PSA (prostate) and cycling

2 weeks according to my GP

2 weeks according to my GP

Thanks. But that’s frustrating !!

Yep. Especially in summer when the weather is lovely.

My PSA was 374* so any increase owing to cycling didn't really make much difference.

Seriously though, my oncologist advised that, "If you ride your bike for 10 miles down the most potholed road, whilst sat on the most uncomfortable saddle... then you might see an increase of 1 in your PSA".

*Yes it's advanced, and yes I'm doomed. Doesn't stop me howling into the twilight though 👊

Bla bla here.
I might start writing again soon.

Reality check - a few days off the bike is nothing. Sorry for my insensitivity, and all the best to you @stanley.

Came here thinking that a doctor had a good news public service announcement!

Anyway, I've been getting an annual prostrate exam and MY doctor didn't mention anything about not cycling beforehand BUT I'm guessing that that's not a PSA test...

What does a PSA test involve? Is it 'just' a blood test??

Yes. Blood test.

On the subject of the “digital rectal exam” aka finger up the arse, no GP ever noticed anything untoward (about my prostate, not my arse) but a urologist did straight away. I guess practice makes perfect.

Sorry if you were just having your tea.

PSA is blood test. Specialist knows I cycle so isn't fussed. It can be slightly raised if you've just ridden, but negligible.

Prostate Specific Antigen IIRC, a useful marker for prostrate cancer, but the numbers are quite individual, so better for relative measurements before / after treatment than an absolute go/no go test.

I don't recall being asked not to cycle when I had mine taken for Prostatitis many years ago...

In fact I did mention I rode 200 km a week at the time and they didn't seem bothered.

I have them every 6 months - nobody has ever told be to stop cycling !
Getting Shingles screwed up my PSA good and proper for a while.

Can confirm I was told 2 weeks too otherwise you can get a false positive.

Avoid butt plugs for the same reason. Particularly when riding.

How do you go about getting these tests regularly?

Oddly enough, about 7 weeks ago I experienced my first ever bout of prostatitis. It was awful. 2 weeks of Ciproxin, PSA came back at 4.4 last week.

So I've to wait a month and repeat, see if it's back to normal. Hopefully will be. Fingers crossed.

It might just be coincidental, but I've not been on a bike much since September as I was training for an ultra run. 3 or 4 days before this episode, I rode a gravel bike with an unfamiliar (and not very comfortable) saddle, fairly hard (for me) and sort of on the nut as I had to be somewhere quickly.

Might not have been the saddle, etc, of course, but it syncs.

@stanley, I'm sure I said this before but my Dad is currently at the 4 year point since his diagnosis and he's doing great, you'd hardly know he was ill. Fingers crossed for you.

From www.nhs.uk:

Before having the test

If you're having a PSA test, you should not have:

- ejaculated in the past 48 hours
- exercised heavily in the past 48 hours
- a urinary infection
- had a prostate biopsy in the past 6 weeks

Each of these may give an inaccurate PSA reading.

I guess the 'exercised heavily' is subjective, and depending on how energetic you've been may involve the first exclusion too. 🤣

As a firefighter of 32 years at every funeral I have met older colleagues who were dying from prostate cancers and had made the decision to not do anything. I have asked several times at the doctors (not been for a couple of years as it’s too difficult and I was asked whether I was showing symptoms and I wasn't sure what the symptoms were! I have heard about a blood test that can help, anyone else had this?

2 Weeks is excessive. My team are happy for 4 days without riding, sex or running.

As a firefighter of 32 years at every funeral I have met older colleagues who were dying from prostate cancers and had made the decision to not do anything. I have asked several times at the doctors (not been for a couple of years as it’s too difficult and I was asked whether I was showing symptoms and I wasn’t sure what the symptoms were! I have heard about a blood test that can help, anyone else had this?

The symptoms people associate with prostate cancer are actually symptoms of an enlarged prostate, which is often benign. More often than not prostate cancer has no symptoms.  I was diagnosed by accident - no symptoms. So if you are of a certain age, get a PSA blood test.  It's only an indication - not a diagnosis on its own, but if it's elevated it can prompt MRIs or biopsies which together build a diagnosis.  I'm lucky, my cancer is low grade and low volume and is being monitored without treatment for the time being. I have a 3 monthly PSA test and an annual MRI to make sure nothing has changed.

I was diagnosed by accident – no symptoms.

Would you mind if I asked you to tell us more about the circumstances around this?

PSA comes round with age and the 'digital' exam. Mine came early 40's after a bodged snip, then repairs plumeted my Testosterone, so been on the stuff about 9 years and have to have PSA tested yearly and the other occasionally.

I had a urine infection. Cleared up quickly with antibiotics, but the doc suggested some tests, just in case. I had a bladder scan which was clear.  And a PSA test.  This was elevated so it was monitored for a while but it kept creeping up so I had an MRI and then a biopsy. These were clear but I stayed on PSA monitoring for another year.  It still crept up so I had another MRI and biopsy which found grade 1 cancer. It's graded 1 to 4 from least to most aggressive.  I then had a template biopsy under general anaesthetic which took 60 or 70 samples from all over my prostate to confirm there was no higher grade nastiness lurking.

I've been having PSA blood tests every 3 months for around 4 years and never once have been asked not to cycle beforehand - I often cycle to the GP practice.

I went to Dr to see about a lump in my ball sack. He sent me for a blood test. Ended up having a prostatectomy. Still got the lump in my ball sack. And, it seems, cancerous cells. Yay. 😐

blokeuptheroad
Full Member
I had a urine infection. Cleared up quickly with antibiotics, but the doc suggested some tests, just in case. I had a bladder scan which was clear. And a PSA test. This was elevated so it was monitored for a while

Thanks. Same story for me in how it presented, etc.

Stanley....start writing again?

Yes pls.

I would suggest that all blokes request a PSA test once they hit 45 ish. Certainly by 50 (at which point you have a "right" to it). Ask for a DRE* at the same time.

My cancer was only discovered after it had become stage 4 / metastatic / advanced / incurable / terminal. I had almost none of the expected symptoms and there is zero cancer in the family. I just felt tired all the time so began visiting my gp.

I've been on the hormone therapy since diagnosis (July), have undergone several rounds of chemo, and just completed 20 rounds of radiotherapy.

Prostate cancer is an utter bastard. Please learn from my experience... Get a check even if you have no symptoms**

*DRE = Digital Rectal Examination (finger up the bum)
PSA = Prostate Specific Antigen (simple blood test. Your PSA should ideally be under 3. Definitely not 374!)

**Typical symptoms of an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer are: needing to wee more frequently, rogue drops, reduced flow, not emptying bladder fully, etc.
Note- enlarged prostates are very common in men as they age. An enlarged prostate doesn't mean it is, or may become, cancerous.
If you get unlucky and get the cancer, then it's usually very slow to progress.

So act now!!

PS... Still riding my bike though 😄

Eh up Stanley

you can only go the path you are given.  You sound like you have got your head on.  Good luck

Im Pished - i wish there was something I could say  Sent yo a PM

Thanks for the messages of support; both on here and via pm. They really do help me 🙂

I'm going to start writing my blog again. Hopefully it will help spread the word and may be of use to other poor individuals who may tread this path at some point.
I'm happy to answer any questions that people may have about prostates: be they normal, enlarged or nasty.

Cheers

It would be great to read your blog again. Wishing you all the very best.

Refrain from cycling before test?
My doctor hasn't told me to refrain from cycling before hand for any of the PSA test I've had, I've had a few since turning 50. And he knows that I ride bikes.
What's the reasoning behind it?

@asbrooks

Refrain from cycling before test?
My doctor hasn’t told me to refrain from cycling before hand for any of the PSA test I’ve had, I’ve had a few since turning 50. And he knows that I ride bikes.
What’s the reasoning behind it?

That pressure on the prostate can increase PSA score. As per my earlier post, my oncologist doesn't think it makes much difference.