Publish as often as you can.  You are putting out valuable information Joe.  Good luck with your journey.  I will be watching.

My doctor told me by 80 most blokes have prostate cancer and heart disease..we're living the dream lads enjoy every day we ain't here long. Respect to joe ❤

When my PSA went up to around 7 I had my prostate removed. Laparoscopic robotic procedure was employed by the surgeon.  Lengthy procedure - recovery quite fast, although I had some difficulty urinating after the catheter and urinary bag was removed a week later. That passed and I was left with a limited sex life. Of course I was 78 years old at the time and my sexual performance was not at full strength anyway. However, I am very happy to be alive and healthy with no urinary incontinence (a concern for many).

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. This is such helpful color.

Been there friend , self advocate with knowledge and respect,but push back until you are satisfied. Love you ! The only good thing about my chemotherapy and radiation were (and still are ) the patients I met . I learned what empathy is and that people are descent and kind .

16 year survivor, robotically removed, best of luck and prayers to all !🙏

thank you for your brave sense of humor,and admission

I started out with a PSA of 438 and I felt the cancer when the doctor did the DRE. That was on a Wednesday had the SCAN & biopsy before the weekend was over had 11 of 12 cores positive Gleason 4 + 5 Mets to three nodes and the spine that is when I was 60 I am 63 now and i have had many problems but life is still good and I plan to make as many birthdays and Christmas as possible 😢😢

I'm really sorry mate for the news you've received and I know it's not easy to come to terms with. I truly hope whatever treatment you receive really works for you and that your family and friends are supporting you through this time in your life.

My diagnosis similar to yours still okay 11 years later hang  in

Good down to earth tell it as it is advice Joe. Top man.   My gleeson was 8.  Due for prostate removal in March.  Its not spread beyond the glsnd.   Men being open and informative like this helps to reassure others.

I didn't have any of those problems with my biopsy. That sounds terrible. When we were done the Dr. asked if I was OK. I told him I'd had DREs that were worse. I did have some discomfort on the way home but, it passed in a couple of hours. My samples were taken rectally and was numbed up well. I had 12 samples with two having very small samples of more aggressive cancer for a 4+3. I had two PSA tests at 19+. I had mine removed and the surgeon was surprised at the amount of cancer. My after PSA was 0.09. Not bad but, not as good as could be so I'll have another test and radiation if anything shows up. I'm progressing pretty well and I'm glad I went the way I did. There are different ways to take care of it so keep on top of it and good luck.

Hi Joe. 58-yrs old. April/May this year I started getting the usual symptoms, weak flow and getting up 2-3 times a night. At hospital for something else mid October and my missus mentioned symptoms to the consultant surgeon who referred me to a urologist. A week later I had a consultation and DRE and he said my prostate was enlarged but didn't feel too bad but gave me a PSA test anyway. Another week later on the follow-up with the urologist and the PSA result was 2000. The following week I had a biopsy and a few days later a bone scan and another PSA test. Immediately started on initial two shots of Firmagon (degarelix). Result was Stage 4 Gleason 9, PSA now 3500 and cancer spread to my upper skeleton, arms, ribs, breast bone, shoulder blades; bloody everywhere. Started on  Zytiga (Abiraterone) and Prednisolone.  End of November I had another PSA and PSMA PET-CT scan which confirmed the bone scan and also in one lymph node. First week of December I had my third shot of Firmagon. My PSA had dropped to 20.

Agreed on the DRE, I struggled to sit down and after the biopsy I had to have a catheter fitted. Had that for around four weeks, was a fucking nightmare for a few days after it was removed, pissing neat blood, pain and blood clots. Cleared-up after a few days.

The medical oncologist has told me I will be on hormone therapy for life. Side effects from hormone therapy didn't start until this month. Night sweats and a really weird feeling of nervousness in my chest, dizziness, headache, loss of sex drive.....My missus and I have decided the best course of action for me is to have my balls removed (bilateral orchiectomy). Sounds drastic I know but I can drop the Firmagon and related side effects apart from the impotence ha.


Be interested to keep up with your journey mate, treatment, diet, exercise, what you have told your family. I haven't told my three lads yet or anyone else back in the UK (I live in Thailand), I don't suppose there's any good time to tell them but I thought I'd get Christmas and New Year out of the way first.

..........Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, spread the message to all men out there and thanks for your service. Good luck. Mark

Honestly, it’s best to laugh at these situations. Glad you got your humor brother.

I'm really sorry Joe. Big hug. Thank you for being so kind to share your story.

I'm just getting started on this journey, mate. Scared as most of us are. MRI shows two lesions on my prostate (one that is highly likely malignant) and this journey started with a annual PSA at the end of this summer. Latest PSA was only 5.5 which I though wasn't so bad at the time, but just to be sure I booked an appointment with a urologist and then... we'll you know the story. After the unsettling MRI result, getting a 22 needle biopsy done in mid-Feb and will then have more data to fully understand where I am right now and where I'm probably headed in terms of any necessary treatments. Going to demand a PSMA PET scan at some point to check for any spread throughout my body! That seems to be the new gold standard for such things.

You have no idea how helpful it is to so many of us to hear stories like your.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I've just been thro all this....PSA went from 2 to 12.6 in 7 months... CT scan, then MRI, then biopsy,  took 9 samples from me....was passing blood for over a week blood in semen for 4 weeks....waited 2 and half weeks for telephone consultation...told it was inflammation...so I'm on meds now and have to have another PSA test in 3 months....any fellas watch this or reading these comments....GET TESTED..!

Joe, excellent post. Same here, diagnosed spring of 2023, opted for a radical prostatectomy. Worked out well, no detectable PSA readings, but will get intensive PSA tests 4 times this year, thereafter annually. Prayers for you and thanks again.

Another Joe, age 71, USA. My PSA started to creep up in 2006 and went up to 4.8 and then went down the next year to 2.8. I went on hormone treatments in 2001 for nearly 5 years and had to quit that. I was on a local study program for prostate cancer. In the time on hormones, the PSA was well below 1. The libido returned very quickly after getting off of the hormones, but my PSA slowly crept up in that year. When it reached 7.2, I had my first biopsy. That showed nothing but inflammation in that area. I got the test through the arse and I had to pay through the arse. I then went to the VA (Veteran's Administration) for care after that because I qualified. They did two more biopsies and that third biopsy one showed a #4 in one of the samples in 2021. That last biopsy also caused a UTI which required an overnight stay in the hospital. The prostate was removed 3 months later due to delays as there is a doctor shortage in the VA system. Only one of the lymph nodes removed showed malignancy. A following PET scan showed nothing, however, the doctor interpreted that scan did mention the normal amount of gallstones for my age and the gynecomastia caused by the hormonal treatment. Psa after the operation was .19, now down to.10. Still being monitored with no meds needed, but some weeping into the piss pads. Keep fighting fellows!