ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Check Your PSA Today!

© Stephen Whiteside 13.08.2011

It started with a PSA.
The doctor said, “That’s fine today,
But come back in another year.”
I felt a rising tide of fear.
You can’t write poems when you’re dead.
The twelve months very quickly sped.
So then I had the test once more.
It showed a slightly higher score.
“Can’t avoid it this time, mate,”
The doctor said. I muttered, “Great.”
I knew he planned to perforate
With needles sharp my poor prostate.
‘The odds,” he said, “are still quite fair.
Just one in three there’s cancer there.”
I reached out wide for fortune’s cup.
Alas, my number still came up.
An open prostatectomy!
Imagine the effect on me!
I knew exactly what it meant.
Would I be incontinent?
I’d heard it turned some men to wrecks.
Would it spell the end for sex?
To dodge my death, I’d face the knife,
But what of quality of life?

I sit here now six weeks postop.
It’s been, I think, a quite fair cop.
I spent six days in hospital,
And day-time tele don’t enthrall;
A catheter for two full weeks,
The price for stemming later leaks.
A month off work is quite a blow,
But then, my energy was low,
And six weeks lifting nothing heavy
Seems a quite exacting levy.

The margins were reported clear.
Life has never felt so dear.
The future path, once straight, feels bent.
The surgeon, though, seems confident.
I’m mostly dry, though wear a pad,
And of that much, at least, I’m glad.
The old boy’s shorter half an inch,
And such things matter in a clinch,
But clinching isn’t really sound
Right now. He faces to the ground.
But hopefully (so people say)
It may not always be this way,
And sex can still be quite a blast
Without a firmly pointing mast.

I’ve reached a point where I can say
I’m glad I checked my PSA.
I’d say to all men, “Stem your fear.
Check your PSA each year.”
And women, if your man won’t budge,
Give a none too subtle nudge.

The images inside your mind
Are so much worse, I think you’ll find
Than straight reality. I say,
Please, check your PSA today.

Way to go Stephen as you well know. My brother in law starts treatment this week for the same thing. He is positive about the outcome and was eternally vigilant due to loosing to family members to it. He has been having tests every year, and yet still it raised his ugly head.

I am going to send him this poem of yours

Hope you feel much better soon Mate

Cheers

Maureen

You are a good example to others Stephen. Wishing you well.

Heather

Thanks, Maureen and Heather.

I have a friend who is an oncologist. I have crossed swords with him over this, as he does not believe in PSA testing. He claims many of his colleagues agree with him. His argument is that prostate cancer is often very benign, the treatment can have side effects that can be very debilitating, and there is no evidence to prove that treatment saves lives anyway.

Most of the doctors I have spoken to about this believe that treatment does save lives, especially if the cancer is caught early, and particularly in the case of younger men. It is difficult to prove, and it is true that the results are a little disappointing compared to the early expectations held by some. The problem is that prostate cancer does kill men, and how do you weigh up quality of life vs longevity? I also feel there is a lot of misinformation out there. I guess the main point of my poem was to say that perhaps the surgery is not as bad some might believe. Yes, there are quality of life issues, but how many men (or women) are aware, for example, that it is possible to have an orgasm without an erection?

A positive out look can do wonders Stephen. Great to hear you are feel ing and getting better although still a little " Down ".


Cheers Bob

Thanks, Bob.

Moved this over to a seperate post so as not to detract from Stephens thread.


Cheers Bob

Fair enough. A few things spring to mind. I think you're pretty lucky if you've found a woman who will do the job for you. I've noticed over the years a lot of female doctors prefer to handball that sort of stuff to the men. Of course, the whole point of PSA and DRE (digital rectal examination) testing is to detect cancer before any symptoms have developed.

As for John Hopoate, I don't think I'm really flattered by the comparison. Somehow, I don't think the early detection of prostate cancer was uppermost in his mind...

Goodonya Stephen lot of courage shown here, you talk about quality of life mate while my PSA is fine I have a few worries cardiac wise and am a bit slower than I was but grandkids and great grandkids and Winnie the Poo I gotta tell ya cobber “I wouldn’t be dead for Quids.”

What’s more you got good poetry, I would dearly love to be able to write but hey folks are telling me I do a good job reciting and spin a good yarn so just keep looking ahead. Besides you can always take up dancing.

TTFN

G/day Stephen,
A timely reminder to us all, I have a couple of friends going through much the same as You.
I was (so far) lucky, I had a very enlarged but benign prostate while still reasonably young. I had the usual op for this condition and have had no further problems and everything continued to function, mind you I don't get the PSA test as often as I should, my Doctor's a bit slack and so am I.
I'm glad everything has worked out ok.

Terry