Prostate cancer .... a serious post for a change

This could be useful to any bloke who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.This is my tale for what it's worth....
Despite getting the usual finger up the jacksy by my GP in my mid 40's (as recommended), I was diagnosed with cancer of the prostate (after getting a biopsy in late 2008). I was aged 52.
Getting a blood test (a PSA test) after 50 years of age is crucial.
A few months later, in February 2009, I had a radical prostatectomy. For someone who has never been in hospital, this was definitely radical. Thank Christ I had a private room in a good hospital. Due to internal bleeding they opened me up a few days later. My nether regions resembled a swollen eggplant... much to my wife's horror and my amusement (you get this pain-killer drip - press the button on your bedside - you live in a "what the f*ck" haze for a few days).
Scariest word I know: catheter (inserted you know where).
Yes, the side effects suck (although incontinence isn't an issue now), but, touch wood, after over four years, I have no sign of the big C.
Regrets - you hear about the less intrusive keyhole surgery some surgeons offer - well, it's water under the bridge now. I know if someone says you have cancer, any radical measures seem justified.
I have to get a blood test on a yearly basis, that's all.

Enough of this, my next post will be back to more trivia and prattle.