case of the mysterious shrinking prostate

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User

Posted 27 Feb 2020 at 17:46

very much NOT the case,at least not in our experience- as far as cipro and 'culture sensitive' goes-in my partner's,and anybody else unfortunate enough to be exposed to 'one stop prostate clincis' for starters-routine dip stick (which is far from culture being grown in lab,just a 2 min procedure, a bit worthless,as it merely ,sort of,might show whether there is an infection)prior to being rushed into TRUS biopsy..minutes before he was handed a tablet,was unaware of what he was taking,the dirty deed done within less than 20 mins,and then given some more to take at home..and then prescribed another course once he developed a raging infection day after procedure..they are routinely used as 'prophylaxis' in this particular clinic and others too.. I have spoken to people who were given them for SUSPECTED,(not even confirmed) UTIs,ear infections,in eye drops-all without cultures being grown..am aware that in some places they do a rectal swab before biopsy,to establish whether cipro might be effective or not-but not many that I am aware of..

User

Posted 27 Feb 2020 at 18:43

Bear,

Unless you are studying for a degree in urology together with a specialty in proctology, might I suggest once again that you chill out and wait for professional opinions from your partner’s medics.

We all consulted Dr Google once we had a hint of a ‘Big C’ diagnosis, of course, but you seem to have advanced to a post-graduate level. It will do you or your partner no good and cause more anguish than necessary if you continue.

Best of luck as ever,

Cheers John.

User

Posted 27 Feb 2020 at 19:25

Bollinge -thanks for your input-though I am not entirely sure what your point is?As pointed out before,I was neither looking for definitive answers,nor asking for predictions regarding what might serve either myself or my partner's mental or emotional health :) and since the (singular,NHS and seemingly pretty overworked) medic does not appear to be showing very much interest,we will be asking for a referral for second opinion..(even if we could afford harley street,that's not on the table..)which does not stop me from either doing my own research,or talking to other people.Not sure about you or others=speaking for myself,I tend to find Dr.Google (even though less endowed with a god complex than other Drs I have met) somewhat lacking in unbiased comprehensive knowledge as well as personality and empathy,so on the whole prefer to not consult him ..Best of luck to you too- a little less speculation regarding personal stuff like education/qualifications/sources of information,and a few more facts,should you wish to share them,might be interesting!

User

Posted 28 Feb 2020 at 14:59

Bear, I am (so far) a survivor of PCa, and I only engage with folk on this forum to pay back something of what people have contributed here to help me.

It is unfortunate that you didn’t establish any rapport or receive any empathy with your consultant - get another one.

As to my ‘qualifications’, I have studied this disease (in the spirit of self preservation) intensely for over two years on a daily basis, and I can confidently boast that I know more about it than my own GPs and those of other men who I assist with hospital appointments - although I have never stuck my clitty finger up another man’s bum!

I was with a friend aged 87 with metastatic PCa on Tuesday at the oncology department, and the consultant briefly advocated a biopsy. When I asked him what kind of biopsy they use currently at that hospital, he didn’t know!!!

So it will all pan out in the end, and remember, our Matron (Lyn) is the fount of all knowledge on this subject.

Best of luck for the future.

Cheers, John.

Edited by member 28 Feb 2020 at 15:40 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 28 Feb 2020 at 22:46

thanks again for your input-I was referring to you speculating about MY qualifications :) but thank you for sharing yours,I appreciate it..my partner (along with countless other people,quite a few more than likely not even aware of the presence of PC-sometimes this may be a good thing..) is also one of the people living with PC-though I doubt he would call himself a survivor..we simply don't know for sure what it is he is living with,what sort of treatment (if any,he has had none so far bar monitoring-with ambiguous results,it seems to us) he might consider/look into-so I guess we are /have been pretty lucky compared to others..I too have been studying and looking into it in detail for the last three years,a lot of it in the spirit of inquisitiveness,as well as wanting nobody else to experience what we went through as far as diagnosis and subsequent treatment by health professionals goes..

User

Posted 28 Feb 2020 at 23:17

I wrote quite a detailed account with examples of differences experienced in my case between consultants at major hospitals in their diagnostic findings and willingness to treat. This almost finished post suddenly disappeared for some annoying reason. I wanted to show how difficult it could be for clinicians to sometimes assess and treat patients appropriately as individual cases with the far from perfect tools at their disposal and that colleagues within the same hospital could take different views on this and from those at other hospitals too. It should not come as a surprise therefore why we can sometimes find it difficult to answer questions raised and it is best left for doctors to try to explain or justify their differing opinions.

I will only briefly add my most recent example. Just over a year ago I had an appointment with the widely regarded top focal specialist in the UK. He said they definitely would not administer further treatment to my Prostate as it had already been subjected to two radical forms of treatment and as PSA increased I would be offered HT, something I wanted to avoid if possible. More recently, I asked whether I would be a suitable candidate for another treatment where the lady who previously gave me HIFU was the Chief Investigator.

She did give me a call saying I was not eligible due to my previous treatment but much to my surprise said she would administer further HIFU if the cancer had not spread to the seminal vesicles albeit with increased risk of an anal fistula. An MRI has been arranged for next week.

Barry

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