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PSA 7.3 - referred to urologist

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User
Posted 25 Nov 2018 at 18:53
Hi Haig.

Perhaps I am one of the lucky ones as since my first test right up to my diagnosis I have had no feeling of fear and foreboding so I do not really know what you are going through.

One thing that that does not seem to have been suggested is to check if you have a support group in your area, if so it may be that they have a meeting between now and your appointment so you would be able to go along a talk face to face with like minded men.

Bob

User
Posted 25 Nov 2018 at 19:08

Luther, thanks and all you say is right. Maybe I'm being deluded in thinking I might have dealt with this better at 60, rather than 50 - but probably not. If I knew my son was settled (he's at uni and knows nothing of this) & my wife was okay and retired etc, then I think I'd be less of a wimp about it. Both rely on me though and that's because I try to do it all for them both. BPH, PSA, DRE and bloody Gleason - I hate all these new additions to my vocab and wish they would simply FO.

 

All the best, mate.

Haig

User
Posted 25 Nov 2018 at 19:13

Hi Bob,

This has become my support group. I don't want to see another soul about it. If I get out of this s..., then this forum will have helped more than any robotic, insensitive GP could ever have done. 

User
Posted 25 Nov 2018 at 19:23

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Hi Bob,

This has become my support group. I don't want to see another soul about it. If I get out of this s..., then this forum will have helped more than any robotic, insensitive GP could ever have done. 

 

Haig.

i am not talking about GP’s. All around this Country there are groups of trained cancer support where people like myself and you meet as a group and are able to either talk one to one or in a group, to gove you an example in Chely we have one called Maggie’s. Google it, I know you will anyway, just to see what support is available either that or contact McMillan. 

Do something because you really need support from professionals as well as all the good meaning people on this site.

 

Bob

User
Posted 25 Nov 2018 at 19:34

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Luther, thanks and all you say is right. Maybe I'm being deluded in thinking I might have dealt with this better at 60, rather than 50 - but probably not. If I knew my son was settled (he's at uni and knows nothing of this) & my wife was okay and retired etc, then I think I'd be less of a wimp about it. Both rely on me though and that's because I try to do it all for them both. BPH, PSA, DRE and bloody Gleason - I hate all these new additions to my vocab and wish they would simply FO.

 

All the best, mate.

Haig



No problem Haig,
if it's any consolation...whatever age you are  ie... 50 / 60 etc  it's no easier ...believe me!.. 

You're not being a wimp matey ... keep on talking...it's better to to do that than bottle it all up!

With any luck all those additions to your vocab will be a thing of the past in a week or so 

Good advice from Bobk by the way 

Best Wishes 
Luther 

User
Posted 25 Nov 2018 at 19:37

Thanks Luther - I probably sounded insensitive about the age thing - of course it isn't easier for any of you. Sorry.

User
Posted 25 Nov 2018 at 21:05

Goodnight all. Apologies I have been so brusque, morose and zoned about it all; I'll work hard on pretending to lighten-up. Time for some fake snoring.

 

User
Posted 26 Nov 2018 at 06:23

User
Posted 26 Nov 2018 at 06:41

Damn. We're on page 2 already. 

User
Posted 26 Nov 2018 at 09:03
Haig,

As I think I mentioned in an earlier post, unfortunately you are in for a lot of waiting. It'll take 1-2 weeks to find out the results of the MRI (imaging is done by a radiographer, who is basically a technician trained to operate the machine, and then the result is sent to a radiologist - a doctor - to be interpreted), and similarly around a 2-week wait for biopsy results.

You should still press for a biopsy even if the MRI comes back clear. My MRI was clear but the biopsy found cancer.

Unfortunately that's just the way it is.

Cheers,

Chris

User
Posted 26 Nov 2018 at 11:55

Thanks Chris. So this suggests that the MRI scan is fallible. I have already been advised (on here) to ask for a biopsy if the scan reveals nothing. Of course, being a coward, I'd like to cut my losses and run at that point (if it is clear), but as I have also been advised, I'd never truly know until the biopsy was done. I thought one of the reasons for the MRI was to target the area for biopsy more clearly. How would they know what part to focus on without the MRI info? 

The wait time though seems immense. I am basically looking to be going in on 4th December and with the Xmas period, and from what you suggest, I may not fully know until the New Year. 

Anyway, thanks for all the info - I am building a picture of it all in my head now. 

Haig

 

User
Posted 26 Nov 2018 at 12:12
If it comes to a scan, the other point to make is ideally it should be an ‘mp’ MRI at 3 Tesla resolution if available where you live. Or if not maybe you could travel to where there is one? I realise now after a year that the NHS doesn’t have thousands of these million-pound machines dotted round in every cottage hospital and unlimited resources.

But If I was given the all-clear on such a hi-definition scanner, I would be quite content to eschew any biopsy - both kinds are invasive and carry potential risks...and pain......😉, and just check my PSA levels on a regular basis.

Of course, be advised by what your medical professionals say, but I have found that if you approach them with a modicum of knowledge about your medical situation, and suggest a particular course of action, they are often happy to go with you rather than what is cheapest for their hospital budgets.

Let’s hope you have good news as a nice Christmas present.

Cheers, John.

User
Posted 26 Nov 2018 at 12:50

Thanks John,

I will be sure to ask what machine they have (I'm in Thames Valley - Royal Berks Hospital, Reading). In general, how long after an MRI (which revealed bad news) would they pull you in for a biopsy?

H

User
Posted 26 Nov 2018 at 13:23
I had my blood test PSA 10th September, MRI 25 September, Biopsy 19th October, Diagnosis 13th November and started treatment on 23rd September
User
Posted 26 Nov 2018 at 13:43

H,

Well, if potential cancer is suspected, you are on an accelerated route, hence your ‘two week’ appointment, which in the case of prostate cancer is probably an over-reaction as it’s usually very slow-growing over many years, unlike some of the buggers!

So everything will happen tout-de-suite. It seems now that no one seems to know what resolution my mpMRI scan was as Tommy the Tumour (R.I.P.) was large and would have shown up anyway. It’s in marginal cases where hi-def is important, like watching football or Formula 1 on Sky HD or 4K.

If there is a mass on the MRI - if you ever have one - you will be invited in shortly for a biopsy, and then around two weeks later called back for the results.

I think all you should do now is try and keep as calm as you can and wait until your December appointment. If you want to read a ‘good news’ story, read mine.

I just updated it today, a year after my raised PSA reading.

Cheers, John.

Edited by member 26 Nov 2018 at 13:45  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 26 Nov 2018 at 13:47

Thanks John,

I hadn't realised that "cancer was suspected" - I just thought that it could be BPH and the GP knew nothing for sure with what he had to go on. Damn.

User
Posted 26 Nov 2018 at 14:23
Calm down dear. ‘Cancer suspected’ as a possibility is not cancer confirmed, and I would refer you back to the penultimate paragraph of my last post above.

Cheers, John.

User
Posted 26 Nov 2018 at 15:16

I like that "calm down dear"...sounds like my wife speaking to me these last few days, except I'm not afforded the "dear" anymore. I read your latest John and well done for coming through it all & hopefully any lack of 'function' will return in due course...

User
Posted 26 Nov 2018 at 15:41

Haig,

As regards waiting time etc...i had mri 6th august, biopsy 15th and diagnosed 24th.  Did take four months of faffing around prior to that. I got quite insitent in the end and asked for a template biopsy, after trus was mentioned. Surprising how fast things moved when i was proactive.

Also,  if they offer you antibiotics without signs of infection, question their reasoning. Waisted 10 weeks taking pills in my case. Avoid ciprofloxacin...few cases of serious side effects - i can vouch for that.

Neil.

 

 

 

Edited by member 27 Nov 2018 at 01:17  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 26 Nov 2018 at 16:44
I had the multi-spectrum anti-biotic ciproflaxin for a week as a potential prophylactic in case of infection following my template biopsy, and fortunately I had no side-effects whatever.

As Neil says, anti-biotics are best avoided where possible. But having said that, I do keep a little stash of Cip and Amoxillin at home in case we need them, as it takes about three weeks to get a GP appointment here. Some are prescribed by the vet for our dogs, some I pick up over the counter on my world-wide travels.

We find the prescriptions interchangeable, as we are all mammals, so the species jump has no side effects whatever. Woof woof!

They say with partial nerve-sparing prostatectomy, it can take up to two years to recover from surgery, so I am looking forward to rampant sex around 2020, when I will be 65.😉

Cheers, John.

 
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