Radical Treatment or Active Surveillance?

As mentioned by others , you cannot  be entirely sure what the staging of the cancer is until the  prostate has been removed and sliced and diced. In my case, in the year I was actually diagnosed (2021), though I had a PSA reading of 3.58 in 2018, my highest PSA score was 6.01 and I was 3+4 =7 (with less than 5% grade 4) and T2. When my prostate was removed and analysed , my Gleason score remained exactly the same but I was upgraded to a T3a as the cancer was bulging out of the prostate. If I had not had the operation when I did it is very likely that my cancer would have spread beyond the prostate and would have complicated the treatment that was necessary. As it is, there is presently no sign of spread.

Ivan

Well, Matt, if I knew back in 2018 when I was first tested what I know now I would have certainly taken subsequent action a lot sooner than 3 years after my initial relatively high PSA result. Like most people I had no symptoms and only got myself tested in 2018 because the papers were full of the likes of Michal Parkinson, Billy Connolly, Stephen Fry and Rod Stewart telling people to get tested  as they had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I guess it could be said that my AS started in 2018, even though no action was taken after the finger up the bottom and the PSA test. It was only after another newspaper article about prostate cancer in 2021 that I decided I ought to have another PSA  test and when that exceeded 4 ( It was 5.32) the doctor decided that more action should be taken. When another PSA test a month later showed an increase to 5.76 I was then put on the cancer pathway (Which is all detailed on my profile). My original biopsy was under local anesthetic, something I did not find  particularly uncomfortable (Perhaps the pretty trainee doctor talking to me about gardening helped), and it may be that because, perhaps, a local biopsy does not go in as deep or is not as far ranging (even though they are working from the scan template), that is why the biopsy then did not find as much cancer as the GA one I had in September of that year did.

Certainly PSA is not a particularly good indicator of having prostate cancer, especially in low figures, though a raised level from the norm does suggest that further investigation is needed. And it worked for me. A scan obviously finds irregularities in organs etc but they could be the result of just wear and tear rather than a tumour.

Yes, fully recovered now and apart from presently being cancer-free (One can and should never say never) one of the best things is that following the removal of my prostate I now have the flow of a teenager (And have to be much more careful when peeing from a standing up position as its urgency and flow can be overwhelming if one is not pointing in the right direction).

Ivan

Matt, that's very unusual - in my case (13 cores) I would say it was uncomfortable but not painful apart from the sharp sting when the gun was fired each time.
When you say 'tube' did you mean that they gave you gas and air?
In my case, the surgeon inserted a tube into my rectum and then gave me two injections, one on each side of the prostate that anaesthetised the area so that all I felt was a sting. There was no pain afterwards, just a dull ache as the anaesthetic wore off.
But if all you had was gas and air I can imagine that it would be quite painful.