PSA

This is a PSA about PSA. I was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. It was a matter of luck that the medicos found it.

I realized last year that I had not had a PSA (prostate specific antigen) done for years, so when I was getting a blood test for another reason I told the nurse to also add a PSA. That gave me a base line for comparison. I had it done about a year later as part of a normal physical. and it showed a slight increase but the raw number was not concerning.

Then I started getting the typical old fart peeing issues and when I mentioned this to my doctor, he sent me to the urologist. He did the "finger wave" (digital rectal exam) but didn't feel anything abnormal. When I told him that both my father and his brother had had prostate cancer in their 70s he scheduled a biopsy. Nobody was expecting it but they found cancer in 2 of the 12 samples.

I opted for radiation and am now getting 42 treatments on the Cyberknife. It takes about 10 minutes for the treatment and then I go about my day.

FYI, the docs will tell you that EVERY man will get prostate cancer if something else doesn't kill him first. It is the second most common cancer in men but it is the most treatable. Medical technology has improved with robotic surgery and targeted radiation so the old complications that men dreaded are minimized.

September is prostate cancer awareness month, so go to your doc and get a PSA and a digital rectal exam.