50th BD ~ Should I get a PSA test?

For men in general, I still say to have a base line PSA done at age 50 regardless. I would prefer to see men to get tested sooner if there is PSA in the family, or if they are African-American. I still have no problems with the "old" rules of engagement. Better safe than sorry. And how much talking about or warning does one really need about a simple non-invasive blood test? I don't think it requires long term research to do the right thing for one's self.

David

Exactly, Goodlife, it's a shame to actual do something to save a life.

 

Happy 50th Tony. Doesnt feel any different than 49 does it.

 Ive been after my close friends to get base line psa's for some time now. I started getting yearly physicals at around 43 because of my family history and my nagging mother. However, iam am probably part of the stats that say "screening doesnt save lives". My family dr. just told me every yr "everythings all good". Well.... psa of 2.5 at 45 should have raised a flag. He watched my psa rise every year till just before my 50th at 4.5. "Oh you probably should see a urologist". The problem isnt the less than perfect test. Its most drs& patients dont take time to educate themselves. I wish i would have "educated" myself 10 yrs ago.Would it have made a difference? Anyway, Keep up the good "educational" work. It WILL make a difference

My previous GP told me I didn't need testing until I was 50, even after knowing very well about my dad's death from PC. Needless to say, I knew better, and started getting tested at 37.

Post Edited (Squirm) : 6/26/2012 11:39:28 PM (GMT-6)

HAPPY BIG 50 AND MANY MORE TONY

Happy Birthday, Tony, and welcome to the 50 club. You're coming in and I'm going out in a few months.

Wishing you a wonderful decade!

Barry

Happy Birthday, Tony.

A key theme I see in this thread is "I wish I had known..", or in short, education.

Like others here, if I had known what a PSA test was, what it means, and how it is used, perhaps I could have addressed my PCa earlier.

A rising PSA over several years well before I was 50 should have resulted in inquiries and investigation far sooner than it was.  But I was ignorant and assumed my doctor was in control and taking care of me when it should have been ME in control.

So tomorrow I go in for my blood draw, one year after the removal of my prostate.  Will it be detectable?  Based on previous testing, my results can go either way.  And I must accept the fact, grudgingly, that further treatment may be needed.  If I was more proactive several years ago, this thing could have been nipped in the bud when chances of initial success were much greater.

Tony,

Happy birthday and thanks for doing the thankless job of being a moderator here at HW.

Wishing you a belated Happy Birthday, Tony. Not having a Psa drawn until I was 57 was an unforseen error. Knew nothing about the "old man's disease", no family history,etc. Now my son in his mid 30's is getting yearly Psa's due to my insistence.

I can almost remember back to the good old days when I was 50. Why I remember when...wait a minute...oops, lost it. See what you can look forward to?

Bob

Happy Belated Birthday, Tony!  I hope you enjoyed your special day!

Ron was one of the "lucky" ones in that he began testing at 49 and every year after that.  He is most fortunate to be a member of the ZERO CLUB.  The main downside is ED.  However, since he's dealing with severe testicle pain, not much is going on.  Having him with us is the important thing!

It saddens me that so many of you waited too long.

Much blessings,

Aimzee

Congratulations, Rob on the run!  What a great shirt to wear!

Best wishes,

Aimzee

Happy belated birthday Tony! I lurk around this forum and it has been a great inspiration to me and especially the advice that you and others provide to help everyone here.

My experience with testing was that my doctors started me right on schedule (age 50). The routine testing continued until I was about age 59 when the PSA became high enough to justify a biopsy. Over the next 10 years, I had a total of four biopsies before the cancer was detected. The DRE test never indicated any problems. My Urologist said more than once after inconclusive biopsies that he knew I had cancer but he just couldn’t find it.

Testing at 50 is something that has been ruled to be the cause of needless anxiety for many men and it leads to unnecessary procedures with long term implications. On the other hand, it is such a simple test that it seems foolish to not take it.

In my particular case, while I was just testing, I always had a concern about the result. While I was doing biopsies I was very anxious about the results. So I guess I had 18 years of mild anxiety. If I had never been tested and not done the surgery, I might have been dead but probably not yet since the Urologist said that the life expectancy after diagnosis was more than 5 years if I did nothing. Anyway I am still getting PSA tests and the numbers continue to grow slowly. So even after all these years, I am still anxious about these test results that never will stop.