If you are, or if you love any man over 50, then you should read this!

I remember it well. This time 2 years ago I was lying on my back with my legs in the air. I wasn’t really enjoying it, in fact I didn’t feel anything much. I put that down to the effects of the anaesthetic. Just as well. The reason for my recumbent position, like many men my age I was just about to undergo surgery for prostate cancer.

Today I am delighted to say that I have just been given the all clear by my wonderful consultant and, subject to regular check ups, normal service can resume. Hurrah! The prognosis is good, and actually, a little known fact, men who have had prostate cancer and been treated actually have a lower chance of dying from cancer than those men who haven’t. Hey, that’s statistics for you.

So, why am I burdening you with my personal story?

Very simple, this is a message of hope and a call to action for all men over the age of 50 and those who love them.

It is just over two and a half years since I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Frankly I admit to initially being a bit scared and worried about how people would treat me. But I then consciously decided to be open about my situation. I wanted to invite conversation rather than pretend that everything was ok and like many other men I wore my ‘man of men’ badge with pride. I did not want to be seen as ‘different’, but it certainly gave me an interesting new perspective on the issues of diversity and inclusion!

Anyway the upshot of my situation has been three things.

1.    I had no cause for concern. The milk of human kindness has not dried up yet and the spirit of humanity is still going strong, despite indicators to the contrary in the body politic. The support and genuine concern that I have received from everyone that I have engaged with has been wonderful to experience. It has been nothing other than positive. The lesson to learn? Well, if you are a man who is unfortunate enough to be in the same situation that I was, do not be worried and try not to be scared. People are compassionate and, my experience is that, you will not be judged. Trust your fellow man (and woman) to be understanding. There is a huge and incredible support infrastructure available and some great expertise to tap into in wonderful organisations such as Prostate Cancer UK. OK the admin systems for the NHS can be rubbish, but their specialist support teams are world class.

2.    I will freely admit that some of the side effects of the treatment that I have had to endure have been a right pain. Some of them are visible and some of them aren’t, but frankly they are really no worse than other people have to endure and at least I had the promise that they would only be temporary. For example, it might look a tad strange for a grown man to carry a fan around with him at all times for when the inevitable hot flushes materialised. But after the initial embarrassment you just accept these small things for what they are and develop your own strategies to cope. Menopausal women of the world, I share your pain.

3.    Obviously I wish that I had not contracted prostate cancer and would not want to go through the process and cope with the side effects again. However I have to say that, having been through this journey, there are some positive things that have come from it. I have lot a learnt a lot about myself, and others. My personal priorities have become clearer and more important. My perspectives have changed on a number of issues. I have become more, and less tolerant of things, depending upon what they are! I have learnt to keep a much more open mind and embrace new adventures as they have arisen. For example, I have recently left my old job, after 22 years, and started a new and incredibly exciting stage in my career with a fantastic company. Good things can come from bad times, if you look hard enough. 

So, what is the point of this blog other than for me to share a huge sense of relief? Easy, let's look at some facts ….

1.    In the UK, one man dies from prostate cancer every 45 minutes. EVERY 45 MINUTES!!!

2.    Prostate cancer amongst men is now a bigger killer than breast cancer amongst women!

3.    On the positive side, of men in England aged 50 - 59 (which includes me you may be surprised to learn) who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, 95% survive for 5 years or more, which I think is actually rather good news.

So what is the problem? In essence it is that us guys, for some strange reason, are not willing to get checked. The reality is that if you are a man in the UK aged over 50 you can go to your GP and ask, nay demand, a PSA test. This isn’t a ‘finger up the bum’ test, so no need to be embarrassed. It is a simple blood test, nothing more, one small jag and you are done. Where is the harm in that? OK it is true that the PSA is not an ideal test and it can produce a high number of false positive results, but isn’t that small inconvenience a risk worth taking just in case?

My personal experience is that I never had any outwards symptoms of cancer. If I had not had a PSA test two years ago then my tumour would not have been diagnosed. If that had been the case then I would now be in a very serious situation and my prognosis would be very poor. Please, please, if you are a man over 50 phone your GP today and book a test. Your GP may resist and question why, but please stick with it and insist on a check up. If you are not a man over 50, but love someone who is, then please, please nag him to hell!! Us blokes can be belligerent buggers and sometimes we need someone kind to show us the errors of our ways and help us to do what we know in our hearts is actually good for us. They may thank you!

Two final thoughts.

First, when I ‘came out’ two years ago I received many lovely messages of support, for which I was really grateful. I also had contact with a number of people who were going through the same process as myself and wanted someone to talk with. If you would like to contact me directly then please feel free to send me a direct message and I will personally do whatever I can to help.

Second, two years ago, my wonderful son, Finlay, ran a half marathon to support the Prostate Cancer UK charity, a quite fantastic organisation. He managed to raise a huge amount of money to support their research. This year, my equally beautiful daughter, Lauren, is doing a charity 100 mile cycle ride to support the Prostate Cancer Research Centre. If you would like to support her then the link is below. Please do give it a thought, every little helps.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lauren-campbell26

Thanks for indulging me.

Love lots, be strong and have fun.

Andy x