Help Please

[exlatccatsa]

My apologies for the “Help” hook to get you to look at this thread. This is not the usual Tesla related request for help. I’m writing this with the approval of the Moderators, Firstly, to offer some advice to those of us with prostates which may save your life and secondly, to ask you for a small sum for charity.

Almost a year ago I was with a friend and work colleague when he died from complications caused by prostate cancer. His cancer was not picked up initially because he had a “normal” PSA test. Unbeknown to him, his Doctors and us, his “normal” was way below what actually is normal for most of the population. With the result that his cancer was not diagnosed until it was too late.

My personal advice therefore is please get yourself a yearly PSA test so that your normal level can be recorded, whatever value it may be, so that a result which is anything different to your normal will be investigated immediately.

1 in 8 of us will get it.

The second part of this post is to promote a tribute to our friend Alan.
A charity motorcycle ride of almost 3000 miles, with 72 hours in the saddle over 24 days.
I know some of you Tesla owners are also motorcycle owners and hope the following will be of interest to you as well as the larger community. I know some of you Tesla owners are NATS employees an so you'll be getting this from 2 directions.

Wayne, Shaun, Harvey and Richard, who are all Air Traffic Controllers, will ride around all the 24 National Air Traffic Services (NATS) units and will record their journey in a daily Blog. The Journey starts from Alans last unit Aberdeen Airport, on Sunday the 14th April and traverses the UK, including Northern Ireland and as far South as Gibraltar before returning to the UK to finish the challenge at NATS Headquarters at Whitely, near Southampton.

The guys have willingly given up their time for this and are using their annual leave to complete the task. They have had tremendous support from all parts of the UK. Triumph Motorcycles have kindly donated 4 bikes and technical support, Arai Helmets have donated 5 helmets, one of which has already been signed by personalities such as James Whitam, John McGuiness, Steve Parrish, Michael Rutter, Dom Herbertson, Kyle Ryde, Ryan Vickers, James Hillier, Peter Hickman, Sammy Miller, Charley Boorman, Henry Cole, Allen Millyard, Matt Armstrong and Skid, With the James Bond stunt team, Lee Morrison, Paul Edmondson, Nick Knowles and more to come.
This helmet will be auctioned off after the event with the proceeds going to the charities. Please keep watching the website for details.
There are a list of sponsors who are supporting the challenge on the website.

The challenge website is www.24in24.co.uk Please take a look.
Within the website there are links to the Just Giving pages of the 2 charities being supported by this event. Prostate Cancer UK and Aerobility which is the NATS supported charity.

You will see the guys on South Today News shortly and there is an article in Motorcycle News (MCN) this week. They’ve even had a letter of support from the King who as you know has his own prostate problems.

Here is Waynes video from Instagram explaining the challenge.

The Big Tour: 24 in 2024 on Instagram: "Meet @waynedclarke66 - this was all his idea, in memory of a good friend. Please have a listen and dig deep 🙏 Thank you #prostatecanceruk #aerobility #officialtriumph #charityevent #makeadifference #fundrais

20 likes, 2 comments - thebigtour24in24March 18, 2024 on : "Meet @waynedclarke66 - this was all his idea, in memory of a good friend. Please have a listen and dig deep 🙏 Thank you #prostateca...".

www.instagram.com

Its a bit Air Trafficy ..

Swanwick = The air Traffic Control Center for the London Area

ATCO’s = Air Traffic Control Officers

CTC = NATS Corporate HQ at Whiteley, Hants.

If you see 4 matching Triumph Motorbikes with matching helmets in close formation in the UK between the 14th and 20th and on the 30th April please give them a toot or wave.

Any amount will be gratefully received. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

On behalf of the team and Alan... Thank you

Chris

 

[MovingSouth]

My impression is that PSA tests can be a good thing (I had one every year for a while) but need to be treated with some care. It sounds as though they lead to false positives and you need to know the best way to proceed if you get a positive test. There was a BBC Inside Health programme on the subject in 2018: BBC Radio 4 - Inside Health, Prostate Cancer. Things may have moved on since then, but I think it's worth listening to. The main take was not to rely on a biopsy if you get a positive test. Get an MRI scan.

I'm not decrying the OP's post. It's a very real concern. I just want to give a feel of how to react if you get a positive result. It may well be a false positive.

 

[Avendit]

Donated, it's a cause that will impact many.

Going to piggyback a bit just to highlight another mens health issue; nut cancer.

Your nuts and cancer.

Would you know what to look for?

uk.movember.com

Keep an eye and a feel on the pair. Having been through this, and friends and family having been through other cancers, this really can be a simple 'man cancer' to treat, if you find it early enough.

 

[exlatccatsa]

My impression is that PSA tests can be a good thing (I had one every year for a while) but need to be treated with some care. It sounds as though they lead to false positives and you need to know the best way to proceed if you get a positive test. There was a BBC Inside Health programme on the subject in 2018: BBC Radio 4 - Inside Health, Prostate Cancer. Things may have moved on since then, but I think it's worth listening to. The main take was not to rely on a biopsy if you get a positive test. Get an MRI scan.

I'm not decrying the OP's post. It's a very real concern. I just want to give a feel of how to react if you get a positive result. It may well be a false positive.

Absolutely. I agree completely. PSA is not enough on its own to be a guarantee of cancer. My point was that if you had a trail of tests, you would already know your level and an abnormal one would be an indication that there may possibly something wrong and a second one, or further investigation might be warranted. Interesting programme thanks.

 

[exlatccatsa]

Donated, it's a cause that will impact many.

Going to piggyback a bit just to highlight another mens health issue; nut cancer.

Your nuts and cancer.

Would you know what to look for?

uk.movember.com

Keep an eye and a feel on the pair. Having been through this, and friends and family having been through other cancers, this really can be a simple 'man cancer' to treat, if you find it early enough.

Thanks @Avendit. Good piggyback.. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[MovingSouth]

Absolutely. I agree completely. PSA is not enough on its own to be a guarantee of cancer. My point was that if you had a trail of tests, you would already know your level and an abnormal one would be an indication that there may possibly something wrong and a second one, or further investigation might be warranted. Interesting programme thanks.

Just to build on your original post, the driving reason to donate to prostate cancer research is to fund development of a better test, to replace the PSA test, so that both false positives and false negatives can be dramatically reduced. Not just to prevent cancer, but to avoid people having further tests, worry and unnecessary surgery!

 

[exlatccatsa]

Exactly @MovingSouth. I was merely trying to pass on the message about building a background level. I've heard from Wayne the total is over £24,000. Many thanks to all who have donated.

 

[Forty_Two]

My story . . . In 2015 I fell off a ladder and hurt my back. In 2016 I decided I wanted to try a chiroractor on my back and I went to see my GP for advice on who/where. He suggested that I start with some bone density tests and some blood tests and he arbitrarily threw in a PSA test. I had absolutely zero indications of any prostate problems. The PSA came back at 8.4 (not very high). The first biopsy came back negative. I had a second (frontal (difficult)) biopsy which came back positive. I had the operation (prostate removed). They then send the prostate away and grade in on scale of 1-5 for the type of cancer (least to most aggressive) and its progress (how far it had progressed). Mine was a 5 and a 4 I was a 9/10. If I had not fallen off that ladder I would now be dead.

 

[exlatccatsa]

So many are caught by accident. Thanks for sharing your story.

 

[Sparkeur]

Here in France, a blood test is given every year. The point is not to see the 'actual' result, it's to monitor the trend. Over the last 10 years, mine has gone up and down between 0.99 and 1.10 Doc tells me that if over the period of 12 months, it rises by more than 1 then more checking is done.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

I used to get mine done every year as part of a company medical. I had to be quite pursuasive with the GP to get it checked again once I stopped getting the medicals but they agreed. I felt it odd I had to justify it, but my point was fairly simple, I've been told I have mildish benign enlarged prostate in the past, so some of the symptoms such as not being able to push the block of bleach around a urinal with as much vigour as I used to, or needing to go to the loo in the night sometimes, a problem most of us get as we age, can be more serious but I wouldn't really notice a change as I had the symptoms anyway

Thankfully it's low although this has educated me to dig out my previous results and work out what normal is for me.

On a related note, get a mole check done if you have any. I'm far from being a sun worshipper but I had something on my back that my wife didn't like. Turned out that was fine but the doc spotted something else, 2 weeks later it was gone, and 2 weeks later again when the results were back I felt in a wierd way the luckiest person in the world to be told I'd had cancer and it had gone (with safe margins) in the same appointment. Not all are as fortunate.

At the end of the day, the medical world only find these things if you put yourself forward to be checked, even if you dont seem to have any symtoms as @Forty_Two shows, and the earlier the better. You don't live longer by putting your head in the sand.

 

[kelvin 660]

Here in France, a blood test is given every year. The point is not to see the 'actual' result, it's to monitor the trend. Over the last 10 years, mine has gone up and down between 0.99 and 1.10 Doc tells me that if over the period of 12 months, it rises by more than 1 then more checking is done.

That's great that you get checked every year, but here in the UK we don't get anything! I've jus turned 70 and never got called in for any health check or MOT since being registered 25 years ago at this practice. Also it's impossible to get an appointment (or them to even answer the phone), so I'm thinking of going private for some routine blood tests...

 

[KennethS]

That's great that you get checked every year, but here in the UK we don't get anything! I've jus turned 70 and never got called in for any health check or MOT since being registered 25 years ago at this practice. Also it's impossible to get an appointment (or them to even answer the phone), so I'm thinking of going private for some routine blood tests...

You are 100% right.

I understand that the NHS is under-resourced but it seems there is no recognition of the benefits of preventative medicine any longer. Surely catching problems early has to end up costing less than the alternative?

A full set of blood work is a good idea at least every couple of years. We've begun paying ourselves for this.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

You have to force the issue. I agree the NHS should be more proactive and pre Covid I had a ‘well man’ check up and my wife is routinely called for various tests, including ones for things she no longer has(!) but men seem to be left to their own devices

My PSA test I got the doctor to do, my mole check I went private (I think it was £75) but it ended up costing me £2k for the minor surgery and lab tests but when there was a prospect of the big C I wasn’t going to hang around.

I’d make a fuss especially if you’ve not seen the doctor for a while and you’re 70+, a basic blood test panel can pick up a variety of things, and I’ve my own blood pressure monitor. Private is an option and I was told you can quickly go back to the NHS if anything bad comes up, but it’s then a question of how long they may take.

 

[exlatccatsa]

Thanks for all your replies and support. I've just got back from a week away and things are developing as we get closer to the departure date in 10 days time. More and more people are helping the cause. Sky news has picked up on the story
Motorcycle fundraiser from Aberdeen to Gibraltar in memory of man who died from prostate cancer
and the biker community are beginning to spread the news with YouTube content creators linking into the story.
Thanks again.

 

[Avendit]

Private is an option and I was told you can quickly go back to the NHS if anything bad comes up, but it’s then a question of how long they may take.

For cancer, even the NHS doesn't dick around. Multiple people I know, and personal experience, has test -> consultation -> surgery inside a week. Obviously in the past now and it may different this year.

What people I know have struggled with is getting put back together after the all clear is given, when that is needed. Sometimes easier to go private at that point as you are now on the non essential list. Life is fine with an ileostomy bag, right? And it is, but without is better...

 

[exlatccatsa]

1 week to go. The Grand depart is next Sunday the 14t April at Aberdeen Control Tower 0800.
Total is now almost £28k. A huge thank you to all of you.
Please pass on the web address to anyone you know www.24in24.co.uk.
Anybody near New Milton on the 21st April, Sammy Miller will be hosting the guys.

The Big Tour 24 | Sammy Miller Museum

Join us in giving a big welcome to the ride in crew from the The Big Tour 24! 4 AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS / 4 TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES / VISITING 24 NATS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TEAMS / RAISING MONEY FOR 2 CHARITIES They will be visiting the museum as part of their epic 3,225 mile challenge, which […]

sammymiller.co.uk

"We’re hoping that James Hillier (TT Racer) and members of the 007 Motorcycle Stunt Team might be along to join us on the day & hope you can join us too.

Any riders wishing to join the next leg from the museum to Lee-On-Solent will be most welcome with a suggested £5 donation to the charity so get those engines fired up!"

 

[exlatccatsa]

 

[exlatccatsa]

£31,000 so far.. Thank you.

 

[exlatccatsa]

4 Bikes sitting on the threshold of Gibraltars runway