I wish my doctor told me...

[Darryl]

Please finish the sentence, "I wish my doctor told me..." below as a reply.

[CERICWIN]

I wish that my doctor had told me to get tested for PCa regularly, with a PSA, but I can't blame him, as I didn't report my symptoms to him, and I thought that I just had BPH, a very bad mistake on my part, costing me years off of my lifespan and huge amounts of money.

My doctors all told me not to "beat myself up over it," but I can't help but regret my negligence in failing to report my symptoms, and my reluctance to get the dreaded DRE

I didn't like the thought of a stranger sticking his finger up my butt......and since, I have had to have things stuck up just about every orifice in my body multiple times. But somehow they haven't stuck anything up my nose, at least not yet.......lol

CERICWIN

[joeoconnell in reply to CERICWIN]

most of the time, i have been able to accept " what is " and find it helpful

[Hidden in reply to CERICWIN]

There's a 'stand up to cancer' thing coming up at the end of the week. I wish all men could hear and benefit from your cautionary words. A buddy of mine admitted that he had managed to avoid the DRE in his last checkup, even after I told him that the DRE is what caught mine (the PSA number was in the normal range).

[Neal-Snyder]

... about PSA tests. I went all the way through my 50s, & age 60, without one. When I was 61, the doctor had a health issue & restricted himself to his specialty. My new doctor said my DRE was suspicious, & ordered my first PSA test. Turned out my PSA was 60.7. Gleason 7 (3+4). Tried a RP, but it was too late, & I had a rapid return with quick doubling times. Same with external beam radiation. That was over a decade ago. I've been on Zytiga now for over 2 years. I feel lucky to be alive & enjoying many things. But if I'd had PSA tests in my 50s, I wouldn't have advanced prostate cancer, & the damage that it's caused, including a spinal cord compression & the damage that caused.

[Hidden in reply to Neal-Snyder]

Life is hard enough without suffering the consequences of poor medical care by a lazy or incompetent doctor. Hope you find the care you need going forward.

[Neal-Snyder in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. I have been generally pleased with the care I've been provided since. But as everyone here knows, you have to do some of your own research when you have a major disease, & your coverage probably doesn't get you all you want.

[Chris37 in reply to Neal-Snyder]

It's interesting that knowledge is power. A relative of came to stay with me in London to have a prostate cancer treatment and you can in imaginehow scared he was. He was not prepared to confine his problem to me. But after a couple of visits to the hospital I was able to find what the problem was. That was my alert signal. After his departure I contacted my GP for PSA test. It showed 4 and was put on watchful Waiting. That was the beginning of my journey. Early detection did reduced my suffering.

Please I urge you tell all buddies aged 50 years to go PSA test as no one knows when. Forewarned is forearmed

Peace be unto all and keep healthy

[Neal-Snyder in reply to Chris37]

If they're in a high-risk group (family history, African American), they should start at 45. Or maybe everyone should start at 35, as an oncologist suggested at a conference Saturday. He said the tests are only $4.

[20PeteG16]

I wish my doctor told me he was moving to Boston.

I wish my third doctor knew enough to talk to me about active surveillance.

[Neal-Snyder in reply to 20PeteG16]

I wish my doctor had told me about PSA tests so my PCa could have been caught on a timely basis.

[Spaceman210 in reply to 20PeteG16]

Well I wish I had never heard the sales pitch on active surveillance. Made me complacent and here I am.

[johnbo6]

I wish my Dr. had told me I didn't have cancer.

[Hidden in reply to johnbo6]

I wish my doctor didn't have me wait a half hour in the exam room when the cancer verdict was coming down.

[John438]

About Malecare group meetings.

[Gecrellin]

To have a PSA test when I first complained about frequent urination. Instead, he told me PSA tests were unreliable. I waited 4 months, and by then PSA was over 800! I probably waited too long to go to doctor, but even a 3 month jump on treatment might have helped. It's now 4 years later and I start a trial next week.

[Desanthony]

I wish my Doc had told me I could have a PSA check more often so that this could have been caught sooner. To this end when my PSA went up to 8 I wish I had insisted on a biopsy or scan instead of listening to my Doc.

[Mrkharn]

SUCH a good topic!

I wish doctors told me HOW TO LOOK AT PSA.

I wish the doctors explained that 2 is normal. A rising or high PSA is generated by SOMETHING.

I got my first PSA twenty years ago (my uncle had prostate cancer). The doctor said what r u here for (age 42)?

I wish I could tell him I HAVE CANCER!!

AND:

I wish the urologist, after explaining my treatment choices, had a printed paper with a few websites to start research instead of "go forth and explore". OMG! I wasted so much time, not finding my favorite websites, searching. omg. What an idiot!

I wish my radiation oncologist told me NOT to use an enema just prior to treatment (Cyberknife). I wish he did not have young, young doctors act as his proxy and let me do whatever I wanted.

Yes, regretfully yours.

Mark

[Hidden]

I wish my doctor told me....

...I had a blocked bladder, or I had mets in my spine.

...I was going to have Radiation Proctitis and Cystitis, or what it was.

...he didn't know how to read, or ignored, regular imaging reports.

I could go on, Joe

[scarlino]

I wish my doctor had told me that the slightly enlarged lymph node, even though below the size of "concern" should be checked and biopsied as a precaution. 20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing but it would still have been nice.

[yucca13]

I wish my doctor (surgeon) had told me that even though I had negative margins, seminal vessels and 3 lymph nodes that were excised to not be 100% encouraged until my psa test. The psa a few weeks later showed 3.7 and then doubled in a few weeks again. He had told me I could consider myself pretty cancer free after surgery. Guess he didn't want to impinge on his supposed 95% success rate. It was psychologically a big letdown.

[Joelhirsch]

there's an easy cure for what metastatic prostate cancer, or any cure.

[DLWill]

I wish my husband's doctor had taken his symptoms seriously when he presented with them 4+ years ago.

[Spaceman210]

That a 3+3 SHOULD be treated early and that a 3+4 is NOT "about the same" as a 3+3!

That "active surveillance" carries risk.

That "contained" within the capsule doesn't necessarily mean that it is.

That "you're cured" doesn't necessarily mean that either.

That the printed info he provided was outdated and incorrect.

That the prominent academic researcher at UCSF would be too lazy to pick up the phone and warn me about a biopsy result.