Having lost his father to prostate cancer quite traumatically back in 2000, the disease has never been far from motorcycle mechanic and racing enthusiast Paul Ricketts\u2019 mind.
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Despite not showing any symptoms at all, it was the memory of his father\u2019s agonising deterioration that prompted Paul to get himself checked out with a PSA test at his local GP surgery in south-east London back in late 2018, at the age of 59.
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\u201cMy reading came back at 10 ng\/mL,\u201d he recalls. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t particularly high, but anything over a reading of 4.0 sets off alarm bells, so my GP immediately made me an appointment at Guy\u2019s & St Thomas\u2019 for further tests to take place the following week.\u201d
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He continues: \u201cI have to say that the NHS was outstanding. From the point of the initial PSA test result, everything happened very quickly but at the same time everything was fully explained to me so I knew what was taking place when and why, and what my options were.\u201d
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The week after his referral to Guy\u2019s, Paul had a full day of further investigations, including a physical examination; a blood test; urine test; flow test; and an MRI. Following those results, he then underwent a prostate biopsy, again a week later.
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\u201cBy this stage, I was pretty certain that I had prostate cancer,\u201d Paul says. \u201cWhen my father went through it, things seemed pretty random, but my experience was completely different. The consultants had everything mapped out. Using the MRI scan results, they had a good idea of where in the prostate the cancer might be and took 22 samples and targeted the area they thought was affected.\u201d
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The biopsy took place in an outpatient setting, using a transperineal\u202fultrasound guided\u202ftechnique and a new device called the PrecisionPoint™ Transperineal Access System, which is a freehand procedure undertaken under local anaesthetic. \u201cThe biopsy itself was no problem at all,\u201d Paul comments. \u201cIn fact, the worst part of it was losing a certain amount of dignity. But to be honest, sacrificing a bit of personal dignity over surviving cancer with no problems, was a no-brainer.
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\u201cIn fact, the biopsy technique was relatively new to the NHS at the time so my consultant, Mr Rick Popert, asked me if they could video the procedure for training purposes, which I was very comfortable with. I was even happy to give a running commentary, that\u2019s how easy it was.\u201d
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The biopsy results came through a week later, confirming that Paul did indeed have prostate cancer. While the cancer was present in both sides of the prostate, it was only marginal on one side and hadn\u2019t spread, giving Paul plenty of treatment options to consider. These options included a surgical removal of the entire prostate, or radical prostatectomy; and low-dose-rate brachytherapy.
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\u201cGiven what I\u2019d seen my dad go through, I was pretty rattled and wanted to get the treatment underway, but my consultant advised a four-week \u2018cooling off\u2019 period,\u201d Paul says. \u201cThis was actually the best thing they could have suggested. Prostate cancer is pretty slow growing and it gave me time to really research and understand what the different treatment options involved and their potential side effects.\u201d
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Paul chose brachytherapy because, as he explains, \u201cIt seemed the least invasive and gave me a sporting chance of living a longer, better quality of life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know the cancer won\u2019t fully go away, but that\u2019s fine. Brachytherapy isn\u2019t really new, but the information they gave me was so comprehensive and virtually word-for-word has happened for me \u2013 and I\u2019ve had virtually no side effects,\u201d he adds.
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Paul\u2019s treatment took place on 9th<\/sup> December 2018. \u201cAgain, it was all pretty straightforward. It was a day treatment; they did everything they said they would do and I felt good afterwards. The advances we\u2019ve made since my father went through prostate cancer have been quite incredible.\u201d Over two years later, Paul is confident. \u201cMy lifestyle is pretty good. I\u2019m functioning A1 downstairs and my PSA level is 0.26. The only thing is that I take medication about once a week for pain relief when I urinate, and I don\u2019t drink tea or coffee after 7 or 8pm, otherwise I have to get up more than once in the night. \u201cBut then, let\u2019s face it, all older men don\u2019t sleep through the night so it\u2019s not exactly a big thing,\u201d he adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since his diagnosis and treatment, Paul admits he\u2019s been on a mission with friends and family to get themselves checked. And he can\u2019t emphasise enough the importance for all men to do so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd,\u201d he concludes, \u201cif you do get it, make sure you get a rigorous explanation and a complete picture of the options open to you. I was very respectful that I was given lots of information and choice and I\u2019m confident that I made the right decision for me and my family.\u201d ENDs <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Having lost his father to prostate cancer quite traumatically back in 2000, the disease has never been far from motorcycle mechanic and racing enthusiast Paul Ricketts\u2019 mind. Despite not showing any symptoms at all, it was the memory of his father\u2019s agonising deterioration that prompted Paul to get himself checked out with a PSA test at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":1690,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"template-old-blog.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,10,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-patients","category-patient-stories","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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\u201cOlder men are very stubborn and most haven\u2019t got the reality check they need to get themselves checked out. That\u2019s the most vital thing they can do. For the sake of a simple blood test, if you catch prostate cancer early, you can extend your life by 10 to 15 years.
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