Test ‘for a laugh’ leads to life saving surgery for Lee

First published June 2021

A test ‘for a laugh’ unexpectedly led to life saving surgery for Lee Taylor, a Mount Gambier local and part of the despatch team at OneFortyOne.

It’s been a high speed rollercoaster to recovery, but Lee is back in action and wants to get the word out – don’t ignore the basics when it comes to health.

“Late last year I was doing routine blood tests for cholesterol, diabetes, whatever else.

My doctor and I had a conversation about my family history, how my father and probably my grandfather had prostate cancer.

His words to me were ‘for a laugh we’ll add a PSA (Prostate-specific antigen) test in as well’.

I didn’t think too much of it, usually these tests aren’t even ordered until you’re 55-60.

The results came back. The doctor called and told me I had a high PSA test – there was a chance I had prostate cancer.

I’d only just turned 50.

It was a massive emotional hit.

That Thursday I had an appointment in Adelaide with a specialist. It happened so quick. More tests, all the medical imagery you could think of.

The specialist told me I definitely had prostate cancer.

We had a few decisions to make. I didn’t want this time bomb in me.

It all happened so quickly.

My wife Karen was so organised, I had to go to Adelaide by myself to get a CT scan, an MRI and other tests. Karen wrote me an itinerary of where I had to be and what time.

She helped keep me focussed.

I decided on surgery, and was in on the 15^th of February this year.

Afterwards they said I 100% made the right decision, it was larger than they thought.  Luckily everything was still contained in the prostate because they’d found it so early.

After weeks of recovery in Adelaide, it was Thursday before Easter, and I had another PSA test. The doctor just looked and me and said ‘I’ve got some news for you’.

‘You’re 100% cancer free.’

I just went, ‘right, excellent’, walked out of his office and got in the car. Talking to Karen, we were both excited as hell. We pulled out onto South Road, phoning Karen’s mum to tell her the news.

I just cried. I’m in peak hour traffic, crying. It was such a relief.

The after effects of surgery, yes they’re frustrating, but the big picture is that I’m still here.

Mentally it’s been super effective for me to talk about what’s happened.

I wanted to be back at work. Being around people and talking about my experience in any way I can is my best medicine. If you don’t talk, you do your head in.

Don’t ignore basics when it concerns health.

I had absolutely no symptoms, the test was ordered just because of a conversation we had.

Talk to your doctor and let them know everything. You don’t need a reason to ask for tests. If you’re unlucky and get diagnosed with something, don’t shut it down, you can’t deal with it by yourself. Talk to people.

If I can get that through to just one person, I’ve done my good deed for the day.”