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Strange and alarming symptoms

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User
Posted 29 Nov 2020 at 11:10

Hello - my first post here, but I hope to document my journey if relevant to do so.

I am 49 years old and a few days ago a junior doctor performed a DRE on me and found what she referred to as a "step" or "stepped area" on my prostate. Odd phrase to use - perhaps she just wanted to avoid more emotive words like 'lump'?

I am awaiting results of a PSA blood test, but what I really wanted to talk about are my odd symptoms, which I find really uncomfortable and alarming. Also, they sound pretty un-typical because there's little or no urinary symptoms at present.

The main thing is a dull ache in my rectum, a feeling of uncomfortable 'fullness' beneath the tailbone, especially at night. When it first started a few weeks ago I put it down to IBS which I am prone to. It's especially bad if I'm lying down trying to sleep. While up on my feet I can't really feel it.

I also get perineal pain, mild discomfort in the bladder, urethra and tip of penis, and some pain in or just behind the left testicle. I don't get all these symptoms at once; they're intermittent. In fact, they almost seem to rotate, perhaps depending on what position I'm in.

My weeing is pretty much as normal, not more frequent and no burning, plus no blood evident. I haven't had an erection for days though, although I guess that's not surprising when you feel so uncomfortable 'down there'. Not even morning erections though!

Obviously I am now filled with anxiety every single waking moment, and obsessed with prostate cancer. I'm clinging on to the hope that it might be prostatitis, but the findings of the DRE, and that "step" on the prostate, might seem to rule that out. :(

Any thoughts are very welcome. Thank you for reading.

 

User
Posted 29 Nov 2020 at 17:52

Prostate cancer doesn't normally generate any of the pains you describe. They are much more typical of prostatitis. Your brain won't sense pain in the prostate, and prostate pain is instead referred to other areas nearby, such as tip of penis and testicles. If there's infection there, neighboring areas may also get inflamed such as rectum and perineum.

We do have a urologist who specialises in prostatitis at The FOPS support group on Wednesday. I will update The FOPS thread for this event in a moment.

User
Posted 29 Nov 2020 at 18:06

You have a known problem with IBS so this could be at least part of your problem. Unless PSA is very high, PSA is not in itself a certain indicator and in a minority of cases men can have Cancer with a low PSA. Also, there are things other than cancer that can give rise to to produce higher PSA figures. Did you provide a sample so a culture can be done to check whether you have a urinary infection? Prostatitis is another possibility. Where you go from here may depend on what the junior doctor felt and the result of any tests. You may be offered an MRI and or a biopsy and then an MRI. Unfortunately, there is a wait for results of tests and scans and where these are done, for a Multi Disciplinary Team to consider before you to receive a diagnosis.

Of course it's always a very worrying time for the patient. Should it be found that you have PCa, it will largely depend on how advanced this is as to treatment offered. Meanwhile, easier said than done but try not to worry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by member 29 Nov 2020 at 18:10  | Reason: Not specified

Barry
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User
Posted 29 Nov 2020 at 17:52

Prostate cancer doesn't normally generate any of the pains you describe. They are much more typical of prostatitis. Your brain won't sense pain in the prostate, and prostate pain is instead referred to other areas nearby, such as tip of penis and testicles. If there's infection there, neighboring areas may also get inflamed such as rectum and perineum.

We do have a urologist who specialises in prostatitis at The FOPS support group on Wednesday. I will update The FOPS thread for this event in a moment.

User
Posted 29 Nov 2020 at 18:06

You have a known problem with IBS so this could be at least part of your problem. Unless PSA is very high, PSA is not in itself a certain indicator and in a minority of cases men can have Cancer with a low PSA. Also, there are things other than cancer that can give rise to to produce higher PSA figures. Did you provide a sample so a culture can be done to check whether you have a urinary infection? Prostatitis is another possibility. Where you go from here may depend on what the junior doctor felt and the result of any tests. You may be offered an MRI and or a biopsy and then an MRI. Unfortunately, there is a wait for results of tests and scans and where these are done, for a Multi Disciplinary Team to consider before you to receive a diagnosis.

Of course it's always a very worrying time for the patient. Should it be found that you have PCa, it will largely depend on how advanced this is as to treatment offered. Meanwhile, easier said than done but try not to worry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by member 29 Nov 2020 at 18:10  | Reason: Not specified

Barry
User
Posted 30 Nov 2020 at 08:44

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Prostate cancer doesn't normally generate any of the pains you describe. They are much more typical of prostatitis. Your brain won't sense pain in the prostate, and prostate pain is instead referred to other areas nearby, such as tip of penis and testicles. If there's infection there, neighboring areas may also get inflamed such as rectum and perineum.

We do have a urologist who specialises in prostatitis at The FOPS support group on Wednesday. I will update The FOPS thread for this event in a moment.

 

Thanks Andy - it's extremely good of you to reply and I am grateful for your words. I have also read your profile with great interest.

 

I'm certainly interested in the FOPS Zoom meeting on Wednesday - thanks for bringing it to my attention. I have the Zoom app on my iPad but have never actually used it, so this will be a first.

 

If it wasn't for the abnormal DRE findings and the fact that the junior doctor has me on an urgent referral to urology, then prostatitis would be what I'd be thinking. However, given the former I'm in a world of worry as you can imagine. I'm not sure how reliable DRE examinations are, but she claimed to have felt something abnormal. I had a DRE last year which was fine.

User
Posted 30 Nov 2020 at 08:50

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

You have a known problem with IBS so this could be at least part of your problem. Unless PSA is very high, PSA is not in itself a certain indicator and in a minority of cases men can have Cancer with a low PSA. Also, there are things other than cancer that can give rise to to produce higher PSA figures. Did you provide a sample so a culture can be done to check whether you have a urinary infection? Prostatitis is another possibility. Where you go from here may depend on what the junior doctor felt and the result of any tests. You may be offered an MRI and or a biopsy and then an MRI. Unfortunately, there is a wait for results of tests and scans and where these are done, for a Multi Disciplinary Team to consider before you to receive a diagnosis.

Of course it's always a very worrying time for the patient. Should it be found that you have PCa, it will largely depend on how advanced this is as to treatment offered. Meanwhile, easier said than done but try not to worry.

 

Hi Barry - many thanks for taking the time to reply. I greatly appreciate it. As a single guy it's so hard to find anyone to talk to about this, and so far I've kept it a secret from my mum who is 77 and will worry herself to death about it. I will obviously tell her if the worst comes to the worst, but am keeping quiet for now.

 

To answer your questions - after the DRE the junior doctor put me on a two-week referral to urology, and a blood test. She didn't like what she felt and that's the main thing that's worrying me. I don't know how reliable DREs are. I had one in September 2019 which found nothing amiss. At my latest appointment, the doctor also carried out one of those urine infection dipstick tests and found nothing, although I understand they can be very unreliable.

Thanks again for your words.

User
Posted 30 Nov 2020 at 17:44

One other thing to add - my PSA test came back. It was 1.1.  

I know it's hit and miss, but that's pretty low right? I'm 49 years old.

 
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