So, I have Cancer.

[cbclotus]

Hi Kimbers .Be nice to meet up and have a beer in the future.....Mike and family

[molemot]

Had my six monthly review of the pustulent prostate at the Royal Marsden today. The PSA has gone up...from 2.7 to 3.8; which is more than I would like but about what my graph predicted.

Since the criteria for resuming the hormone treatment is a PSA of 10 or more, or a doubling of the value in the six months between tests, or adverse symptoms noted by me...and none of these apply...once more,we take no action and have another review in September. This is now 8 years since diagnosis and 4 years since the last treatment.

The longer we can wait before treatment the better... the tumour does become hormone refractory in the end, and the hormone treatment ceases working. So the plan is to put it off as long as possible, then use it until the PSA comes down again...at which point we stop once more and wait for the PSA to go back up, before repeating the cycle. Hopefully, this sawtooth waveform can be made to keep the blasted thing subdued until I has slipped off the twig for some other cause...(!)

So I can have a nice summer....at least, once I get this cursed left shoulder dislocation rehabilitated to the point that I can sort out the boat for the season....and September can look after itself!!  

[cbclotus]

Hi John.Take care mate...Be good to catch up some time...Mike

[Alan Paterson]

Hi Tony,

Great to hear things have gone well. Been hoping they would.

Look after yourself.

Alan

[johnpwalsh]

Brilliant news Kimbers, glad for you and the family, sorry for late response but only just back home from overseas.

[Kimbers]

So a few years on and I have just posted this in other social media, in response to many of the news articles covering cancer issues in men.

"Watching the News this morning and talking about Male Cancer and how so many men are suffering alone or can't talk about it. They were also saying that men leave their diagnosis longer and "don't want to see their doctor for fear of what it is" when it comes to exclusively male cancer.

I left mine for far too long and what was only a skin based Cancer (in Situ) became more serious. Instead of simple treatment and/or removal of some skin it became more invasive. And why didn't I mention it earlier? Because it was on my Penis. Yes there. I've said it! See how easy it is? Penile Cancer is rare (about 600 cases in the UK a year) and is a killer if left with only a 59% survival rate for cases not caught early. However, if you get diagnosed early enough and it's in Situ or Stage one/Two, your survival rate can be anywhere up to 90%! That's how important it is to check yourself, talk about it and get diagnosed early!

This holds true for all types of cancer whether it be Male Cancer like Testicular or any other kind. You need to talk about it before hand, you need to talk about what you are going through, during, and you need to talk about it after. Only when we openly discuss this will more and more men find it acceptable to talk openly and this will make more men aware, more men feel like they aren't alone and therefore, more men survive.

I am open and discuss my cancer with anyone who will listen. But I can see some men wincing as I mention it. I see some men look away in embarrassment and this is the stigma that we need to get rid of. I am 4 and a half years down the line from my operation. I had surgery on my Penis but I have my life, my Penis (Frankenweener as it has become known) and a new outlook on life and what the Big C is all about. You see, the "Big C" Isn't really the big C. If you catch it early it's the small c and the only way to do this is talk about it openly and make everyone aware. Get rid of the stigma.

Lastly, men don't talk about "Man Cancer" after their operation/treatment. This can cause worry(especially whilst in the recovery stage), anxiety and, in the case of seriously invasive surgery, mental health issues. I have found that talking to other sufferers on MacMillans website very helpful. They even have a section dedicated to Penile cancer. Like minded people and sometimes their spouses talk openly about it and how it has effected them.

So in summary. Check yourself. Talk openly and ask questions, don't be embarrassed, don't suffer alone and afterwards, make sure everyone knows and understands how you feel and when you need help.

Me? I feel great. I have a wonderful family and support network of friends and people I work with in both jobs. But I am back from the Docs after a check up. I was worried because I still get pain, Sometimes the skin still cracks and bleeds and sometimes even I am allowed to worry a little. It's all natural and I was told that I would get this probably for the rest of my life, so I just need to move on and handle it! After all, there are people worse off and it is for them that I wrote this!

 

Thanks if you got to the bottom of this essay and thanks for understanding!"

[philcool]

Good luck going forward can't be easy having or indeed talking about this . 

[Kimbers]

On the plus side, I am "naturally ribbed for her pleasure".

[molemot]

Good luck, Kimbers!! Well said....don't delay, people, remain alert to what might be happening and get it checked out pronto.

As for me and the purulent prostate....the PSA has been climbing steadily and went skyrocketing upwards earlier this year. I nearly got on the EMBARKS drug trial, but one of the criteria was that the tumour hadn't metastasized...and the last scans showed I no longer met this condition, as - after 10 years or so - it has finally got loose and got into the lymph nodes and the C3 vertebra. An earlier trial...STAMPEDE...has shown that chemotherapy for prostate cancer works better and for longer if it is used at an earlier stage than the previous, charmingly named, "end stage".

My tumour still responds to the hormone treatment, and I am halfway through 6 cycles of chemotherapy at the Royal Marsden. The remains of the hair has gone....I had great fun shaving the head, with two duff arms (after shoulder dislocations!).... They warned me about side effects, but so far they have been so minimal as to be able to be disregarded...or not even noticed in the first place. Doing the chemo now adds about a year to the lifespan, as opposed to leaving it until later....plus, of course, however long I may get in any event!

Roll on spring; get this behind me and back on my boat and playing with the Lotus.....

[Kimbers]

Good luck back at you John! 

[andydclements]

1 hour ago, Kimbers said:

On the plus side, I am "naturally ribbed for her pleasure".

And now you have the excuse of "I was demonstrating a medical examination"...."Well yes technically it is a public place"......"I don't see what me being drunk has to do with it".

[Loose Cannon]

So what were the early symptoms? You get advised to check for "lumps" but as cancer forms in so many places and has so many forms, just what should trigger a visit to the GP? I still can't understand why anyone would be reticent about seeking help.

[Barrykearley]

Need diagrams  - I'm gonna pounce on the wife to have a full rummage and check over tonight .........

its seriously frightening - it's all proper lumpy and bumpy down there - I've had mine looked at since my snip as the old pipes felt a bit knotted to me - apparently that's correct - but the DR did say it's always worth having the old nutsack rattled by a pro ( not sure if she was taking the Mick at that point )

[Chillidoggy]

If you want your nutsack rattled by a pro, @swindon_alanis arguably your best pimp point of contact.

[Kimbers]

On 15/11/2016 at 14:54, Loose Cannon said:

So what were the early symptoms? You get advised to check for "lumps" but as cancer forms in so many places and has so many forms, just what should trigger a visit to the GP? I still can't understand why anyone would be reticent about seeking help.

DON NOT READ IF YOU ARE IN ANY WAY UPSET BY PENIS TALK OR OPEN TALK ABOUT AN OPERATION.

Initially it was just itchy behind the foreskin. Then I started to have a slight raising of the skin and then small white lumps. Again itchy, unless I had had sex and then it hurt. I got it looked at by the doctor at that point and he referred me to a Urologist who then referred me to a specialist. By then another 3 months had gone by and by now it was bleeding after "use". The specialist gave me a directly applied Chemo-creme which was the most vile thing I have ever used. A month of applying it literally had my skin coming off like chewing gum, in the shower. It was like melted cheese! And the pain! Oh....my.....god.

That didn't work so then it was the operation. I thought the chemo creme hurt but when I woke up I was in so much pain they had to sedate me again. I was told I came out of the anaesthetic fighting. I apologised but they said it happens quite a lot with men. I then had bruised ribs and massive bruises on my arms to deal with after they had to have me restrained. Basically they removed the foreskin, some of the "meat" underneath. all the glands (except the large 2 underneath) and part of the head. Because there wasn't enough skin, they then cut the skin at the base, pulled it up like a polar neck sweater and stitched it directly to the head. 

Anyway. a few weeks of agony, wearing a nappy, oozing nastyness and having every nurse in the land change my dressing (Not intentionally). And Frankenweener finally saw the light of day. I pulled a couple of stitches in the....erm....."healing" process....damn those attractive nurses changing my dressing.....which has meant I have healed....strangely.

 

[Bibs]

On 11/15/2016 at 12:14, Kimbers said:

On the plus side, I am "naturally ribbed for her pleasure".

 

[Kimbers]

That's huge!

[Loose Cannon]

Good grief. It sounds like even if you do act quickly the "system" doesn't. I assume every day counts perhaps that 4 month wait you had applying Solvol or whatever they gave you could have been more usefully spent.

I've had strictures in the past (blockages) and when I went to the docs he said it was "just part of getting older as a man"..... 2 months later checking into the hospital they said I was days away from Kidney failure. I asked if the operation could reduce length, and it could, which was worrying as there isn't much spare capacity in that dept! Luckily the mighty midget survived, but feel for you as any operation in that area is incredibly sensitive.

[Barrykearley]

Ive just fainted

[Chillidoggy]

I was planning to tell Kimbers that this thread is useless without pics, but on second thoughts..................

[NedaSay]

Well I read that...ok.

[Barrykearley]

3 hours ago, ian29gte said:

I was planning to tell Kimbers that this thread is useless without pics, but on second thoughts..................

Ahh - yes pictures - that'll help - clinical ones not "show" ones

[comem47]

I think Kimbers painted an excellent picture with words especially the part about skin falling off like chewing gum/melted cheese in the shower

but if you need a pic

 

[Bibs]

Right colour too  

[Enfield]

Hi, I just wanted to post and say thanks for your open honest information.  I am 50 this year and have been putting it off, but I just came back from the Docs after the dreaded Prostate examination.

Seems all is ok but you prompted me to get on with it.

I am so pleased that you are doing well, I lost my Dad (49), sister(28) and wife (45) just tree years ago to the evil disease, so unfortunately I have some understanding of it.

Keep up the good work and I sincerely hope that you continue to recover. 

Best Darren