A chance swap in doctors potentially saved Eliot Rifkin's life from prostate cancer.
The 67-year-old shared his story after the release of a new Survivorship Toolkit, an online one-stop-shop for information that answers all the taboo questions about the disease and then some. Developed by the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, it covers symptoms, testing, diagnosis, different stages and treatment options, plus mental health and wellbeing support.
Eliot, of Cannon Hill in Brisbane, is familiar to the city's airwaves as a journalist on 4ZZZ radio. He has a qualification in horticulture and recently joined the Carina Men's Shed, where members are teaching him woodworking.
He went to the doctor with a suspected bladder infection - something he regularly experienced in his teens and early 20s. He also had a history of prostatitis.
Eliot's usual GP - who knows his history well - wasn't available that day, so he was seen by a different doctor, who happened to be female. She not only treated him for a bladder infection, but insisted on him having a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test, which involved a blood sample. The results found he had stage one prostate cancer, and a year later, it had advanced to stage four. The growth had not spread to other parts of his body, but he had to act fast.
One option was having the cancer surgically removed, which also meant using a catheter while healing, more downtime for recovery, a risk of erectile dysfunction, and potentially less pleasure during intimacy. His second option was radiation therapy, where while he would be more spritely between sessions, there was risk of urethra damage if something went wrong.
Lots of questions filled Eliot's mind; how would his performance in bed be affected? How would he go to the toilet? He chose radiation, which started in June 2023.
He was thankful for the support he received from the medical team plus the foundation for access to nurses, who could explain things, plus information that went beyond the medical side of treatment.
Eliot said he felt apprehensive talking to female staff about his concerns, but was glad he did and he received great service, information and care from all.
He said the toolkit would be good for people who might be "a little shy" to get the same information he did. His advice to other men was simple: get tested.
"Having your prostate checked doesn't mean having a finger up your butt," he said.
The tool kit is available at www.prostate.org.au
