Hello, I have prostate cancer

They say nothing prepares you for being told that you have cancer (or, in my case, “adenocarcinoma of the prostate, highest Gleason score 4+5, high grade and high-risk”).  I’d disagree slightly.  The MRI scan that reported an unusual shape in my prostate, followed by a biopsy which essentially involves sticking a series of long thick pins into your perineum, kind of grabbed my attention and did give me a hint that the NHS thought there might be something ‘up’. 

But yes, it’s a bit of a shock.  And I’m not sure it’s really sunk in yet, although it was less than a week ago now.  This is going to be my diary as I work my way through the process of treating this. 

The title is deliberate.  I’m only at the start of my journey right now.  I am determined to get through it and come out the other side, though.  So the blog title reflects the outcome that I am going to secure for myself.  Please feel free to read, comment, and share the content, but don’t feel under any pressure; writing this is principally for my benefit.  If you get anything out of it, then that’s a bonus. 

So how did I get here?  I’ve had an elevated PSA for about 15 years, and was sent for a biopsy in 2013 which was entirely clear.  Back then, there was no accepted MRI scan to check for prostate cancer, so you went straight from a blood test to a biopsy.  I learnt two things from being stabbed repeatedly in the prostate – first that I seem to be one of the people that has a naturally elevated PSA, and second that I don’t like being stabbed in the prostate and would rather avoid that in the future, if that’s OK with everyone else involved. 

My GP agreed that it was OK with him but that he’d like to monitor my PSA regularly.  So I did that, kind of, and had steady readings from then on that were a bit high but not scary-high.  Certainly not scary enough to make me volunteer for another biopsy.  And then last December I had to have a MRI anyway for other reasons (yes, it’s been a fun few months) so the GP booked a prostate scan “while you’re there anyway”.  The report from that flagged up an 11mm lesion that needed investigation. 

Oh goody, I guess that means it's stabbing time again.