Lots of bon courage from me too.
At least you are one of the ones who’s had it checked and knows it’s there and the medics are on to tackling it - too many people don’t get it diagnosed until it’s too late.
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Sorry to hear that and sending you lots of positive thoughts C&J x
I know Ben well, I’ll grab him for a chat.
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I have my second type of cancer.
I had breast cancer eventuality diagnosed in 2002 and had to have a total mastectomy.
I am now being treated for a very rare type of lung cancer and will beat that.
Thank goodness you live in France, My oncologist is in Lyon, which is a centre of medical excellence.
I am sure you will receive excellent treatment here and will not spend time on waiting lists.
All the best for a speedy recovery.
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Very sorry for you, but as Jane wrote above, you’re in France and, as I’m sure you’ve been telling yourself, here the treatment regime springs into operation so quickly and so thoroughly compared to the UK. Hope all goes well for you over the coming months.
Yes, he’s a nice chap, I know him well, though haven’t seen him or Mandy for a good few years. If you like playing snooker he’s a good opponent.
It is brave of you to share this awful news, combined with a characteristic sense of humour, (given the choice of the thread’s title). Wishing you all possible help and support in the days and months ahead.
Thank you also very much for raising awareness of the Gleason scale, which, as a 60 year old male, I was shamefully unaware of.
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Click bait is the term you’re looking for 
I’m quite surprised at myself and how rational I’m being, I can’t even say it’s denial. I’m determined to be quite open about it and below is the message that I sent in work, just to make sure that I’m in control of the message rather than let the rumour mill run wild.
Hello all, if you happen to have a spare couple of quid or Euros then I’d really appreciate if you could throw them in the direction of one of the organisations below who do really good work on finding treatment for cancers.
https://prostatecanceruk.org/
https://www.ligue-cancer.net/And, yes, this is an announcement and, while I’m more than happy to have a chat about what’s going on, I’d be really grateful if we could avoid a fuss. I don’t intend to keep it a secret, in fact quite the opposite as it’s important that awareness is raised, so I don’t have a problem with you telling others if it comes up.
More importantly, take it as a reminder to get your appropriate bits and pieces checked out on a regular basis
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Thanks for the useful links, too.
He was showing me his table just the other day and it’s a really nice setup. Unfortunately I’m quite challenged in the eye-hand coordination area so I’m absolutely hopeless at snooker.
I have to ask, do you spill much wine…
I broke my glasses recently and hadn’t realised just how badly aligned my eyes actually were/are… I held my wineglass with both hands…
You realise I’m Scottish?
More seriously, I have to pay attention when I reach for the glass as I’ll easily misjudge the distance.
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Hi John
Not the best news but nowhere near the worst.
A year and a half ago my biopsy result was a Gleason score of 7 (3 - 4) and almost exactly a year ago my prostate was removed at Francheville, Perigeux. If you want my impressions of the experience, I’m quite happy to message privately or even write about it here. I was surprised how few personal experiences of this, most common male malady, are available on the internet.
Yes, you should get an ALD (for prostate related stuff only) and, if you are getting up 4 times a night … that should reduce to two or less. So it’s not all bad. Smiles.
Noel
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Oddly enough, not a problem I’ve ever had.
If you’re content to post your story here, that would be great. I’m of the view that experiences are for sharing so that others benefit but I recognise that not everyone is comfortable with the same approach.
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Nor me, when my doctor was considering referring me for a prostate check he asked quite seriously if I ‘splashed my boots’ when peeing. 
He couldn’t understand why I was paralysed with laughter and had to explain that the phrase was English slang for having a pee. He of course meant it quite literally.
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Hi John
My prostate story…
My civil partner and I arrived in France late 2020 and at that time I was going to the toilet 3 or 4 times a night. I have 4 older brothers and they all suffer enlarged prostates so I was not overly concerned.
During my introduction to the French medical system (mid-2021) I took the standard series of blood tests and my PSA (prostate specific antigen) was slightly raised. My (excellent) medecin traitent (MT) insisted I have another PSA blood test six months later and at that time the PSA level had risen slightly.
My MT then insisted I have an MRI scan (end 2022) and the results indicated I had a problem. I met my surgeon at Fracheville, Perigeux and my prostate was biopsied (end Jan 2023 an outpatient procedure). My surgeon informed me it was cancerous and outlined the treatments available: prostatectomy (removal) seemed the only sensible approach. He mentioned that incontinence and erectile dysfunction were possible side effects of the surgery. He also mentioned that he would be using a ‘robot’ and there would be little, if any, pain after the surgery (The da Vinci Surgical System).
We (meaning my partner who did most of the work) booked a room at the hospital for after the operation, and an anaesthetist. I was also given an ordinance for an electrical ‘finger’ (sonde) and weekly, 30 min, visits to a physiotherapist with a machine that sent mild electrical pulses to the ‘finger’ after I had inserted it (OK, the first one is nerve wracking but after that it became routine… uncomfortable rather than painful). The purpose of this was to electrically stimulate and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles; strengthening these muscles can avoid post-operative incontinence entirely.
At the same time I hit the internet to find some advice in English on how to prepare for a prostatectomy. I found a document from the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia the most useful (https://www.pcfa.org.au/media/743467/physiotherapy-before-and-after-prostate-cancer-surgery.pdf). This document describes male Kegel exercises and the benefit of doing them before surgery.
Prior to surgery I was scanned by scintigraphy and CT to make sure the cancer had not spread. We also had a rendezvous with an an anaesthetist to check if I had false teeth or high blood pressure etc etc.
On the day of surgery (end March 2023) we were required to turn up very early, I was shaved (!!), shown to my room and said au revoir to my partner. Wheeled down to the operation room… everybody was very kind. Woke up 5 hours later… no pain but with a catheter and bag. I contacted my partner by txt and she drove up to see me that evening.
The room was perfectly fine with an attached bathroom, had a television (I think) but was very bare. Nurses fussed with me every couple of hours (they wanted to check on the seven small wounds scattered across my abdomen and my urine output). I learnt how to cope with the catheter and bag. The food was incredibly bland (on purpose). I was at the hospital for two full days after my early morning arrival and then released on the early afternoon of the third day.
On the morning after surgery I was wearing compression socks up to my thighs (anti-phlebitis) and a friendly nurse took me into the shower and helped me cope with the catheter; the next day I managed to shower on my own. Most of the time in hospital I was snoozing or reading. The nurses were very attentive and cheerful and the surgeon came to see me on day two.
All in all there was discomfort but certainly no pain. The catheter took a little getting used to but once it was sorted it was easy enough to live with (By the by, there is NO WAY it can be accidentally pulled out… ). I left hospital with a raft of ordinances for catheter supplies etc etc. Just before I walked out the door of the hospital I had to go to the office to make sure my bill was paid (very odd… but the hospital did not cash our cheque ‘till we were able to assure them the mutuel had paid us).
Back at home, a local nurse came to see me once a day for a week… to check on me, change my dressings and give me anti-coagulant injections. I cannot praise these nurses enough…. After a week one of them removed the catheter. (During that week with a catheter was the first time in 5 years that I had slept an undisturbed 8 hours). Now, when the catheter was removed things got really interesting.
Without the catheter I had to wear nappies because I dribbled. That’s the way it is. I had man type nappies (easily available on Amazon or Intermarche etc) during the day and oversize nappies during the night. For the first week I went through 3 nappies a day. We also had a mattress protector but it has never been necessary (I don’t dribble at night). After a week it slowed down, after a couple of weeks I was on one nappy a day and then I switched to pads. I moved from heavy flow pads to light flow after 6 months. I don’t think I will ever be without pads but heck… I’m nearly 70 and using pads is not unexpected at my age. I go to the loo about twice a night… and again that is not unexpected at my age… its much better than it was. About a month after the operation there was no external sign in my appearance or behavior to indicate that I had a prostatectomy.
Six weeks after the operation I had no PSA in my blood (if the tumor spreads it will release PSA) and the post-op check-up with the surgeon mentioned that the cancerous tissue was contained within my prostate (good margins) and hence, probably, completely removed. I have just had another PSA assay one year later and I still have no PSA antigen. I have a PSA test in 6 months and another in a year and then I go on yearly PSA tests.
So to sum up…
If you have to have cancer and you catch it early, it’s one of the better ones to get.
I was amazed at how good the French health care was.
I hope all goes well for you… if you need me to clarify anything please ask.
Noel
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Noël, huge thanks for being so open and sharing your story, there’s lots of food for thought there.
I’m curious about the hospital payment, I thought the ALD meant that related treatment is totally covered. Is that not the case?
The reason for that question is that, if it starts getting expensive, my employer (who covers the non-CPAM costs directly) could demand that I return to the UK for treatment. Though, having said that, if it’s in the region of €6k then I’d probably pay it myself rather than go back.
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My hospital bill and all related treatment was paid for by my ALD and my mutuelle.
It does depend on the type of cover with your mutuelle, or, in your case, the type of health cover provided by your employer.
I only paid for wifi.
Do not even think of going back to UK.
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Literally, I get a bill, hand it over and get it reimbursed to the extent that the cost to me is no different than NHS treatment. I might look into the feasibility of joining a mutuelle as a safeguard in case they start getting difficult about treatment in France.
For context, a colleague’s partner was terminal and they insisted that he return to the UK for treatment due to costs in France.
Edited to add: I should probably have read up on ALD sooner (I’ve been kinda preoccupied 
) but I get it now. I guess I need to have a chat with my boss. (and @fabien )
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The ALD covers you 100% up to the social security “base de remboursement” only. Many cancer specialists especially those in clinics are more expensive than the base rate. So you, or your mutuelle pays the rest.
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