I'm putting this here simply because this is the most active forum on this site. This is directed at our 40+ members, but good info for the "yoots" as well! Make sure you see a Doctor for an annual physical. Don't ever wait until you know there's some sort of major issue going on, we buried Jim Holland in late '22 because he didn't pay attention to some serious issues until it was unfortunately far too late. I miss my close friend every single day....
Some of you know I am a 30 year cancer survivor (Hodgkin's lymphoma) and because of that and the many complications it has created for my health because of the chemo and radiation treatments all those years ago, I get an annual physical. Part of my blood test is a simple PSA which measures levels within your prostate gland. About 2 1/2 years ago, I had my first PSA test that jumped above the normal range. All previous tests were well within the normal range. My internist sent me to a urologist and I have been watched very closely (every 6 months) and have had two MRIs and three prostate exams (hey Doc, got your whole arm up there?
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
) and a small change in the second MRI plus ever increasing PSA levels led to a biopsy last fall. Sure enough, a small portion of my prostate was cancerous and I had the entire gland removed on December 8th. All pathology other than where we knew the cancer to be was negative and the surgery confirmed what we knew from the MRIs and the MRI targeted biopsy. A full 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and when caught early as in my case, it is typically 100% beatable. It's when it lingers for years and finally spreads to other organs that it becomes or can become fatal. It is currently the 2nd leading cancer in the US and women, who make up 51% of the population, cannot get it. That is your Public Service Announcement (PSA) about your PSA checkup!