PSA to the gang

[bdbits]

My doctor does a prostate exam as part of my annual physical. Not my favorite procedure, pretty sure it is not his either. I think he also does the PSA blood test, but there are so many blood tests he routinely runs every year I cannot recall for sure.

Three out of four of my Mom's siblings died from heart attacks, and both of my grandfathers, one of whom was my age. So it worries me every time I have any kind of pain in my chest area. On the other hand Mom is in her mid-80s and has more stamina than I do. She walks miles nearly every day, and I sometimes think she will outlive me. I am not that old yet but as the saying goes, "if I had known I would live this long I would have taken better care of myself". There is a lot of truth to that, and if you are younger you might want to think about how you can live healthier. I wish I had done so.

 

[John King]

I have a prostate exam every gastroscopy/colonoscopy. They have been every 3 years for the last 15 years, were annually for about 8 years before that. Now every five years. It's protocol here in Oz.

Have a PSA every year or so, when my GP orders full bloods. I suspect that this will become annually from now on, as several things have changed. My PSA has gone from ~4.0 to 7.5 since the last test (apparently normal for an aging male), but my vitamin B12 level is deficient. Google vitamin B12 deficiency. So I'm having vitamin B12 injections for the next year, and vitamin B complex tablets for life.

Good news was that my cholesterol levels were normal for the first time in over 40 years. Normal for me has always been slightly above protocol level for LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol).

I've also deliberately been losing weight. So far, down from 84.6 Kgs just before Christmas last to 79.0 Kgs this morning. My target is 75-76 Kgs, which is what I weighed at around 25 y.o.

It is important that us old lags help younger ones take better care of themselves. Males are particularly prone to ignoring their routine health checks ...

 

[dglawton]

Seven years ago, at 68, a routine physical showed a slight change in PSA - not above or even near the danger zone, just a change. PCP recommend a follow-up with a urologist. Long story short, two of eight biopsy cores showed definite cancer. Had it robotically removed. PSA undetectable since. I was exposed to agent orange in the late 1960s and the VA determined it to be the cause. Feel very lucky.

Tony, Last winter (2022) while on vacation in the USVI, I had what I thought was gastro-intestinal heart burn. Local walk-in clinic ran an EKG that hinted at something worse. After a water ambulance ride to a larger island with a hospital, further EKG indicated heart artery blockage. Air ambulance to Jackson Hospital Miami where a catheter determined a 99% blockage and a stent was placed in it. Feeling just fine now mostly back to what was normal. As with you, no previous alarming, identifiable symptoms, although a checkered family history. My diet, I thought, was fairly heart-healthy, and I exercised regularly. Ya just never know.