Originally Posted by
tyrion
My doctor said prostate exams are now optional. After some consideration, I opted "no thanks".
"If you can't say something nice, keep your mouth closed."
Anybody remember those parental words of wisdom? Well, this is a typed response so I am technically abiding by my parents instructions......
IMO, the quoted response is one of ignorance of the lifesaving abilities of a simple procedure that should be included in a man's wellness checkup.
First off, I did not have a PSA performed prior to seeing my PCP, a very good female friend, who I was seeing about some groin swelling. Out of the blue she said, "Haven't done a DRE in a while so take the position." NOT A BIG DEAL I do so and while she is checking she says a lump is felt. Advice is to see the urologist but I have another IRONMAN Florida coming up and didn't want to stop training following a biopsy that I felt would be needed.
So I delayed then finally made the appointment some months later and
low and behold eventual BIOPSY RESULTS revealed Gleason 10 Prostate Cancer. My cancer is the aggressive PCa cancer that only 8% of the more than 160,000
https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/...cer/statistics in the USA per year diagnosed will have. My PSA was not extremely high and truth is that the MOST DEADLY/AGGRESSIVE PCa can produce little PSA so we don't rely on those numbers. My cancer was contained within the prostate capsule so a stroke of dumb luck since it hadn't yet metastasized. Treatments done, a return of the cancer,
treatment done again and just waiting for another recurrence that will happen and hopefully
not in my bones somewhere in my body.
My advice is to have a DRE, it could help save your life.