I am so sore. I drove an hour to Richmond to have it done because I could not find a doctor I clicked with in Charlottesville 20 minutes away. Arrived at around 9:30AM yesterday. Was in surgery for about 1/2 hour. Got home about 1PM. What a nightmare. The details are gory. It was a horrible thing to do in tandem because I think the double intrusion caused double the inflammation, which caused other issues. Things finally settled down so I could fall asleep at 3AM...slept until 8AM. Today has been pretty good...more residual soreness than pain. My doctor and I are both of the mind that the results of the prostate biopsy will be fine. They felt a lump, and a subsequent CT scan showed calcium deposits. I got real low PSA (0.35-0.50 range.) We did the biopsy anyway. I'll find out the results next Thursday. I'm glad to finally have that stone out. It had been worrying me. But if I need another procedure where a cystoscopy is required, I gotta pass. What a barbaric thing to do to another human being.
My prostate biopsy was hugely painful, as were gallbladder attacks, although the two weren't going on at the same time. Unfortunately, my biopsy found cancer although radiation treatment seems to have worked, as it's been about twelve years now, although it wasn't without complications. Rather than simply having a stone removed, I lost the whole gallbladder.
A friend's daughter just went through that. She's a Jr/Sr in college. I recall reading of your cancer experiences. I hope my biopsy is a nothing burger. Low PSA levels don't always mean anything, despite my GP telling me that the physical exam is no longer required. Thank goodness for diligent nurses. If I find cancer I'll be back for input before I have them do anything radical.
@John Brunner My friend Charlie, same age as me, had a high PSA, submitted to prostate biopsy. His description of it was through the anus, and the device sounded like a staple gun. He wound up getting the radioactive seeds implanted, yet another horrible story to describe. Your description confirms what I've said before: I'm too chicken to submit to butchery. Frank
You'll appreciate this... I am doing penance for all the times I gloated over having the "low maintenance model." Should kept my big mouth shut.
How well I know that feeling. I have been lucky all my life with good health that I took for granted, but I got old and now look.
I think the same thing. I've had friends with MS and with degenerative disc disease in their early 30s, for goodness sake. I'm not happy with what's going on right now, but I've sure been luckier than I deserve to be.
Amen, brother. One of my best friends has Parkinsons and the other suffered a horrific battle with colon cancer (colostomy and the whole nightmare); she was pronounced cancer-free and now has early-stage Alzheimer's. I have been extremely blessed or just plain lucky. Some days when it occurs to me how old I am, I dread what is undoubtedly lurking in the shadows. I have never had any true fear of death, but I certainly dread how it will be delivered to me.
Yeh, thanks for asking. The day of the surgery (Wednesday afternoon) was rough. It hurt and everything just felt so swollen. Yesterday got a little better. Although the presence of blood may last up to 6 weeks, it already went away. Today is a little better...still sore. They say the urgency, frequency & burning [of urination] can go on for 2 weeks, but they seem to be subsiding. The prostate biopsy site is a little sore, but it seems that mine went better than others here have posted...but they put me under for the procedures. This was the clinic in Richmond. University of Virginia urology was talking about only using a local anesthetic for the procedure. I'm glad I chose these guys. Although I'm glad to get that stone out, I can't see subjecting myself to this again, no matter the issue. Had I realized that incomplete bladder emptying would cause stones, I would have been more aggressive in finding a doctor I could trust sooner to help remediate it. As it was, I was willing to live with just that than have any of the doctors I met touch me and leave me worse off. I'm still not certain that this issue is completely remediated. I gotta go back in early December for another [non-invasive] test. I'm still worried about this. If meds don't fix it, I'll need another procedure. *sigh* I don't want my medical stuff to be my main topic of conversation. That's for old people. Can't I got back to playing horseshoes and drinking beer all night?