PSA COUNT OF 7.84 (73 Years OLD)

Hi, I'm really sorry your husband and you have been dragged into this situation which we all know is very stressful for everyone touched by it.

I can fully understand his reaction but the advice I was given here and the advice I would give you myself is to take things one test at a time. Thinking the worst of his symptoms at this stage is a big mistake, it wastes energy that he needs to navigate the series of tests and results that are coming towards you both. 

I know this might not be a popular view but to be frank it's not all about the man either, as his wife you will be under a great deal of pressure to support him emotionally and physically as he attends his MRI scan and awaits the result. True it's the man who is facing the possibility of serious illness,  but you face it together and I realised very early in my prostate journey that my wife needed me to be realistic about what was happening to me; thinking the worst would not help either of us.

As regards the MRI scan it's relatively easy, unless of course you hate confined spaces. It's a half hour or so laid on a warm bed, but inside a metal tube with a lot of noise going on, let your mind accept that and you're in control.

Results wise it will vary wildly based on the NHS trust that is dealing with him. After my MRI I got a phone call saying they wanted me in for a biopsy,  the nurse had no idea why, just that they must think there was something that needed looking at. Some guys on here got a letter but most seem to have got a lot more information than I did at this stage. I can't tell you if that's good or bad, on the one hand it set me thinking there must be something wrong to need a biopsy but on the other it didn't give me tons of numbers and terms that I didn't understand and could misinterpret. I guess it depends on the person which option would cause you the least worry.

The length of time between scan and result shouldn't be long, but it still feels like forever. Maybe there will be nothing to report, other than enlargement of the prostate.  But it's possible that they will require a biopsy if there are any abnormalities and you will go onto the next waiting, testing, waiting phase. 

If that happens then let us know and we will guide you through that part too.

For now try to reassure your husband that his back ache is just that, a back ache. I bet he had a sore back before the PSA test, but now he feels it has to be because he has cancer. Your mind does that to you, its perfectly normal, but not in his best interests. His prostate might feel a bit enlarged to his GP,  but every man's prostate gets bigger with age. His PSA is slightly raised (bear in mind it can go into the thousands so his is pretty tiny).

My journey has paused after my MRI identified two lesions, one on either side. The following biopsy said neither area had any signs of cancer. So I am very relieved, but still  need regular PSA tests to monitor things. 

I truly hope that the MRI scan is clear and just reveals a normal prostate.  If a biopsy is needed then you just move on to the next rung on the ladder. 

Please keep inntouch with the forum and take care of your own health, especially mentally. My wife is an ex nurse and was brilliant through my journey, but she admitted she was scared of the possible outcomes if things went wrong.  She even worried about who would do all the cooking and housework if I was ill. I'm a stay at home house husband lol. 

Good luck and let us know how the MRI goes.

Mick xx

Hi  Chris. 

That's is a transperineal biopsy, the ultrasound bit is what they use to guide in the biopsy needle to the right part of the prostate to take each sample.

I didn't have that so I can't really say how it feels, I'm sure someone will be along to let you know.

All it means is that the MRI has shown up something that they would like to look at closer. I thought an MRI scan would show everything,  but it needs interpreting and isn't as detailed as I thought it would be.

As others have said a biopsy is the gold standard way they use to detect IF there are any cancer cells present. It is a big IF and there is still every possibility that there is no cancer and it's just a lesion or something. That's what it turned out to be for me. 

I can't stop him worrying, by the sound of he he's already thought himself into the worst case scenario.  All you can do is hang on in there until the biopsy is done and the results are back. The waiting only gets worse I'm afraid, if that's your husbands character then unfortunately there's not a lot anyone can do to make him feel better. 

Is he reading these posts? I'm sure he would at least understand things better if he was. Information is his best ally at this stage and might calm his nerves.

I was very calm and rational about what was happening to me, and it still upset my wife because I wanted to talk about the possible outcomes of me having cancer. She was scared of even thinking about such a possibility and wanted to wait until there was something definite to worry about. As a nurse she was probably right, "yes there's a knife handle sticking out of your shirt, but we don't know how big the blade is or even if it has gone in, so let's do an xray and see what that shows shall we...."

Just try to be patient and be there for him, I know it's hard but it's all you can do. Can he speak to his GP,  they may be able to allay some fears and may prescribe something to calm him. 

Mick. Xx

Chris.  If I remember right a PIRADS score of three would not have triggered a biopsy at my NHS trust. So your husband is having his checked out with a biopsy that I wouldn't have been offered. 

That's better than not getting it checked and hopefully confirmed that it's not cancer, like mine was.

The numbers are a real pain. Some things are decimal points either way to trigger one thing, some can be literally in the thousands and some things seem to have very small range between "it's fine don't worry" and "holy crap you'd better get here quick"

Its just the way it is Im afraid, until someone comes up with a unified system that is easier to understand. 

Mick x