Vintage men- I have met my prostate,
10-01-2013, 02:17 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Vintage men- I have met my prostate,
Oh Jeez, another health related topic. Yeah, it is, so if you don’t want to hear it (and I don’t blame you) click that BACK button and read something else.
First, a caveat. I am not a physician. You can get better information from one of them, or even from Google. The information herein is what I have heard, read or experienced. I am sharing this information in the hopes that it may help someone else here in Vintage who doesn’t know, or has purposely avoided, doing what they should be doing. I asked Dean and others here and was encouraged to start this tread, and as the former suggested it could even be cathartic for me. So far though, except for the bad luck of getting prostate cancer, I have nothing to complain about. Well I do some complaining below, so that isn’t quite true.
There are some aspects of this problem and treatment that are very personal and I don’t plan on sharing. I will try to answer PMs if anybody wants to ask me embarrassing questions, however I reserve the right to refer them elsewhere. Or make stuff up.
To begin this odyssey, my PSA blood test results started creeping up very slowly. That was about 10 years ago. Not all cancer will show by having an elevated PSA result, but I am a believer in the test, even if some medical agencies of our government are not. So have a PSA test guys. That’s number one.
In 2009 my PSA, which should be under 1.0 was nearing double digits. My GP doctor sent me to a local urologist, a very nice, competent man. In 2009, 2010 and 2011 I had biopsies on my prostate. A biopsy is done in the urologists office, and is very uncomfortable. An instrument is put in the rectum and, after a local anesthetic, a needle goes through the wall of the rectum and into the prostate. Then they snip pieces of tissue from different areas of the prostate for testing in a lab. You can Google “prostate biopsy” and read to your heart’s content. I will just say here that the moment he snipped the tissue, it hurt like a sonofabitch. The doc takes about a dozen samples. The next year, I took a pill before going to the urologists office for biopsy #2, I forget what it was, to calm my nerves. It still was torture.
Neither biopsy, so far, found anything unusual.
For biopsy number three, because the doc was tired of my screams of anguish and scaring his other patients, I went to the hospital as an outpatient and was rendered unconscious. That was the way to go. The result of this procedure was that a total of 36 samples had now been taken, and if they don’t find anything, they stop. They didn’t find cancer with me, but did find “suspicious cells” that could turn cancerous at some point. I was told now that I should just “watch and wait” and continue monitoring my PSA.
Chapter two to come shortly.
First, a caveat. I am not a physician. You can get better information from one of them, or even from Google. The information herein is what I have heard, read or experienced. I am sharing this information in the hopes that it may help someone else here in Vintage who doesn’t know, or has purposely avoided, doing what they should be doing. I asked Dean and others here and was encouraged to start this tread, and as the former suggested it could even be cathartic for me. So far though, except for the bad luck of getting prostate cancer, I have nothing to complain about. Well I do some complaining below, so that isn’t quite true.
There are some aspects of this problem and treatment that are very personal and I don’t plan on sharing. I will try to answer PMs if anybody wants to ask me embarrassing questions, however I reserve the right to refer them elsewhere. Or make stuff up.
To begin this odyssey, my PSA blood test results started creeping up very slowly. That was about 10 years ago. Not all cancer will show by having an elevated PSA result, but I am a believer in the test, even if some medical agencies of our government are not. So have a PSA test guys. That’s number one.
In 2009 my PSA, which should be under 1.0 was nearing double digits. My GP doctor sent me to a local urologist, a very nice, competent man. In 2009, 2010 and 2011 I had biopsies on my prostate. A biopsy is done in the urologists office, and is very uncomfortable. An instrument is put in the rectum and, after a local anesthetic, a needle goes through the wall of the rectum and into the prostate. Then they snip pieces of tissue from different areas of the prostate for testing in a lab. You can Google “prostate biopsy” and read to your heart’s content. I will just say here that the moment he snipped the tissue, it hurt like a sonofabitch. The doc takes about a dozen samples. The next year, I took a pill before going to the urologists office for biopsy #2, I forget what it was, to calm my nerves. It still was torture.
Neither biopsy, so far, found anything unusual.
For biopsy number three, because the doc was tired of my screams of anguish and scaring his other patients, I went to the hospital as an outpatient and was rendered unconscious. That was the way to go. The result of this procedure was that a total of 36 samples had now been taken, and if they don’t find anything, they stop. They didn’t find cancer with me, but did find “suspicious cells” that could turn cancerous at some point. I was told now that I should just “watch and wait” and continue monitoring my PSA.
Chapter two to come shortly.
10-01-2013, 03:13 PM
#2
Community Organizer
Damn, you've been around A LONG TIME.
#1 member S2000FANS
#1 member S2000FANS
10-01-2013, 06:48 PM
#3
I certainly agree with your approach on trip #3. I was conscious the first time I had surgery on my nasal polyps. ( other end, same concept)
I was about 30 seconds into the procedure when I made the decision it was the last time I would be conscious during it.
It didn't matter that the Doc had about 3 keys of coke up my nose, I was done with it.
There are just certain sounds one should never hear emanate from inside their own head.
Hang in there though, the prognosis for treating prostate cancer is good especially if you ';ve been closely monitoring it.
I was about 30 seconds into the procedure when I made the decision it was the last time I would be conscious during it.
It didn't matter that the Doc had about 3 keys of coke up my nose, I was done with it.
There are just certain sounds one should never hear emanate from inside their own head.
Hang in there though, the prognosis for treating prostate cancer is good especially if you ';ve been closely monitoring it.
10-02-2013, 01:02 AM
#4
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The overall consensus is that you'll die from old age (something that modern medicine can't cure) before you die from prostate cancer and that the cure for prostate cancer is MUCH worse than the condition.
10-02-2013, 02:43 AM
#7
Morris may expand upon this from his own experience, but cancer docs told my family member the life expectancy for the slow-growing version is 10 years or more. It cuts to five years for the aggressive version. It really is a individual decision as to what treatment to get (surgery, hormone therapy, radiation, chemo). He did get a second opinion about whether to do chemo and decided to do it, but fewer infusion sessions than his main doc initially recommended (2-3 instead of 4).
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10-02-2013, 04:23 AM
#8
I survived the biopsy routine about 5 years ago, with the result of one suspicious cell; tested as benign. Now I go back every 6-8 months for a PSA and a "bend over" exam to check for any abnormality in the prostate. The urologist is a younger guy in a large uro practice; he is very good and answers any questions that I have. No news is good news in my case.
Having 36 biopsies taken over 3 years in a row sounds a little strange to me. I might consider getting a "second opinion".
Having 36 biopsies taken over 3 years in a row sounds a little strange to me. I might consider getting a "second opinion".
10-02-2013, 04:29 AM
#9
Jerry - he didn't have 36 biopsies. 
Each time they do a biopsy, they take tissue from 12 areas of the prostate. Then see how many are suspicious. My ex has a low-level prostate cancer. They found non-aggressive cancer in only one area. So his is a wait-and-see case. My family member, on the other hand, had many hits with a combination of non and highly aggressive cells.
Each time they do a biopsy, they take tissue from 12 areas of the prostate. Then see how many are suspicious. My ex has a low-level prostate cancer. They found non-aggressive cancer in only one area. So his is a wait-and-see case. My family member, on the other hand, had many hits with a combination of non and highly aggressive cells.
10-02-2013, 04:30 AM
#10
Jerry, I believe they take 12 samples with each biopsy procedure 12 x 3= 36. 
Brother in law had his prostate removed due to cancer. As it happened further testing found his cancer to be very aggressive. He recovered very well.
Good luck, Morris/Dean. I'm sure you have considered all your options thoroughly. When it comes to cancer treatment, "one size fits all" does not apply.
Brother in law had his prostate removed due to cancer. As it happened further testing found his cancer to be very aggressive. He recovered very well.
Good luck, Morris/Dean. I'm sure you have considered all your options thoroughly. When it comes to cancer treatment, "one size fits all" does not apply.