Concerend after Consultation

The nurse practicioner performed my biopsy in my uros office. I luckily had no problems. It was a little uncomfortable but suffered no side effects, with your rapid rise in psa I would not postpone the procedure. I told the nurse that she was about to go where no one had ever gone before so to keep that in mind

What ever you decide to do, I would hope that you have no side effects, at least after it is over and you receive the path report you will have an idea what the problem is.

JerryO

Welcome to HW. Glad you found us and decided to join our party.

What are you waiting for? Sounds like you are just putting off the inevitable. With the rise in your PSA, don't you want to know what is up?

None of us here like to have biopsies but at times like these, sometimes we must. I'll be 62 in 2 weeks so we have a lot in common. My mom's roots are from Scotland.

I have had 3 biopsies and the last one was done with a doctor and a female assistant. Biopsies are humilating no matter who is present. It bothered me for about 5 seconds that a woman was present.

As far as infections, I have never had any. What may be shocking is seeing some blood after the procedure and especially the weeks after in your semen.

Biopsies are uncomfortable but do not hurt very much. You hear a clicking sound like a toy cap gun every time the doctor takes a sample. The last biopsy I had was 12 core. The doctor was half way through and told me "that is number 6, 6 more to go", I told him yes I know, I am counting. You just lay there on your side waiting for the next click to go off.

Good luck
Bill

Welcome to our part of the world. Sorry you need to be here but it's a good place to be.

My biopsy was done by a Uro assisted by a nurse practitioner here in the states. From their conversation I got the impression my Uro was training her to do biopsies on her own. The hospital I go to has a number of procedures like this that are done by NPs or physician assistants (they get training and are certified for each procedure they are allowed to do). The only real concern I'd have is how much training and experience the nurse has with this procedure. Likely you'll be just fine.

It does sound like you should get a biopsy. Can't say what they'll find but rising PSA is always a bit worrisome.

I was given cipro just before the procedure and was given a three day supply. I was told the infection rate was about 5% but I suspect that that number was just Uro trying to encourage me to take the full course of cipro. Unfortunately that is just one of the risks of the procedure (they are working in one of the least clean parts of the body).

Are you being a girlie? Well, anytime someone suggests sticking sharp things up my backside I start to squeal a bit. I'd classify you as cautious and wishing to avoid unneeded procedures.

The biopsy procedure is annoying, embarrassing and undignified but you'll do just fine.

All the best,
Andrew

kevinoc,

Welcome to Healing Well. Sorry to hear you've got this hanging over your head during the holiday season. What a drag.

My urologist did my biopsy, which I think is common in the U.S. However, I don't see why a well-trained, experienced nurse couldn't handle it just fine. That wouldn't bother me.

Regarding infection, they normally give you an antibiotic, and you should ask about that. I only got a single dose of Cipro, and my doc said that studies showed the single dose was sufficient. I had no problems, and I expect you won't either.

By the way, a 1-3 percent infection rate only means that it happens in 1-3 cases out of 100, not 1-30 cases. Hope that eases your mind somewhat. Math gets tricky when you're under a lot of stress. It does for me, anyhow. I wouldn't stress too much about the infection rate. I suspect the rate is similar at most institutions for pretty much any kind of invasive procedure. In any case, the chance of infection is really small, and I'm sure they can handle it if it happens. The alternative is to gamble with prostate cancer. I say try to relax about it and just have the biopsy done.

Good luck with your test. There's another thread going on now on this subject that you might want to check out. I think you'll be fine, and I hope your results turn out to be negative. Please let us know how you make out.

Best,

Jonathan

Post Edited (Jazzman1) : 12/22/2012 5:35:08 PM (GMT-7)

Hi,

Naturally, there is some risk of infection with a prostate biopsy -- but the great majority of them go without a hitch, so you should be fine.

My concern, if it were me, would be having a nurse performing it. I would personally prefer someone who has an "M.D." behind their name -- like an experienced urologist. And, even with that, I would want to make sure they have done many hundreds of prior ones.

Good luck to you!
Chuck


7/11 PSA 6.41 (4.1 2009) DRE-BPH,no lumps PCa Dx 8/11 age 62 adenocarcinoma 3/20 cores,T2C Glea 3+3 DaVinci prostatectomy 11/1/11 Mayo Clinic, nerve sparing Dr. Matthew Tollefson-highly recommend! Pathology-tumor confined to prostate 5 lymph nodes, seminal vesicules, extraprostatic soft tissue negative 1x.6x.6 cm mass involving R post inferior, R post apex, L mid post prostate R post apex margin involved by tumor over .2 cm length
Catheter out 7 days, no incontinence
Post-op exams 2/13/12, 9/10/12, PSA <0.1