watchman3135
Recycles dryer sheets
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2017
- Messages
- 112
So I just early retired not to long ago and earlier this year I had my routine bloodwork and my PSA was nearly doubled in the high 3's from my previous years. Had another PSA follow up 12 weeks later and it was 3.97 so my primary sent me to a Urologist. I'm 55 but the protocol for most any age is to next do a random prostate biopsy but I did a lot of homework prior to my visit and requested a 3T Multi Parametric Prostate MRI be done first which in the past several years is becoming the Gold Standard rather than biopsy first and can be used with mapping if anything is found. The MRI report showed nothing of concern.
As Prostate 3T Multiparametric MRI is becoming the "Gold Standard" I was hopping it remove the need to do any further testing since nothing was found with a PIRADS 1 however on the Doc's insistent recommendation, I did the biopsy and the lab found 2 of 12 cores containing 3+3= Gleason 6.
The Urologist advise was not to do radical surgery or radiation at this time with the current guideline for low risk Gleason 6 which is still considered a cancer but a non aggressive is observation with retesting in 6 months. In his own words "If you going to get prostate cancer, this is the one to have" but when one hears they have any cancer all they can think of is get it removed asap but as many men know, a radical prostatectomy is nothing to be taken lightly though with a Gleason 7 or higer I think treatment becomes more clear.
After a few days further researching his advise moving forward and Confirming Gleason 6 is a very gray area in regards of the need for treatment with many respected Urology in the field advising 6 needs a different definition as is scares patients into more radical and unnecessary treatment with some saying it should not be labeled as a cancer at all which makes treatment options very confusing. All this makes me now think of the timing of my early retirement.
It's been confirmed that 40% - 50% of men above 50 have some form of Prostate Cancer and don't know it and because it's mostly slow growing most will never die from it but from other age related illness.
Anyone else having similar Health discoveries after retiring and wonder what the heck is going on with life?
As Prostate 3T Multiparametric MRI is becoming the "Gold Standard" I was hopping it remove the need to do any further testing since nothing was found with a PIRADS 1 however on the Doc's insistent recommendation, I did the biopsy and the lab found 2 of 12 cores containing 3+3= Gleason 6.
The Urologist advise was not to do radical surgery or radiation at this time with the current guideline for low risk Gleason 6 which is still considered a cancer but a non aggressive is observation with retesting in 6 months. In his own words "If you going to get prostate cancer, this is the one to have" but when one hears they have any cancer all they can think of is get it removed asap but as many men know, a radical prostatectomy is nothing to be taken lightly though with a Gleason 7 or higer I think treatment becomes more clear.
After a few days further researching his advise moving forward and Confirming Gleason 6 is a very gray area in regards of the need for treatment with many respected Urology in the field advising 6 needs a different definition as is scares patients into more radical and unnecessary treatment with some saying it should not be labeled as a cancer at all which makes treatment options very confusing. All this makes me now think of the timing of my early retirement.
It's been confirmed that 40% - 50% of men above 50 have some form of Prostate Cancer and don't know it and because it's mostly slow growing most will never die from it but from other age related illness.
Anyone else having similar Health discoveries after retiring and wonder what the heck is going on with life?
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