Prostatitis or Prostate Cancer?

So what is prostatitis? I met David Blackburn this evening in Morrison’s Supermarket he was seeking long term donations to Smiletrain. This was a charity close to the heart of Tom’s sister, Joan. Donations following her death were in support of Smiletrain so I went across to say hell. I explained to David that, regettably, I was unable to make a long term commitment to the charity because of my Clean up Prostate Cancer project. David knew all about Prostate health, he has been diagnosed with Prostatitis symptoms which often mirror Prostate Cancer consequently his condition is monitored including PSA tests.

The Know your Prostate leaflet  describes the disease and is available for download from Men United. Basically, prostatitis is an infection or inflammation of the prostate which can cause urinary problems, pain in the groin, lower back or lower stomach area as well as classic infection symptoms like fever. There are 2 distinct types of the disease, acute and chronic. David told me his PSA had been as high as 13 before the prostatitis was controlled so it is understandable that sufferers may think they have cancer as David did, initially.  This image shows the urinary bladder and at the bottom you can see the prostate gland and understand why one of the primary symptoms of an issue is difficulty going to the toilet. 

If you experience any symptoms go to your medical practitioner or GP, until they have done the relevant tests you won’t know what is causing the problem(s). Don’t hesitate, these are indicators which cannot be ignored.

I'd just like to take a moment to introduce you to Smiletrain. It is an international charity with one aim, to provide access to cleft lip/palate surgery for those  who cannot afford to pay for it. These physical problems can cause difficulty eating and speaking which is bad enough but in some societies those children born with a cleft feature are ostracised, they are excluded from school and work. The Smiletrain website gives an insight to their experiences and explains how the charity has helped to improve the lives of  1,000,000 children/people with a simple operation visit www.smiletrain.org.uk.