BPH Options

[Koolau]

Prayers, blessings and good results for you marko! Thanks for sharing.

 

[marko]

Update: Had my "MRI Fusion Pereneal Biopsy" this morning. You go through the entire process of a regular surgery. Staff was awesome.

You go to sleep and wake up in recovery an hour later. The actual procedure takes about 15 or 20 minutes.

Home by noon and I slept in my chair for a few hours but feel fine except for a little soreness. Peeing blood but they say that's normal for a few days.

Now, wait #1: My last biopsy had me back in the hospital at 3am the next day with sepsis that almost killed me. This procedure is entirely different so the risk is minimal, but I know I'll be waking up every hour tonight to see how I feel.

Wait #2: Meet with my urologist next week to review the results. I should get them online first in a few days. Needless to say, I'm extremely nervous over this. I buried my very dear friend of 30 years two days ago who died of PC.

Will update when the time comes. Thanks to all for the well-wishes!

 

[finnski1]

Update: Had my "MRI Fusion Pereneal Biopsy" this morning. You go through the entire process of a regular surgery. Staff was awesome.

You go to sleep and wake up in recovery an hour later. The actual procedure takes about 15 or 20 minutes.

Home by noon and I slept in my chair for a few hours but feel fine except for a little soreness. Peeing blood but they say that's normal for a few days.

Now, wait #1: My last biopsy had me back in the hospital at 3am the next day with sepsis that almost killed me. This procedure is entirely different so the risk is minimal, but I know I'll be waking up every hour tonight to see how I feel.

Wait #2: Meet with my urologist next week to review the results. I should get them online first in a few days. Needless to say, I'm extremely nervous over this. I buried my very dear friend of 30 years two days ago who died of PC.

Will update when the time comes. Thanks to all for the well-wishes!

Here's to a good outcome. Hope all goes well for you. Have mild BPH myself. Diagnosed this year.

 

[Tetto]

Best of luck to you, sending positive waves your way.

 

[Healthy Lifestyle]

I wish you all the best results, and understand the uncertainty as I am similar.
Think positive thoughts for the best outcome. Please keep us posted.

 

[harley]

Best of luck to you, Marko. I had my MRI last month, and am going in for the targeted biopsy next Monday. Not looking forward to any of this, although I understand that even if it's cancer it's pretty treatable. My PSA was 5.3, which doesn't seem that bad to me, but the doctors are very aggressive with figuring out if it's a problem or not. The worst (or maybe not the worst) thing is that if it's cancer I will be put on hold for the kidney transplant list. You've got to be cancer free for a year before they'll do the transplant. I won't lose my place in line, but might miss a couple of transplant opportunities in the meantime. I'm really hoping for a transplant. I dream of drinking large glasses of ice cold water.

 

[Chuckanut]

I hope and pray you will be fine.

 

[Koolau]

Here is hoping all goes well for you. Blessings and aloha.

 

[Sunset]

Best wishes to a great recovery !

 

[marko]

Best of luck to you, Marko. I had my MRI last month, and am going in for the targeted biopsy next Monday. Not looking forward to any of this, although I understand that even if it's cancer it's pretty treatable. My PSA was 5.3, which doesn't seem that bad to me, but the doctors are very aggressive with figuring out if it's a problem or not. The worst (or maybe not the worst) thing is that if it's cancer I will be put on hold for the kidney transplant list. You've got to be cancer free for a year before they'll do the transplant. I won't lose my place in line, but might miss a couple of transplant opportunities in the meantime. I'm really hoping for a transplant. I dream of drinking large glasses of ice cold water.

My best to you as well! I have to keep reminding myself that 1) there's a 40% chance of it being benign, 2) there's a good chance that this is 100% curable (one way or another) and 3) the worst case could be 15 or 20 years away. There's big longevity in my family so at 72, I'm not interested in "...an 80% chance of survival of 5 years... " But I'm getting ahead of myself as usual.

What has me freaked out is that my friend died last week from PC but I need to remind myself that he'd had it for 15+ years.

 

[marko]

Best of luck to you, Marko. I had my MRI last month, and am going in for the targeted biopsy next Monday.

FWIW the procedure yesterday was a breeze. This morning it's like it never even happened. Some blood in your pee for about a week but that's it.

I did enjoy the remnants of the anesthesia as I had a really restful long nap when I got home.

 

[harley]

FWIW the procedure yesterday was a breeze. This morning it's like it never even happened. Some blood in your pee for about a week but that's it.

I did enjoy the remnants of the anesthesia as I had a really restful long nap when I got home.

Well, since I'm on dialysis and barely ever pee anymore, that's one side effect I won't have to deal with. Glad it went so easy for you.

 

[harley]

Had my targeted biopsy on Monday. It was different than what Marko went through, but still no big deal. I did get concerned when I saw the 8" needle for the lidocaine injection, but they assured me it was just needed to go up through the probe to reach the prostate. They did an ultrasound, combined it with the MRI pictures, and were able to then target the proper spot on the prostate. Then 14 snips and it was done. It will take a couple of weeks to get the results, but I can keep my fingers crossed for that long. We'll see.

 

[Purslane]

I think my DW might complain if sex lasts about a week

You should do the experiment first.

 

[marko]

Update: My biopsy came back with four cancerous nodes. 2@ 4+3 and 2@ 3+4s 7s on the Gleason.

Met with my urologist this afternoon. Next step is a Petscan and after that I meet with a team made up of a robotic surgeon, a radiologist and an oncologist who'll decided the best course of action.

Urologist believes that because of my partial prostate removal last year, surgery will likely not be an option due to scar tissue notably complicating things. Radiation seems like what's ahead. Personally I was hoping for surgery thinking I'd rather spend the next 20 years in diapers than the alternative.

He does believe that this is "entirely curable" and over 20 years he's never sugar coated for me. I'm also at Mass General Boston which is among the best hospitals on the planet.

So tomorrow's another day and we'll see where things go. Having a Cognac now. Hopeful if not thrilled.

Thought of the day: Even in the worst case, I'm not going to die tomorrow, or next year or in ten years. Still aiming for 95 like most of my family did.

 

[finnski1]

Update: My biopsy came back with four cancerous nodes. 2@ 4+3 and 2@ 3+4s 7s on the Gleason.

Met with my urologist this afternoon. Next step is a Petscan and after that I meet with a team made up of a robotic surgeon, a radiologist and an oncologist who'll decided the best course of action.

Urologist believes that because of my partial prostate removal last year, surgery will likely not be an option due to scar tissue notably complicating things. Radiation seems like what's ahead. Personally I was ready for surgery thinking I'd rather spend the next 20 years in diapers than the alternative.

He does believe that this is "entirely curable" and over 20 years he's never sugar coated for me. I'm also at Mass General Boston which is among the best hospitals on the planet.

So tomorrow's another day and we'll see where things go. Having a Cognac now. Hopeful if not thrilled.

Thought of the day: Even in the worst case, I'm not going to die tomorrow, or next year or in ten years. Still aiming for 95 like most of my family did.

Keep up the great attitude. I'm in NH and agree on Boston having some of the best hospitals in the world. Good luck to you.

 

[Car-Guy]

Update: My biopsy came back with four cancerous nodes. 2@ 4+3 and 2@ 3+4s 7s on the Gleason.

Met with my urologist this afternoon. Next step is a Petscan and after that I meet with a team made up of a robotic surgeon, a radiologist and an oncologist who'll decided the best course of action.

Urologist believes that because of my partial prostate removal last year, surgery will likely not be an option due to scar tissue notably complicating things. Radiation seems like what's ahead. Personally I was ready for surgery thinking I'd rather spend the next 20 years in diapers than the alternative.

He does believe that this is "entirely curable" and over 20 years he's never sugar coated for me. I'm also at Mass General Boston which is among the best hospitals on the planet.

So tomorrow's another day and we'll see where things go. Having a Cognac now. Hopeful if not thrilled.

Thought of the day: Even in the worst case, I'm not going to die tomorrow, or next year or in ten years. Still aiming for 95 like most of my family did.

You have probably already have plenty of resources on PC, but in case you haven't found this guy yet, you might find his utube videos interesting and informative. Just picked this one but he has 100's out there.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Update: My biopsy came back with four cancerous nodes. 2@ 4+3 and 2@ 3+4s 7s on the Gleason.

Met with my urologist this afternoon. Next step is a Petscan and after that I meet with a team made up of a robotic surgeon, a radiologist and an oncologist who'll decided the best course of action.

Urologist believes that because of my partial prostate removal last year, surgery will likely not be an option due to scar tissue notably complicating things. Radiation seems like what's ahead. Personally I was hoping for surgery thinking I'd rather spend the next 20 years in diapers than the alternative.

He does believe that this is "entirely curable" and over 20 years he's never sugar coated for me. I'm also at Mass General Boston which is among the best hospitals on the planet.

So tomorrow's another day and we'll see where things go. Having a Cognac now. Hopeful if not thrilled.

Thought of the day: Even in the worst case, I'm not going to die tomorrow, or next year or in ten years. Still aiming for 95 like most of my family did.

I like your outlook on this. Best of luck for a great outcome!

 

[Car-Guy]

I'm not a doctor but I've learned a lot about PC from a couple of guys I know that are dealing with it. I'm sure every case is somewhat unique but it seems your PSA is rising pretty fast and a 10 is starting to get up there. One of the guys I know with PC had a PSA of 22 when he was "diagnosed", the other was a 12. (IIRC) Best of luck.

Oh, and for what it's worth, both of these guys "opt'ed" for external beam radiation and hormone therapy treatment plans. Both have been declared to be cancer free for the past few years. Of course, YMMV

I have "sort of" lost track of one of my two friends with PC, but I talk to the other guy frequently. He told me just this week that he's still doing well and has recently stop taking the hormone treatments to see how well he does "off the stuff". The hope (as I understand it) is that after the radiation treatments and then several years of follow on hormone treatments, that it has killed off all the PC. He said they will continue to check his PSA every 3 to 4 months and if it stays low, they'll just continue to monitor and he'll be back to a normal life. (As he puts it).

 

[marko]

Made the appointment for the PETscan this morning. December 27th. (I passed on a Christmas Eve appointment)

Here’s my thinking: if I did nothing and had no treatment, I'd have an 80% survival rate of 10 years. IOW, I'd likely hit 82 doing nothing. But that's not my plan.

Doing something has a 90% chance of 100% cure, and dying from old age at 94+ like the rest of my family.

A bit of denial? Maybe a little, but right now it's keeping me sane and focused on today.

 

[harley]

Best of luck to you, Marko. I hope it all works out and you live to a new family record.

 

[Car-Guy]

Made the appointment for the PETscan this morning. December 27th. (I passed on a Christmas Eve appointment)

Here’s my thinking: if I did nothing and had no treatment, I'd have an 80% survival rate of 10 years. IOW, I'd likely hit 82 doing nothing. But that's not my plan.

Doing something has a 90% chance of 100% cure, and dying from old age at 94+ like the rest of my family.

A bit of denial? Maybe a little, but right now it's keeping me sane and focused on today.

Sort of makes sense to me, however,"I think" I'd want to factor in "quality of life" in those scenarios too. How bad (or good) would life be without treatments and how bad (or good) would it be with treatments. From my POV it's not all about quantity. YMMV

 

[marko]

Sort of makes sense to me, however,"I think" I'd want to factor in "quality of life" in those scenarios too. How bad (or good) would life be without treatments and how bad (or good) would it be with treatments. From my POV it's not all about quantity. YMMV

The main negative is incontinence. It doesn't look like I'm a candidate for surgery so with radiation, they say that incontinence is a temporary (6 months?).

I'll spend 6 months in a diaper if it buys me 10 years.

Won't know the plan until after the PETscan (making sure it hasn't spread) so surgery might still be on the table.

Doctors all tell me that I'm a "young" 72 so for me just being able to enjoy a sunrise or walk in the park is quality enough for me. If I were to pi$$ my pants from time to time, so be it. Mom lived alone and drove her own car until the day she died at 93.

 

[grasshopper]

Start working on your Kegel exercises. They real help dribbling.

 

[rodi]

DH has completed his 28 cycles of radiation and had no issues with incontinence. Kind of the opposite, he had to start taking flomax. He had an appointment yesterday and even his doctor was surprised there were no issues. That said, he did a lot of "preemptive" peeing and paid attention to where the restrooms were.

Good luck marko. You got this.