Prostate biopsy
Discussion
Unfortunately a finger up the nipsy & an MRI scan conflict with the results from my PSA tests, as a result I will be having a prostate biopsy on Monday to help eliminate the risk of the big C. Having explained to the consultant I have a real fear of GA/sedation he said no problem it can be done under a local anaesthetic. Whilst I don't expect it to tickle has anybody had the same procedure under a local before and wouldn't mind sharing their experience it would be appreciated.
I had two prostate biopsies, the oncologist explained that she used quite a dose of anasthetic so I wouldn't feel anything and, apart from having the gizmo poked up my jacksie, I didn't. Even that isn't uncomfortable, it has a ring-friendly profile and may even bring a smile to your face...
The second biopsy 'nipped' a bit but it's over in a split second. In each case they took my mind off it by having the prettiest of the nurses chatting to me while I was on the slab - you lie on one side so they can fiddle around and when they've finished you put on a 'nappy' (Tena man pants) in case of any bleeding, I didn't. It's really nothing to get worked up about, taking your car for its MOT is more stressful.
ETA - following the second biopsy I had a positive diagnosis but after radiotherapy I'm now all clear; I couldn't have surgery 'cos I have a bit of a heart problem.
The second biopsy 'nipped' a bit but it's over in a split second. In each case they took my mind off it by having the prettiest of the nurses chatting to me while I was on the slab - you lie on one side so they can fiddle around and when they've finished you put on a 'nappy' (Tena man pants) in case of any bleeding, I didn't. It's really nothing to get worked up about, taking your car for its MOT is more stressful.
ETA - following the second biopsy I had a positive diagnosis but after radiotherapy I'm now all clear; I couldn't have surgery 'cos I have a bit of a heart problem.
Edited by Riley Blue on Saturday 8th October 19:48
Had it done twice in the past 5 years; had a local both times; was uncomfortable more than painful. They take 6 samples from each side of the prostate, first time I had it done, I got the all clear. had another one earlier this year and they found 3 of the 12 were cancerous which was a bit of a shock. Fortunately it's only a very slow growing cancer and they reckon I'll probably die with it and not from it. Good luck and PM me if you need any more info.
Thanks all for the reassurance.
The suspicion is that its not cancer given my age (41) but my old man had it in his early 50's so I get myself checked yearly when they do my bloods for my diabetes. Whilst the PSA test is notoriously unreliable, my numbers have gone from 1.8 the last 2 years to 3.6 this year with the private clinic I asked for a referral to, doing their own test which came out at 7.6 despite the MRI and examination being 'normal'.
The suspicion is that its not cancer given my age (41) but my old man had it in his early 50's so I get myself checked yearly when they do my bloods for my diabetes. Whilst the PSA test is notoriously unreliable, my numbers have gone from 1.8 the last 2 years to 3.6 this year with the private clinic I asked for a referral to, doing their own test which came out at 7.6 despite the MRI and examination being 'normal'.
It's the Gleason score that is crucial, mine was seven (3 + 4). Have a look here: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/type/...
shep1001 said:
Thanks all for the reassurance.
The suspicion is that its not cancer given my age (41) but my old man had it in his early 50's so I get myself checked yearly when they do my bloods for my diabetes. Whilst the PSA test is notoriously unreliable, my numbers have gone from 1.8 the last 2 years to 3.6 this year with the private clinic I asked for a referral to, doing their own test which came out at 7.6 despite the MRI and examination being 'normal'.
As others have said a biopsy is/shouldn't be too painful, just uncomfortable.The suspicion is that its not cancer given my age (41) but my old man had it in his early 50's so I get myself checked yearly when they do my bloods for my diabetes. Whilst the PSA test is notoriously unreliable, my numbers have gone from 1.8 the last 2 years to 3.6 this year with the private clinic I asked for a referral to, doing their own test which came out at 7.6 despite the MRI and examination being 'normal'.
I get my 'numbers' done every 6 mths and they do vary anywhere between the two lower figures you've given, and sometimes lower.
My oncologist would only raise an eyebrow if they were above 5.0 and then I'd have a blood test every 3 months to monitor the situation.
Based on the jump you describe above and the other examinations being normal, I'd go to my GP and get a blood test done again to see if the jump was a blip, rather than cause for concern.
Sometimes a rise in testerone levels will take a reading for PSA with it, so if you've been feeling randier than is the norm recently, that could be a reason.
Good luck, hopefully it won't be PC, but something far less sinister.
Riley Blue said:
It's the Gleason score that is crucial, mine was seven (3 + 4). Have a look here: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/type/...
^^^^^^^^ this.The PSA is unreliable (if you had sex the night before it can cause the reading to 'shoot up' too) - although Ben Stiller gave his backing to it last week - so the results that matter are the Gleason score from your biopsy - in effect how aggressive the cancer is - and the result of the MRI and CT scans that will follow to determine how far it has spread.
The next crucial test is how far the cancer (if present) has spread and this is graded from 1-4.
If it is at Stage 1 then a lot less to worry about - often a 'watch and wait' policy is adopted.
At Stage 2 it is still curable - radiotherapy/operation/drugs although there will be side effects.
Stage 3 means it has escaped past the prostate into other tissue nearby so no operation, usually radiotherapy and drugs to keep the PSA as near to zero as possible. This helps stop the cancer growing but lots of side effects.
Stage 4 is not so good at all. The cancer has spread so now heavy drugs.
Hoping for good news....
N7GTX said:
Riley Blue said:
It's the Gleason score that is crucial, mine was seven (3 + 4). Have a look here: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/type/...
^^^^^^^^ this.The PSA is unreliable (if you had sex the night before it can cause the reading to 'shoot up' too) - although Ben Stiller gave his backing to it last week - so the results that matter are the Gleason score from your biopsy - in effect how aggressive the cancer is - and the result of the MRI and CT scans that will follow to determine how far it has spread.
The next crucial test is how far the cancer (if present) has spread and this is graded from 1-4.
If it is at Stage 1 then a lot less to worry about - often a 'watch and wait' policy is adopted.
At Stage 2 it is still curable - radiotherapy/operation/drugs although there will be side effects.
Stage 3 means it has escaped past the prostate into other tissue nearby so no operation, usually radiotherapy and drugs to keep the PSA as near to zero as possible. This helps stop the cancer growing but lots of side effects.
Stage 4 is not so good at all. The cancer has spread so now heavy drugs.
Hoping for good news....
Side effects from the hormones: hot flushes, mood swings and 'moobs'.
Side effects from the radiotherapy: fatigue, loss of soft tissue around my bumhole (I can't sit on hard chairs for very long) though I'm about to take up cycling again this week - oh yes, and now I fire blanks...
I had a BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy) for a long time before symptoms became too inconvenient to ignore. One day I let my bladder get far too distended and caused some damage which led to haematuria (blood in urine). The first thing they did was a PSA which came back as 15 - less than 4 is normal range and zero best of all. All the tests showed clear of cancer so I had a TURP (re-bore of the internal diameter of the prostate). After that my PSA was normal so clearly the PSA can be quite elevated with no cancer present. Good luck anyway.
Thanks all for the best wishes.
Had the procedure about 1pm today, I was in the car driving home again for 2:30pm.
No pain at all from the sampling part of the op, the most uncomfortable bit was the initial inserting the ultrasound tool up my nipsy! - he could have warned me
A week or so to wait for the results so fingers crossed. My MRI was normal and the physical exam was normal too. I initially thought my first PSA of 3.6 was high, as somebody has already pointed out, you should abstain from nookie for 72hrs before the test - nobody told me that until after the test & the mrs had treated me the day before!. I expected the test the private hospital did to be 'normal' it had almost doubled again in 2 weeks.
Had the procedure about 1pm today, I was in the car driving home again for 2:30pm.
No pain at all from the sampling part of the op, the most uncomfortable bit was the initial inserting the ultrasound tool up my nipsy! - he could have warned me
A week or so to wait for the results so fingers crossed. My MRI was normal and the physical exam was normal too. I initially thought my first PSA of 3.6 was high, as somebody has already pointed out, you should abstain from nookie for 72hrs before the test - nobody told me that until after the test & the mrs had treated me the day before!. I expected the test the private hospital did to be 'normal' it had almost doubled again in 2 weeks.
Edited by shep1001 on Monday 10th October 16:56
PistonHeads....... "because lubrication matters"Riley Blue said:
N7GTX said:
Riley Blue said:
It's the Gleason score that is crucial, mine was seven (3 + 4). Have a look here: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/type/...
^^^^^^^^ this.The PSA is unreliable (if you had sex the night before it can cause the reading to 'shoot up' too) - although Ben Stiller gave his backing to it last week - so the results that matter are the Gleason score from your biopsy - in effect how aggressive the cancer is - and the result of the MRI and CT scans that will follow to determine how far it has spread.
The next crucial test is how far the cancer (if present) has spread and this is graded from 1-4.
If it is at Stage 1 then a lot less to worry about - often a 'watch and wait' policy is adopted.
At Stage 2 it is still curable - radiotherapy/operation/drugs although there will be side effects.
Stage 3 means it has escaped past the prostate into other tissue nearby so no operation, usually radiotherapy and drugs to keep the PSA as near to zero as possible. This helps stop the cancer growing but lots of side effects.
Stage 4 is not so good at all. The cancer has spread so now heavy drugs.
Hoping for good news....
Side effects from the hormones: hot flushes, mood swings and 'moobs'.
Side effects from the radiotherapy: fatigue, loss of soft tissue around my bumhole (I can't sit on hard chairs for very long) though I'm about to take up cycling again this week - oh yes, and now I fire blanks...
PSA was 38 but the finger test pointed to an abnormal (read hard) prostate. Gleason score of (4+5) 9 so as aggressive as they come. Told you, I don't mess around.
Ahh, those lovely side effects. Radiotherapy is painless so what's the fuss? As Riley says, fatigue is the big effect. Having a self administered enema every weekday for nearly 6 weeks means a sore ring. Although probably very hard to imagine for all you testosterone fuelled alpha males, now absolutely no interest in sex. None, zilch, nada.
Hormone treatment very much depends on the Gleason score and the stage. I'm on Prostap so lots of menopausal type hot flushes/sweats/feeling depressed/tiredness/greatly reduced testosterone. Without the last symptom, even driving becomes a chore as you need the testosterone to make you take the riskier side of every day actions. Driving fast and aggressiveness is vastly reduced.
Just another 2 years to go with these injections before the cancer fights back then time to swap to another one of those nice drugs and hope it works.
Incidentally, at my surgery the nurse gives around 30 of these injections every month (£320 per stab). This version of the disease is far more common than you think. So don't hang about like I have, if you have any doubts get the tests done NOW.
Hell's bells Iain, you don't do things by half! I know mine was caught early but I really wish you the best of fortune from here on.
Ah yes, the enema.... I've ben trying to forget those. You need to be 'fully empty' when you attend radiotherapy. You have to get the timing right, depending on what time your appointment is. Mine were 8:00 or 8:30 every morning so it was an evening trip to the thunderbox for me. Doing this every day can wreck your arse lining so you might bleed. The first time I did the toilet bowl looked like a slaughterhouse drain but you get a steroid foam to squirt up your jacksie which stops it. You also have to empty your bladder then drink a measured amount of water a set time before radiotherapy. I used to call in at Morrisons on the drive in (I went to Weston Park Hospital, Sheffield) for a pee and drink from a bottle I took in the car.
As I've mentioned in another health thread, I adopted a PMA - Postive Mental Attidue - throughout the whole experience, I think it helped. I was told by one of the radiographers that studies had suggested it reduced side effects and helped recovery. Maybe it did, or maybe I was just lucky. Either way, I feel fine now.
The important message from all this is, as Iain writes, is if you have any doubts get the tests done NOW. He had difficulty peeing, I was peeing very frequently. If you have any waterworks problems, see your GP, don't be a macho man and think it's nothing. So far, by being open and happy to write or talk about my experience, I've persuaded several family and friends to get checked - you know it makes sense...
Ah yes, the enema.... I've ben trying to forget those. You need to be 'fully empty' when you attend radiotherapy. You have to get the timing right, depending on what time your appointment is. Mine were 8:00 or 8:30 every morning so it was an evening trip to the thunderbox for me. Doing this every day can wreck your arse lining so you might bleed. The first time I did the toilet bowl looked like a slaughterhouse drain but you get a steroid foam to squirt up your jacksie which stops it. You also have to empty your bladder then drink a measured amount of water a set time before radiotherapy. I used to call in at Morrisons on the drive in (I went to Weston Park Hospital, Sheffield) for a pee and drink from a bottle I took in the car.
As I've mentioned in another health thread, I adopted a PMA - Postive Mental Attidue - throughout the whole experience, I think it helped. I was told by one of the radiographers that studies had suggested it reduced side effects and helped recovery. Maybe it did, or maybe I was just lucky. Either way, I feel fine now.
The important message from all this is, as Iain writes, is if you have any doubts get the tests done NOW. He had difficulty peeing, I was peeing very frequently. If you have any waterworks problems, see your GP, don't be a macho man and think it's nothing. So far, by being open and happy to write or talk about my experience, I've persuaded several family and friends to get checked - you know it makes sense...
Riley Blue said:
The important message from all this is, as Iain writes, is if you have any doubts get the tests done NOW. He had difficulty peeing, I was peeing very frequently. If you have any waterworks problems, see your GP, don't be a macho man and think it's nothing. So far, by being open and happy to write or talk about my experience, I've persuaded several family and friends to get checked - you know it makes sense...
Can't emphasize this enough. Once I was diagnosed I told my younger brother. In February this year he too was diagnosed. Fortunately this meant he was caught earlier than me and he's at Stage 2. With a Gleason score of 9 he has an aggressive form so this action has probably given him a good few years and maybe even cured him.So, what are you waiting for?
Hi All. To draw this to a conclusion, I went for my results today & all came back normal, no cancerous cells detected in any of the 12 cores they took. Consultant is confident that should be the end of it but I will go back mid Jan for another PSA test & MRI just to make sure.
Thanks for all your input and good luck to those who have had or are undergoing further treatment
Thanks for all your input and good luck to those who have had or are undergoing further treatment
shep1001 said:
Hi All. To draw this to a conclusion, I went for my results today & all came back normal, no cancerous cells detected in any of the 12 cores they took. Consultant is confident that should be the end of it but I will go back mid Jan for another PSA test & MRI just to make sure.
Thanks for all your input and good luck to those who have had or are undergoing further treatment
Thanks for all your input and good luck to those who have had or are undergoing further treatment
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