Re: Help! Dr.pressuring me to have biopsy

From: MisterSkippy (MisterSkippy_no_spam__at_optonline.net)
Date: 08/03/04 

Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2004 23:36:04 GMT

On Thu, 29 Jul 2004 16:29:21 GMT, MisterSkippy
<MisterSkippy_no_spam_@optonline.net> wrote:

>On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 20:06:36 GMT, MisterSkippy
><MisterSkippy_no_spam_@optonline.net> wrote:
>
>>On 28 Jul 2004 11:53:01 -0700, tenzzi@ragingbull.com (tenzzi) wrote:
>>
>>>MisterSkippy <MisterSkippy_no_spam_@optonline.net> wrote in message news:<9uldg017lg5vhsn96v50js1t3q7e827vmt@4ax.com>...
>>>> On 26 Jul 2004 13:27:48 -0700, tenzzi@ragingbull.com (tenzzi) wrote:
>>>>
>>>> >.I guess that I'm new to the
>>>> >protstatitis game and don't know what to do....can anyone please
>>>> >councel me on the wisdom of having a biopsy done ? I'm afriad that
>>>> >this intrusive test might make things worse, AND even IF I had cancer
>>>> >I would almost certianly not opt for surgery,chemo, nor
>>>> >radiation....so I wonder what the point would be...thanks greatly to
>>>> >anyone who could shed some light on this predicament...tenzzi PS..my
>>>> >psa was 2 3yrs ago, 5.1 6 months ago, 6.2 3months ago, and 7.0 2
>>>> >weeks ago.....I have all the symptoms of prostatitis,( and my regular
>>>> >Dr agrees, but says he does not know what to do about it).....the
>>>> >urologist does not even seem to want to discuss prostatitis.....all he
>>>> >can seem to think about is Cancer...and tell me that the option to
>>>> >treatment is death....he seemed disgusted with me today when I would
>>>> >not agree to a biopsy right away.... also what it is worth he
>>>> >insisted the same thing when I kept telling Drs that I had a hernia 3
>>>> >yrs ago......turned out I was right, but he had pressured me then to
>>>> >have a biopsy......he says my prostate is about the size of a lemon
>>>> >and one side of my prostate is Boggy and the otherside is hard as a
>>>> >rock....he said the hardness would NOT be prostatitis
>>>> > would anyone be kind enough to share some thoughts on this with
>>>> >me, I sure would appreciate it ...as going against the Drs alone is
>>>> >tough.....thanks..10-Z
>>>>
>>>> I think your uro is being straight with you. If you do have PCa and
>>>> have any intention of doing anything about it you need to get moving,
>>>> at least with a biopsy. Your PSA went up too far too fast to be
>>>> ignored. The fact that your prostate is not smooth and symmetrical is
>>>> also a cause for some concern.
>>>> My PSA was always under 1.9 but rose to 4.2 in January, down to 1.4
>>>> upon retest in March. and up to 4.3 last week. I'm getting the biopsy
>>>> Thursday based upon my uro's advice. My PSA jump is probably due to a
>>>> couple of bitching bouts of prostatitis recently but why take the
>>>> chance. The biopsy isn't that bad I am told. My brother has had a
>>>> couple of them for the same reason. He survived them and he's a ***.
>>>> You'll do as you see fit, of course, but I see no reason to tempt fate
>>>> about a condition which is more or less curable if attended to in a
>>>> timely manner.
>>>> FWIW
>>>> YMMV
>>>> DFB
>>>
>>>,
>>>I was hoping to hear from someone who would say "Nah,
>>>sounds MUCH more like prostatitis than cancer....just
>>>take some herbs and see what happens...!
>>> My age is 57.....but you mention the psa
>>>rise..doesn't prostatitis cause psa to rise sharply ..?
>>> Can't prostatitis cause a hard prostate or is it only
>>>a "boggy" prostate that is caused by prostatitis..?
>>>all my symptoms including the psa rise began all at
>>>once when I got a really hideous cold....these symptoms
>>>began just as the cold was clearing up......testicle
>>>pain, burning on urination and ejac, frequency, general
>>>pain and discomfort below the belt, *** hurting, ED,
>>>very low sperm volume........most of the pain went
>>>right away when I began taking antibotic, but the most
>>>of the other things persist including and intolerable
>>>backache....anyone have any thoughts..? does the fact
>>>that the symptoms came on with a cold AND responded
>>>quickly to ABX give me sufficent reason to
>>>realistically hope that this is NOT cancer,, but infact
>>>an infection in the prostate..............???
>>> Hate to sound so "needy", but the Drs, son't seem to
>>>be willing to devote a great deal of time to talking to
>>>me about this...any thoughts would be appreciated...10-Z
>>
>>Sorry that I can't agree with you and tell you what you would wish to
>>hear. It's true that prostatitis can cause a PSA rise but you had a
>>rather substantial rise over a short time period. Anything over 2
>>points in a year is a warning bell.
>>You mentioned that you have no intention of seeking any treatment
>>should it turn out that you have PCa. That is your right. I am of the
>>opinion that it is best to have all the facts before making such a
>>decision, otherwise one is just whistling in the dark.
>>I'm a year older than you and over the years many things have tried to
>>take my life such as accidents, a mugger, and the NVA. They didn't
>>succeed and tomorrow I get a biopsy to make sure PCa doesn't do the
>>job if I can help it.
>>It is possible to have both prostatitis and PCa. They are not
>>incompatible conditions. The fact that the ABX helped the prostatitis
>>symptoms is typical. Also typical is a recurrence of symptoms after
>>stopping the ABX. I don't think you can infer from the success of the
>>ABX that your DRE result and PSA numbers are due to prostatitis.
>>Hopefully they are, but the downside to guessing wrong is too
>>significant to test.
>>Your doctors spent as much time with you regarding the prostatitis as
>>they had advice to give. Doctors don't seem to like to admit they are
>>stymied and with prostatitis they are. Nobody has a real handle on
>>the cause or cure. For most of us it seems to come and go then come
>>back again, ABX or not. I've been following this group for years and I
>>don't think there are any reports of "cures" that can be duplicated.
>>I've tried them all.
>>In your place, which I am, I'd heed your uro's advice. At least then
>>you will know where you stand.
>>PCa is serious disease but not a death sentence. Check out
>>sci.med.prostate.cancer in the newsgroups. You can find a lot of
>>resources there to educate yourself further.
>>I'm not a doctor. I'm a decorating contractor with a sore prostate who
>>intends to find out if he has another problem and deal with it as
>>necessary.
>>FWIW
>>YMMV
>>DFB
>>
>>For email remove "_no_spam_"
>
>I'm going to follow-up on my previous post. I just came back from the
>biopsy and, while certainly less fun than a day at the beach, it
>wasn't as bad as I anticipated. There was certainly some discomfort
>but nothing that I would classify as pain. FWIW, while the doc was
>back there messing around with the various tools of the trade I said
>to him, "Does this mean we're engaged?" I thought the ultrasound tech
>was going to wet his pants laughing.
>You really have nothing to fear about going for a biopsy. It just
>isn't that bad. I'll get final results Tuesday and will post them for
>you.
>FWIW
>YMMV
>DFB
>For email remove "_no_spam_"

Well, I'm going to follow up on my own post. No prostate cancer, per
se, but something called PIN, Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia,
which apparently may be a precursor to PCa. Uro wants me to take 400
units vitamin E and 250 mcg of selenium daily. Apparently there is
some possibility this may head off further developments. I checked
VitaminShoppe.com and they have this exact formulation in gel cap
form. What the hell. I don't suppose it can hurt. If it makes my
johnson fall of , I'll post back. If not, I'll post back in 6 months
after my next trip around the block.
Tenzzi, if you are seeing this, don't get thee to a nunnery, get thee
to thine uro!
FWIW
YMMV
DFB

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