I'm 78 yrs young and live in western Montana. I went to a Urologist in 1987 when I started having problems with ED. He did a PSA test, 'n it was at a 6. He started me on 5mg Cardura tablets taken daily as I was diagnosed with BPH. For the next 20+ years my PSA numbers went up and down. In 2008 I retired and moved from SoCal to Montana and started to see a VA Urologist, he performed a biopsy, but no cancer was found, even tho my PSA number had by then leveled up to between 12 'n 15 as I aged. That Doc added a 5mg Finasteride tablet to my daily regiment and it lowered my PSA score, but the combined side effects of the 2 drugs was a significant loss of my libido, so my Lady & I just learned to live with it.

In 2019 my Lady passed away from a sudden cardiac arrest, and a year later I started to date again, so I asked my VA Doc about the libido problems, and he suggested I start using a 5 to 20mg tablet of Cialis taken daily to relieve the BPH symptoms, and I ended up using 20mg. Within a few months I could pee like a race horse again and my libido sky-rocketed, but my PSA levels went up to 20. Last month my urine stream started to diminish, 'n 3 weeks ago it shut-down, so I went to the hospital, and they catheterized me... I'm still wearing the bag. Saw a Urologist a week later, and he ordered a blood test and my PSA was now at 32. Upon a rectal exam, nothing was noted, so he suggested either a rectal biopsy or a prostate MRI w/contrast. I did the MRI at St. Patrick's Hospital in Missoula, MT last week, and tho the test was negative for any signs of cancer in or around my prostate, its size was a large 143 grams, squeezing against the urethra. My Urologist suggested a Cystoscopy be performed, and it's scheduled for next week.
After much research, on all procedures to correct my large prostate, I've decided to have HoLEP Laser surgery performed. My present Urologist doesn't do that type, and there's only one surgeon in MT that's highly skilled 'n qualified to do that procedure, and that's Dr Garrick Simmons of 5 Valleys Urology in Missoula. If any readers here are Veterans, yes the VA covers that surgery cost fully, just be sure you get your Urologist to make the recommendation to get the approval/referral letter from the Community Care division at the VA.