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Having been involved with this cancer for some time now makes me wonder and question a lot of things about it. Parts of it are truly a conundrum! It appears to me that a Gleason six is the starting area of concern but very open as to just how serious it is and even if it is just normal. I hesitate to say this but I am almost glad my cancer was diagnosed as the more serious sort. There was much less decision involved as to whether it should be treated. There is much controversy about this cancer being over treated. There are opinions all over the place but no one can say for sure. This disease very seldom gives any symptoms until it is firmly established and possibly too late to eliminate it. I have been through treatment and the effects of that. I have to believe it was the right move for me but can't help wondering what would have happened had I remained blissfully unaware of it. Would it have killed me eventually, would I have lived a full, normal, life not doing anything about it, will it still kill me or cause me to make even more sacrifices trying to fight it? It is all a coin toss. I wonder if this cancer is dealt to us from day one. I tell myself that I probably went through many years of what I will call "in-active surveillance" before accidently discovering I had it and that it was now at the serious point. Was I lucky it went the way it did - or not? The one in six statistic about getting it by age sixty seems pretty accurate but I wonder what the real statistic is. How many men die with it undiagnosed, never having had to go through the agony of the wondering and questioning and living their whole life unaffected by having the undiagnosed disease. I have so many unconnected thoughts on this that I can't seem to even form them in my mind. I guess it is pretty silly to even try as my course is set and many questions are irrelevant at this point. Enough of my rambling - hang in there guys. Jon.
I am waiting to see urologist at this time and lots of things going through my head about if I am diagnosed with pc. Hopefully I don't have pc but trying to cover all bases just in case, I don't want to be bulldozed into a treatment that maybe I can live without.
1) I am trying to weigh up if quality of life is better to go with than quantity, seems that some guy's have gone through surgery and other treatments even though they had minimal symptoms and their quality of of life is not that great.
2) I am a single guy so my situation is a bit different to the majority here, but if I had to have surgery who would help me day to day post op, believe me it is a big issue (or could be).
3) I enjoy travelling and want to see many more places before I hang up the back pack, maybe I would not be able to travel to remote places in far off lands post treatment or during treatment.
So many other things to consider that I can't list here, everyone is different, everyone has different priorities.
My psa is 7.9 just a routine bloodtest bought it to light I have few symptoms apart from having to get up to pee some nights but not every night and dre detected large prostate and hard. I also have tremor predominant parkinsons which I can live with and diverticular disease which I can manage. So maybe not knowing the psa reading would have been better, who knows. As they say somtimes ignorence is bliss.
Heres hoping it is not pc. But if it is I think I have decided on watch and wait but that could change, who knows something else could get me before pc including the local bus.
