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UPDATE -- Just had biopsy

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Posted 4/3/2018 6:16 PM (GMT -5)
Here's where it started:
https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&m=3515006

First of all, if it's been recommended that you get a biopsy and you're scared sh!tless like I was:
DON'T FRET IT -- It was a breeze. Yeah, it's uncomfortable to have a broomstick inserted in your butt, but beyond the little pinprick and slight burning while everything is being numbed, you feel nothing. NO PAIN. After the procedure there is the feeling of having some "pressure" in my rectum (similar to having hemorrhoids banded) and at the base of my penis.

I did take 15mg of Valium with a shot of good scotch before heading to the doc.
He offered no pain meds, but I took a couple of Oxycontin (left over from hernia surgery) when it was all done and went to our traditional 3pm Happy Hour for a few Dos Equis.

No results yet. (WHY DOES IT TAKE A WEEK OR MORE TO GET RESULTS???)

Doc said prostate was almost double normal size.
First of all, I am a BIG guy. 6'5 295 So does that make a difference? IDK.

Further, I don't know if that's any indication of anything other than an enlarged prostate.

Did have a small BM once home that was mostly mucus and blood (as I was warned about).
No visible blood in urine.

I guess my purpose of posting this is for newbies that are fretting over getting the biopsy procedure done. Just do it!

Further update in 7-10 days.
Fingers crossed.

Post Edited (IsItSerious) : 4/3/2018 5:19:18 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 4/3/2018 6:19 PM (GMT -5)
Glad to hear it was a breeze, IsIt. Fingers crossed for a good result.
Posted 4/3/2018 6:26 PM (GMT -5)
When the report will be ready is a big guess. You URO has to send the samples to the pathologist who likely has a ton of other samples to look at and write reports on. My URO said that could take two weeks.

He called me three days after the biopsy.

Glad the procedure went well.
Andrew
Posted 4/3/2018 7:30 PM (GMT -5)
Hey guys.............is the size of the prostate anything to worry about? Is it indicative of anything on it's own beyond the fact that I have an "enlarged" prostate?
Posted 4/3/2018 7:42 PM (GMT -5)
At this point prostate size isn't something to be concerned about. It might be contributing to your PSA level. If you don't have PC, there are meds than can reduce the size, you might need that, maybe, possibly.

If you do have PC, then maybe size might matter. Some treatment modes don't work as well on a larger prostate. Brachy might get ruled out for a large prostate, but then you can try the drugs to reduce it.

I don't think it's really any PC thing to worry about. You might need the enlargement treated at some point, but I doubt it will affect what the pathologist says.

Andrew
Posted 4/3/2018 10:23 PM (GMT -5)
My prostate at BX was 60 cc's...that is between 2 1/2 and 3 times "normal" The size doesn't have anything to do with PCa but as mentioned above IF you have PCa it might limit some of the TX options.

Roger
Posted 4/3/2018 10:35 PM (GMT -5)
IsIt--
My advice is to forget about the biopsy and stay off this forum until your result comes in. It's useless to try to read tea leaves and guess what the report will say, needlessly raises your stress level. Rummaging through old forum threads won't do any good, either. I bet you have plenty of other things in your life -- friends, family, work, hobbies -- that would just love it if you paid them attention.
Toodle-oo,
SP
Posted 4/4/2018 6:52 AM (GMT -5)
Good advise from Saipan. Nothing to worry about. Let’s see what the biopsy tells you, and go from there.
Posted 4/4/2018 7:18 AM (GMT -5)
To paraphrase what Saipan is saying. . . "There is nothing wrong until there is something wrong."

Life is precious. Live it as you always have until you can no longer do so.
Posted 4/11/2018 10:21 AM (GMT -5)
Woke up the morning after the biopsy with fever and chills. Called doc who said head directly to hospital and he would call ahead. Waited in ER lobby until I came down with uncontrollable rigors and had to be sedated, finally got antibiotics started, and ended up with a "central line" in my neck to administer massive fluids and meds to help elevate my critically low blood pressure (despite being on meds for HBP for over 10 years).

Had the scariest hallucinogenic "out of body" experience in my life from the Ketamine used to sedate me to install the central line. ICU 3 days, plus 3 more days to get blood pressure up to where I could be discharged for 6 weeks of home IV drugs 3x a day.

More than once, I was told: "You're lucky to be alive."

Biopsy results probably tomorrow.
Posted 4/11/2018 10:56 AM (GMT -5)
We tend to write here about small nuisances after biopsies as somewhat persistent blood in urine and semen but sometimes we forget to warn about the two important red flag signals: alarming amounts of blood in the first BMs or moderate fever in the first week require urgency attention. Glad you have overcome this dangerous crisis.
Posted 4/11/2018 11:03 AM (GMT -5)
Of 100 men who have prostate biopsies, 3 will be hospitalized for sepsis. 1 out of every 1400 will die.

I have had pain lasting up to six months. Some are easy, and others are not.
Posted 4/11/2018 11:03 AM (GMT -5)
Wow, that was scary. Hang in there and good luck tomorrow.
Posted 4/11/2018 11:15 AM (GMT -5)
Hey IsItSerious,

I had a similar experience with rigors and 102 fever the night after my biopsy. 4 years ago, I had an unrelated case of endocarditis and went home with 6 weeks of iv antibiotics. Unfortunately, a piece of vegetation dislodged to my leg and needed an emergency arterial thombectomy and 3 compartment faschiotomy. Then another 6 weeks of iv antibiotics. As a result, I have to pre-medicate for all procedures such as hernias, colonoscopies, etc. Anyway, for my biopsy last year, I was told to take a broad spectrum antibiotic "Augmentin" starting 3 days before my biopsy. I also took my standard 2000 mg of amoxicillin an hour prior and was given 7 days of Bactrim to take after the procedure. Needless to say, I had to stay in the hospital for 3 days for observation and was given iv antibiotics.

Just a note, I had blood cultures drawn when I arrived at the ER, and there was no infection detected over several days of monitoring the culture. My Urologist and ID doctor said it was probably just body stress. Not to be confused with emotional stress. Unfortunately, this can happen. Next time you have a biopsy, I guarantee your pre-med will be different. I'm not sure if you had to do a rectal swab 10 days prior to your biopsy but I'd insist on it. Given that, I have a followup biopsy next week. The plan is to give me some Ceftriaxone (Rocephin) antibiotic as my pre-med. As I wait for the rectal swab results, I'll admit I'm still concerned.
Good luck.
Posted 4/11/2018 11:28 AM (GMT -5)
That's truly scary.

Glad you made it through.

Andrew
Posted 4/11/2018 1:01 PM (GMT -5)

ASAdvocate said...
Of 100 men who have prostate biopsies, 3 will be hospitalized for sepsis. 1 out of every 1400 will die.

I have had pain lasting up to six months. Some are easy, and others are not.


I understand there's always risk but 1 out of 1400 is alot. sad
Posted 4/11/2018 2:15 PM (GMT -5)
Even though the risk of sepsis from biopsy is small it was a factor in my decision to seek early treatment for my low volume Gleason 6 diagnosis rather than joining the AS guys. My three total joint replacements places me in a special risk category regarding blood infection. I weighed the potential side effects risk of treatment using SBRT against the infection risk of having several more biopsies under AS and decided aggressive treatment was my best option. No regrets on that decision. I wish we had a safer diagnostic tool than biopsy or that the infection risk for that procedure could be better controlled. A brother just had an infection following a biopsy with two trips to the ER.
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