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

Dustyroad73 said...
It wasn't the first time my PCP suggested I see a Urologist. I am unsure of how many times she suggested I see a urologist. It's all on me. I was stubborn

Don't beat yourself up over it. My PCP recommended that I see a urologist when my PSA hit 4. I already had a uro whom I had been seeing for about a decade, and he told me that my PSA was "nothing to be concerned about". A year later my PSA had tripled and he did a biopsy, which he told me only that it was negative. Two years later my GP asked if I'd had an MRI prior to the biopsy, and when I mentioned that to my Uro, he said that that "requires special training". I changed uro's immediately, and soon learned that I had advanced prostate cancer.

Moral of the story: you are the ONLY one who has the responsibility to be genuinely concerned about your own health. Doctors may give you the runaround, but it's no skin off their nose. Learn as much as you can about ANYTHING that a doctor might mention to you. Doctors will answer direct questions honestly, but generally will not volunteer any information unless asked. In other words, you have to know what are the right questions to ask, without knowing anything about it in advance. Weird.

My urologist never once ever mentioned anything about cancer. The entire experience was quite traumatic, which is the reason I don't read prostate cancer forums much anymore. It just brings up bad memories. But this message board is a great source of information. If you do end up with a cancer diagnosis, you can seek answers here or search for other online sources, as needed depending on the severity of your condition. You have a tremendous advantage in that you are probably on Medicare, which typically approves procedures that commercial insurance companies would make you jump thru hoops for, causing inconvenience, delays, and worsening prognosis. Good luck to you, and welcome to the board!

Dusty, when is the biopsy?

I’m surprised that a urologist here wouldn’t get some imaging done, either a 3T MRI or rectal ultrasound (quality prostate clinics feel this can be 95% as good as the MRI at this point). All much less invasive than the biopsy, and IF there is something there to biopsy, they’ll just using the imaging to guide the robot.

Well, Dusty, you made it through. Now comes the week of waiting for the results to come back. Try not to stress out too much. Drink LOTS of water to keep the clots flushed out. That should pass in a day or two. Be prepared for nastiness when you ejaculate. It will start red, then gradually get brown/black over a few weeks.

Dusty, did they tell you what the results were?

So glad to hear this, but...I'm not surprised. Yours is actually a fairly common story around here. In fact, just a few weeks ago the same thing happened to another poster here.

The only thing I would say though is that you should stay on top of things regarding your prostate. Don't go overboard--you don't sound like the type to do that--but keep an eye on it. Congratulations!

Again, thanks and prayers go out all you brave. I know I will be checking back from time to time.

Sometimes a good scare is a blessing. Any cancer is easier to deal with when detected early. Stay vigilant, stay healthy.