Phillip Egley visited his doctor for a routine check-up in September 2006. He had been suffering from a dull ache in the pubic bone area for some week. His GP carried out some tests including a urine sample which identified blood in his urine.
"In September 2006 I visited my GP as part of a routine medical check-up.
I had been suffering from a dull ache in the pubic bone area for some weeks so my GP carried out some tests including a urine sample which identified blood in my urine. I was referred to a urologist and a few days later I saw Mr Shiv Bhanot, consultant urological surgeon at Spire Roding Hospital.
Mr Bhanot carried out a PSA test which came back with a score of 1.9 and a cystoscopy examination which found no problems. He then followed this up with a MRI scan which identified that I had an enlarged prostate but no other issues.
The pain in my pubic area continued over the next few months so I saw Mr Bhanot again in May 2007 when he repeated all of the above tests. My PSA was again around the 1.9 mark however the MRI scan detected that my prostate had enlarged even more since my previous scan. Because of this, Mr Bhanot diagnosed benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) as the cause of my pain and prescribed drugs to control the pain and reduce the enlarged prostate.
Mr Bhanot continued to monitor my situation whilst treating me for BPH, repeating the above test in September 2009 which once again resulted in a PSA score of around 1.9 but this time the scan did not show any further prostate enlargement.
The pain improved for a while; however it began to return after about a year and got steadily worse until it got to a point where it was also in my back and kidneys. I saw Mr Bhanot again in February 2011 when he repeated all of the above tests plus a kidney X-ray. My PSA was still around the 1.9 mark, the kidney X-ray was normal and my prostate was still around the same size as it was in the September 2009 tests.
Following this visit, Mr Bhanot suggested that I see a pain control specialist and referred me to Mr Gaucci at Spire Roding Hospital. I saw Mr Gaucci in May 2011 and underwent a radio frequency ganglion injection to control my pain.
The results of this treatment were extremely good with all pain being completely gone within a few days. Unfortunately this was only a temporary cure and the pain returned after six to eight months, so I underwent further treatments in July 2011 and April 2012, both of which controlled my pain very well. During this period I also saw Mr Bhanot twice more for routine checks and progress updates.
In March 2013 I again saw Mr Bhanot who took another PSA sample; this came back with a score of 2.5, which although still a low score was an increase on all of my other PSA tests. Because of this Mr Bhanot carried out a PC3A test which came back a week later with a score of 135 against an expected norm of 35. This was a worrying development and Mr Bhanot immediately arranged for me to have a prostate biopsy which was carried out in April 2013.
The biopsy identified high grade cancer with a Gleason score of 10 in one area of my prostate. After explaining the options available to me it was agreed that complete prostate removal was my best course of treatment. I had a bone scan a few days later which was clear and in May 2013 I underwent a laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.
Recovery from the operation went well and I was discharged from hospital two days later. The catheter was removed the following week, and all of the pain I had suffered in my pubic area, back and kidneys had gone.
Mr Bhanot confirmed that the lab results had shown that the cancer was in fact an 8 Gleason score and that it was fully contained within the prostate and that there was no spread to lymph nodes which meant that I have an excellent chance of a full recovery.
It’s now approximately 18 months since my surgery and my recovery is still progressing very well. I am back at work and able to enjoy normal life with no reoccurrence of the pain I had suffered with since 2006.
I am still being monitored very closely by Mr Bhanot and have had PSA tests every six months since my surgery, all of which have returned a score of 0.003 which Mr Bhanot has assured me is deemed to be zero.
I am due to have another PSA test in December 2014 and provided this is also 0.003 or better Mr Bhanot plans to move me onto annual PSA checks."