@brianjarvis They're really no different than the rest of us. Same feelings. Probably thought they were bullet proof when they were young too. I would say their reactions are very human as they understand the potential of the struggle that lays ahead of them.

@brianjarvis

Understand your comment.

I’m sure all these physicians, before their diagnosis, generally knew more about the prostate than the “random guy on the street”.

However, all except the retired urologist, were quite unfamiliar with what some of the more seasoned members of this forum know, regarding PCa screening, mpMRI test methods, the nuance of various treatment options and evidence based active surveillance interventions.

This has been my experience with the GP’s I’ve talked with, since my PCa diagnosis.

It’s not all that surprising when one considers the absolute enormity of all generated medical information regarding each part of the human body.

The major advantage all these physicians seem to have was their ability to quickly determine who, where and how to obtain the care that best aligned with their own goals and risk tolerances.

My main takeaways were that “one must advocate for himself” and the best physician is one who fits PCa disease care to the patient and not visa versa.

IMHO my last takeaway is the most difficult task a man will encounter when beginning his own PCa journey; therefore it’s even more critical to be your own advocate.

@brianjarvis
At the weekly online ancan.org advanced prostate cancer meetings, one of the doctors that shows up at almost every meeting is now in his 80s and has had a very serious case of prostate cancer years ago. His physician looked at his PSA test and as it was rising, told him everything was OK, never recommended he see a urologist to be tested until it went up considerably. He ended up with a Gleason nine and a very serious case. He was not a urologist and had no real knowledge about prostate cancer.

My wife’s best friend‘s husband is a OB/GYN. 25 years ago, he came up with a Gleason six and he searched all over the country for a doctor that would do nerve sparing, which had just Begun being done. He didn’t realize that he should not have done anything at the time. The doctor that operated on him, Welch, Didn’t do the nerve sparing and did a half page write up on what was done during the surgery. My friend was used to seeing 10 page writeups about what was done during OB/GYN surgery. After the surgery, his biopsy of the prostate showed that he was really a 3+2, it was so minor he just didn’t need the surgery at all. To say he is angry is to put it mildly. He flew across the country to get the best doctor only to find out. He had average treatment that wasn’t even necessary. Another doctor one would think should have known better, but didn’t really have any knowledge about prostate cancer.