Carlisle councillor urging men to check prostate - after his own cancer diagnosis

Lib Dem Cllr Brian Wernham is urging all men over 50 who are concerned about their prostate to get regular check-ups.

For several months Brian had noticed issues, especially during the night, where he would be having to wake up to go to the toilet.

He'd assumed the problem probably stemmed from poor diet choices or drinking caffeine late at night.

Eventually though, after the problems failed to dissipate, he got a prostate test to see if that showed anything.

Brian's test did raise alarms, prompting him to go to his doctors who eventually diagnosed him with cancer.

Now diagnosed, he feels talking about it will help him and talking openly about testing and treatment could help other men too.

Brian said: "I had mild symptoms of stomach cramp and waking to urinate in the night. So I did a home test.

"This week I had an MRI scan and I saw the consultant this afternoon by video link. I have a prostate cancer. I don’t know yet which type.

"The cancer may be treatable by tablets, or chemo or radio-therapy or by surgery. Next week I will have a CAT scan and biopsy to determine the seriousness of the cancer and the appropriate treatment.

"The treatment may be mild, or it may be debilitating, so my future is uncertain. I urge all men over 50 to use the cheap test every 6 months – you never know, it might just have saved my life."

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