My cell phone rang and it was my doctor wanting to review the results from my annual physical.
She rattled off a number of tests that she was very pleased with. She also mentioned one test, whose initials I didn't recognize, as concerning.
Dr C. said my PSA number was a smidge high and tasked me with seeing a urologist during the next three months for follow up. She instructed me to call her office in the next few days to get names and phone numbers for doctors she was recommending. I agreed to do so.
Perhaps because of my total lack of concern or questions, she then added "you know, sweetie, [she says that when she has uncomfortable news] I'm not saying you have cancer."
WHOA!
I could have driven off the road, except I was passing TD Garden and the Bruins were playing that night.
Then I did have questions and vowed to call her office the next day for those names and phone numbers.
PSA is an acronym for Prostate Specific Antigen, something she had been tracking for years. My results were just over 4 and considered suspicious.
I scheduled an appointment with one of Dr. C's recommended urologists within 10 days of her call. Over the next two months, I had an ultrasound of my prostate, which actually isn't as bad as it sounds, and a biopsy, which resulted in my being hospitalized for a week when I developed a blood infection.
[I should have listened to my "sainted" mother-in-law, who advised me not to have a biopsy after she saw a program on PBS that counseled against it. Lesson learned.]
The testing identified some irregular cells. But thankfully, they weren't cancerous.
We've been doing follow up on a regular basis including an MRI, instead of a biopsy. While my PSA number continues to inch up, I'm still in the clear. I saw the urologist just a few days ago and my next appointment is in June 2019 for another ultrasound.
While the PSA number does not confirm cancer, it can indicate that something's up. Prostrate cancer in men is common as we get older. It can also be easily addressed. I have been surprised by the number of friends and acquaintances, who have successfully and quietly dealt with it. No big deal.
I'm not going to get all preachy here. I just want to encourage those of you reading this -- especially those who are over 50 -- to be sure you're tested.Gulf War hero General Norman Schwarkopf, who was successfully treated in 1993, said that prostate cancer can be a "temporary inconvenience," when discovered early.
Which is a heck of a lot better than the alternative.
