Not an auspicious day

What a difference a year makes! It was all thumbs up at the beginning of February last year, but it was quite the opposite today when I met the urologist to get the results of my prostate biopsy.

Without any beating around the proverbial bush, he came straight out with the news: 12 biopsy "cores" had been taken (sounds as if they were drilling for oil!), and not only did all twelve come up positive, but they all showed high-grade cancer cells (high-grade in this case being the worst rather than the best). The urologist (who was highly intrigued when I asked if I could take his photograph) went on to lead me through the various options which are or may be available, ranging from doing nothing (effectively ruled out), to prostate removal, to radiation therapy, to hormone treatment or a combination of radiation and hormones. What first needs to be established, though, is whether or not the problem is confined to the actual prostate, which means I now have to go for a bone scan and also most probably for an MRI scan also.

The urologist referred me right away for the bone scan and also referred me to a consultant radiation oncologist, whose job it will be to go into greater detail about the treatment options which are open to me. If the problem is confined to the prostate, then surgery may be the best bet. If not, then I'll most likely be facing into a course of radiation therapy.

So, not a good day. My thanks to Carl for his support today, and to all my friends who've been so supportive when they heard the news. Special thanks also to Carl for acting as guest blipper for the purposes of today's thumbs-downness. The important thing at this stage is to stay positive. As both the urologist and the urology nurse stressed, prostate cancer is treatable: it's just a matter of deciding on the best treatment to suit my particular circumstances.