There Will Be Blood

There’s nothing special about a PSA test – it’s just a normal blood test with a strange name. When I went for mine in the local GP’s surgery on 5 September 2016 I was in and out of the nurse’s room in a couple of minutes.

I’ve never had a problem with syringes. The nurse and I made small talk as she checked for a vein in my arm and, as ever, there was hardly a prick as the needle went in. I’ve always been a bit surprised at how dark blood is when it goes into the vial – much darker than when I bleed from a cut. Perhaps it’s because it’s coming from a vein rather than just under the skin.

She collected one vial and explained that the blood would go to the local testing centre – in Northampton General Hospital – later that day. It would take a couple of days for the results to come back: they would ring me if there was anything wrong.