sort of thing
Lung function
Liver & kidney function
Heart function
Diet Used to do this every 18 months, now every year - being 61. Over the years a few things have been found that have been cut out etc. But the good thing is they were caught early and were easily fixable.

One of my other passion is cycling and still do about 120 k'ms per week, play squash, keep fit and eat well - grow all our own veggies.

I take some great delight in being told when I do these tests that I slot into about the top 5% of the population when it comes to fitness/health etc.

I know you can't help bad luck, but I often wonder how much badluck can be avoided if a little bit of thought is applied.

I look at a lot of my contemporaries, and I know i would not want to swap. I get a little maudlin when in thiere company and all they can talk about is thier ailments, when I have none.

I do not believe my health/fitness is an accident or I am lucky, as a result I am still able to do many, many things my contemporaries just cannot contemplate because of poor health or lack of fitness

I guess I have just got to watchout for those buses

Thats it..

Colin Howkins
Graceville Qld