If you have a family history of prostate cancer or are suffering from symptoms that include difficulty urinating, you may assume that you have prostate cancer after doing a bit of research. For a lot of people, it can be easy to assume the worst and also have fears about the future of their health. If you think you have prostate cancer, it’s important to act quickly and take a few important steps to find out for sure.
Visit Your Doctor
One of the first things you should do when you suspect anything might be wrong with your body is schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss the symptoms you’re currently experiencing. These may include things such as difficulty maintaining a consistent stream of urine, urinary retention, frequent urination, and excessive urination at night, according to mayoclinic.com. After discussing it with them, your doctor will most likely want to immediately perform prostate cancer testing to determine if you need treatment.
Undergo Tests
Once you see a doctor and tests are ordered, you’ll need to undergo tests that include procedures such as a prostate biopsy, which is performed by a urologist, according to cancer.org. Some of your prostate tissue is removed to be tested for cancer and may require obtaining up to 12 different samples. The doctor will likely numb the area to minimize any pain or discomfort involved.
Genetic testing, which is accomplished with blood or saliva samples, and imaging, such as getting an MRI scan, results may also be ordered by your doctor to further confirm the diagnosis.
Discuss Your Treatment Options
If you are indeed diagnosed with prostate cancer, your doctor will discuss the different treatment options that are available to you. This may include undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy in order to help combat your cancer. It mainly depends on the stage the cancer has reached and what your doctor thinks will be the most effective at treating it.
Other forms of treatment may include hormone therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. You and your doctor can work together to choose the right form of treatment by considering your age and expected lifespan, the likelihood that the treatment will be effective, your feelings on what produces you’re willing to go through, and any other health conditions you may have that could affect or be affected by the treatment. You can also get a second opinion before moving forward with the type of treatment you prefer if you want to make sure it’s the best option available to you.
Obtain Support
Obtaining the support of your loved ones or professionals trained in aiding those going through cancer treatment is necessary to ensure you can remain emotionally strong and have hope as you work to combat your prostate cancer. Consider reaching out to someone who has already undergone treatment for cancer to ensure they can offer you advice and allow you to feel understood for the feelings and emotions you’re experiencing. After all, some of the best people to understand what you’re going through are those that have gone through it themselves.
Although it can be challenging, or even terrifying, if you think you may have prostate cancer, you can still take control of your health and the situation by reaching out to the right professionals as soon as you think something might be wrong. Conducting research and discovering common treatment approaches can allow you to have plenty of options at your disposal and increase the chance of curing and recovering from cancer. By keeping an eye on your health and doing what you need to in order to give your body every tool it needs to fight, you give yourself the best chance at beating prostate cancer.
