Might be wrong place or too soon, let me have it

Hello everyone! I'll just get right to the point, my family would laugh at me saying that. I am 73 with a history of maybe 15 years of known enlarged prostate issues and 10 years of uti's every 6 or 8 months or so. Very recently I had another uti, saw the dr, received antibiotic. Came back a week later and PSA was 17, a week after that it was 7. The md felt I should still see a Urologist so I did. He said I still have a uti and he did a dre and told me he felt a hard lump on my prostate. He wants me to have a prostate biopsy soon. So maybe jumping the gun somewhat, but, for sure I'll be looking for answers to questions I don't know enough to ask!

Dustyroad, welcome to the forum.
Generally speaking, PSA does not drop when its caused by cancer, its more often a slow and steady rise. On the other hand its possible that your PSA of 17 was caused in part by the UTI or Prostatitis, and in part by cancer.
Most Prostate biopsies do come back negative, but at the same time at your age, it would be pretty common to find that youve got some cancer lurking in your prostate. Then again, most prostate cancers are very slow growing and easily treatable.
So you can see there are two sides to this coin. Based on the PSA as well as your doctors findings on the exam, i agree with Cyclone, a biopsy should probably be done.

Please stick around and keep us posted.

No, not too soon. You have a lot going on that can be affecting your PSA, but if the uro felt something, well that's probably means the biopsy is in order. That doesn't necessarily mean you'll become a permanent member of our community, since that doesn't necessarily equate with PCa, just that it's worth checking out.

Hope we can be helpful to you!

Wow! Thank you all for your thoughts and so far unanimous. Well, I am glad I've got the biopsy on the schedule for in a week. So in a couple of weeks from today or so I might know the results. I am kind of overwhelmed with your kindness and welcome!

Dustyroad73 said...
... I am 73 with a history of maybe15 years of known enlarged prostate issues and 10 years of uti's every 6 or 8 months or so. Very recently I had another uti, saw the dr, received antibiotic. Came back a week later and PSA was 17, a week after that it was 7. The md felt I should still see a Urologist so I did...

Dustryroad, welcome to the Forum. The fascinating part of your history as I see it is that your doctor (or doctors?) is first suggesting that you first see a urologist now .

Djin

You can also be put to sleep for the unpleasant biopsy.

Another question came to mind last night, while I was trying to get back to sleep. What position is a person in for this biopsy? On my back? Side? Abdomen? They didn't tell me and I didn't think to ask at the time. I don't even know for sure what to hope for. And again thanks for all the advice.

DjinTonic said...

Dustyroad73 said...
... I am 73 with a history of maybe15 years of known enlarged prostate issues and 10 years of uti's every 6 or 8 months or so. Very recently I had another uti, saw the dr, received antibiotic. Came back a week later and PSA was 17, a week after that it was 7. The md felt I should still see a Urologist so I did...

Dustryroad, welcome to the Forum. The fascinating part of your history as I see it is that your doctor (or doctors?) is first suggesting that you first see a urologist now .

Djin

Well, here I go disillusioning someone that found something in my past fascinating but, here goes. It wasn't the first time my PCP suggested I see a Urologist. I am u.nsure of how many times she suggested I see a urologist. It's all on me. I was stubborn

Dustyroad - You should ask your urologist about getting a MRI prior to the biopsy given your long history and recent exam. It sometimes is an insurance issue but the urologist should see the merit in it to see if there is any suspect lesions to aim at during the biopsy.

Like PCa, everyone has a different biopsy experience. Mine was MRI targeted and the first two samples hurt like hell and the next 12 were virtually painless. I had blood in the semen for over a month but everything else was fine in a day or two (except the results). Good luck...

Thank you David. Every day is one step closer to April Fools Day (biopsy) and yes, every day I think of another thing to worry about. My sincere thanks to one and all for the posts on this thread. You guys have done a lot to help me calm down.

Dusty,

Welcome to the site and congratulations on being proactive. My biopsy was done with a general anesthetic and I didn't feel a thing. Prpopofol is your friend as far as I am concerned.

I got a kick out of the above Propofol posts. A dozen years ago or so I had a vehicle accident and was in ICU for a week. I was intubated an under constant and heavy sedation with propofol and morphine. I was under for the whole week and when they awaked me and took out the breathing tube I was crazy as a pet coon for about 3 more days. Finally the MD decided I would get better faster at home. I did sorta. I guess I'll gird my loins and do it the old fashioned way.

Hello Dusty:
I've skimmed the mostly-excellent advice you've already received here. So if I repeat something that someone else already said you can assume that I must have missed it.
I had four biopsies like the one you have scheduled and I have to admit I never learned to like them very much. What helped me was that there is a middle ground between being wide awake for the procedure and being unconscious. My urologist prescribed a tranquilizer (Valium, as I recall) that I took in the waiting room before the procedure. Other commenters have mentioned that taking the samples is uncomfortable but not terribly painful. That is true. But the biopsy needle is spring loaded and it makes a sound like a mouse trap going off and I found it quite annoying. I am, by nature, a fairly calm guy but I find that men in white coats probing around up my butt with noisy spring-loaded gizmos... makes me nervous. You might ask your uro if he offers light sedation to make the patient less anxious during the procedure. I found it helpful. One thing to consider: if you go with the light sedation you'll need someone to drive you home afterwards since you aren't supposed to drive until the drugs wear off.
One other thing I'll mention is that prostate cancer is almost always a slow-moving thing and, in the event the biopsy does find something, it's a mistake to make any decisions about treatment in a rush. Much of the damage that prostate cancer does in men's lives is cause by side effects from too-hurriedly-chosen treatments.
Good luck. Keep us posted. We'll be here.