Recurrent UTI's with raised PSA

User

Posted 20 Nov 2018 at 01:28

When I had my MRI scan the Eritreans hid in the control room behind thick glass as the isotopic tracer was injected.

When I had the bone scan they injected the tracer and I was told to return in two or three hours, but to keep clear of pregnant women and new-born babies! We repaired to the pub for lunch, and when we returned, Her Loveliness was allowed to sit next to me as the scanner passed over.

On a Customs reality TV show, a poor Kuwaiti woman caused a major nuclear alert when a hyper-sensitive Geiger counter set off an alarm at immigration at JFK airport. Her bags were repeatedly scanned as they feared something like a ‘dirty bomb’ Al Quaeda nuclear attack on Times Square. It was only when an Arabic interpreter arrived some time later, that she was able to tell the border guards she had had a bone scan in Kuwait the day before, and that she was radioactive, not her luggage!

Cheers, John.

User

Posted 20 Nov 2018 at 09:38

Nice one John..... brought a smile to breakfast this morning

User

Posted 17 May 2020 at 22:41

Hi everyone,

Long time no post! This is turning out to be a long journey. An update is now overdue since I reported back in Nov 2018 when my PSA stood at 9 ( see prior history in my profile). Things are beginning to hot up!

I have just updated my profile to bring 'progress' up to date since. Not a great deal has happened. In summary 2 MRI scans have given a PI-RADS score of 2 with no sign of a tumour. However, the PSA has risen slowly from 9 to 16.1 over the intervening 15 months and I am booked for transperineal biopsy under local anaesthetic on 21 May.

So I should finally get a result and hopefully get to the bottom of this, one way or the other, and then I will know where I stand.

Not very exciting, a saga that started back in Nov 2017 with recurrent UTI's, but useful to someone hopefully

Cheers, Don

User

Posted 11 Jun 2020 at 11:09

Hi everyone,

I thought I would update the results of my recent biopsy. I have received a report from my surgeon who took the results to the MDT and they have concluded that there there is no sign of cancer and currently class results as benign prostate hyperplasia. I'll take that for the moment, I'm very pleased.

However, the recommendation is for for continued PSA testing with my next one in 4 months, the last one was 16.3 and my question is what happens if it continues to creep up?

Thanks to everyone on here for your wonderful and continued support of everyone going through this.

Don

User

Posted 07 May 2021 at 22:35

June 2020 was my last post on this saga...I've had quite an eventful year as I'm sure have many of you also. Please read my Latest News for detail since June 2020. In summary:-

My PSA continued creeping up to 18.9 (7.4 in early 2018)

I was referred for Template Biopsies in Nov '20, deferred until March 2021 because I needed a pacemaker.

Finally had the results 2 days ago (5/5/21). My surgeon reported that a small amount of cancer has been found in 6 out of the 69 samples taken, 5 of which were Gleason 3 + 3, but one, unfortunately, was Gleason 4 + 4 which means they have to recommend treating it and I am being recommended either radiation or robotic prostatectomy. I expressed a preference for the latter but asked for a consultation with an oncologist before making my final decision. A bone scan has been ordered to check for leakage.

Although I haven't dismissed it entirely, I seem to have more issues with the idea of Radiation treatment:-

- First, you don't actually get rid of the very organ that is generating the cancer cells

- You seem to have to wait a long time before you get a result, i.e. significant reduction in PSA score

- If it doesn't work you can't have surgery

- There seems to be a lot of similar side effects to surgery, but with the added risks of radiation burn injury to organs, to various degrees, possibly long term

- Apparently, hormone therapy may also be needed with attendant side effects to add to the list.

I am very interested to hear other's experience/views of the Radiation option

Thanks for any help.

User

Posted 08 May 2021 at 01:19

You can make a case for and against surgery and radiation and where both options are offered men may settle for one over the other for various reasons. If you have not yet done so I suggest you download or obtain a hard copy of the 'Toolkit ', which provides information on these treatments and provides other useful info. https://shop.prostatecanceruk.org//our-publications/all-publications/tool-kit?_ga=2.206109653.795867346.1564408880-1013787081.1564408880&limit=100

In your position, I would try to ascertain how well the cancer is contained. If it is thought likely that the surgery might not remove all the cancer, you might need radiotherapy additionally, in which case you might think it better to opt for RT in the first place. You could also ask your oncologist how long he would want you to be on HT after RT if you decided on that option.

Edited by member 08 May 2021 at 01:19 | Reason: to highlight link

Barry

User

Posted 08 May 2021 at 08:05

I went down the HT/RT route (strongly recommended in my case) and found it all very tolerable. The side-effects were at the level of minor inconveniences, and two years later I'm leading an entirely normal life with no long-term side-effects. As I said, for me RT was the recommended treatment, but had I been free to choose, it's the treatment I would have opted for anyway. The one side-effect of surgery which didn't appeal to me at all was incontinence.

Best wishes,

Chris

User

Posted 08 May 2021 at 10:50

Hi. I don't know how I missed your original post back in 2018 but if I had I would probably suggested reading my bio, as our two stories are so very similar.

PSA rising with associated UTIs and antibiotics bringing the PSA down but always a very slight upward trend and biopsies coming back clear.

Then the day arrives when the BPH has to be dealt with more aggressively, other than medication and hey presto they find the little buggers hiding in the tissue removed during the HoLEP procedure in 2015.

When the Gleeson 6 tumour kicked off we'll never now but I suspect sometime around 2005/6 when the the PSA started to rise but the UTIs did a good job of throwing us of the scent.

Active surveillance since 2015, a very stable low PSA since then and hope it remains so until I snuff it from something else.

Good luck with whichever treatment path you choose.

Roger

User

Posted 08 May 2021 at 11:47

Hi Barry,

No, I hadn't got around to downloading or ordering that toolkit, so that's very useful and I will plough my way through it...

I must admit I was so surprised by the diagnosis that I didn't think of all the questions and certainly rather jumped at surgery vs. RT/HT. One of the questions would be, as you say, how close to the wall of the prostate are the cells that they found.

Another question which was raised by me was about nerve sparing as a counter to erectile dysfunction, and whether it was possible, without knowing whether that's a good idea or not. He said it may be possible to spare them on one side. What do people think about nerve sparing?

Funny how in all the excitement you forget some important questions, but thanks for your tips, I will certainly be asking the oncologist for his take on it.

Don

Edited by member 08 May 2021 at 12:52 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 08 May 2021 at 12:21

Hi Chris,

Nice to hear your positive journey on RT/HT. I am tempted and have certainly not ruled it out. I only spent 10 minutes with the surgeon and he didn't exactly recommend either of the paths, just said they were considered equal in terms of dealing with the cancer.

I do need to hear the oncologist's point of view, in 1 to 2 weeks time, and take more advice on both options. Currently, I have surgery booked, as a default path for 4 to 6 weeks time.

The 1 biopsy sample with the Gleason 4+4 is a bit scary after 3 years of negative DRE, MRI'S and biopsy all being reported as no cancer.

Don

Edited by member 08 May 2021 at 12:50 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 08 May 2021 at 12:48

Thanks Roger

well what an interesting story you had, a very long one and only very recently in relative terms had, as you say, the little 'boogers' cropped up.

My journey has only been three years so far, so bit of a novice on this Prostate treadmill! However, I have been labouring under the hope that it wouldn't get to the stage it did last week! Ho-hum, nevermind, I'm sure I'm in good hands.

Thanks for the well wishes and I enjoyed hearing about our similar experiences

Don

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