Who has had one done and have anything to share?

Whatever you do, under any circumstances, do not turn around to look at what they're doing. Trust me on that.

Otherwise, no big deal.

Hope it go's well for you.

I've had a couple but I don't have anything to share, they kept all the samples

Seriously though, what he said, not a big deal. Ask your urologist about genetic testing of the samples if they're cancerous. That can give you an idea of how aggressive the cancer is, if it's there. Prostate cancer is normally slow growing so a positive result doesn't necessariky mean you need treatment or surgery.

Yes, have had 12 sample biopsy.

Found small amount of bad cells in the 12th sample.

Gleason score was moderately aggressive.

I was 46 when I had my prostate removed.

That was in 2003.

It saved my life.

Had three. If they use a local anesthetic, it’ll be uncomfortable but it shouldn’t hurt a lot. If it does, speak up and they can use some more. Mine were the standard 12, then an mri guided with 18 and the third was an mri guided with 24. They found nothing on the first, atypical cells on the second and cancer (G7) on the third.

If you have a a good track record on your psa and plot it on graph paper it can give you a good idea of what’s going on. When mine took a big curve toward the vertical I figured it was only a matter of time. It normally increases a little each year because the prostate continues to grow through life. So a more or less straight line would be expected. My PSA was 17 when they finally found the big “C”.

I heard if you ride a bicycle every day a few weeks prior it prepares your body and mind to better handle process. You need to be wearing bicycle racing clothes while doing it to be effective.

Not a big deal at all. My Urologist played football at USC. ND played USC that weekend. We talked football while he collected the samples. One piece of advice if you take aspirin stop the week before. I had a little blood in a couple of my farts the following day.

It was a huge pain in the azz. 18 samples. No C. Ten years ago. PSA just went up again so I'm pm having another PSA test in a few weeks. Hope it goes back down. Do have BPH. Fire hose turned to a drip watering system.

Have had two. Transrectal first and transperineal. Transrectal doesn’t sample the front of the prostate very well but cancer is “usually” found in the posterior portion. Trans perineal does a better overall job and my doc at Huntsman in SLC tells me they will likely be going to transperineal soon as the “gold standard”. I have BPH (178cc) and my PSA has varied between 4.4 and just over 9 recently. So far, no cancer has been found, even with the transperineal sampling two lesions identified by MRI. We’ll see.

I’d suggest a conversation with your doctor on the specifics of the biopsy type and whether or not to get an MRI beforehand to identify specific areas to sample.

Nope, but riding a bike will usually drive up your psa so if you have a psa test coming up, don’t ride a bike….I don’t remember how long the elevated level is.

That’s not all that’ll be a bit bloody 😳

Riding a bike also lowers your testosterone levels. Pretty soon you'll be dressing in spandex, shaving your legs, and drinking smoothies.

I’ve never had one but would not hesitate if my doctor said I needed one no matter how unpleasant it sounds. Earlier this this year a good friend I grew up with had a pretty normal PSA, pissed a little blood one day and they initially thought it was a bladder issue. Turns out he had small cell prostate cancer which apparently does not cause the PSA to go up and often not detected until after it’s spread causing other issues that are noticed. The small cell type only accounts for about 1 percent of prostate cancer and the prognosis is pretty grim. He died 7 months after diagnosis. I don’t know if finding the small cell type earlier significantly improves the outcome like the other but it might give you a fighting chance.

Riding a bike WILL elevate PSA numbers, as will the 'digital exam' of your prostate, or anything else that 'stimulates' the prostate, which is why blood should be drawn prior to same, or several days after....

What they never told me till recently is that sexual activity will also cause your PSA numbers to spike, if blood is drawn soon after, typically within 48 hours......

I have had the 'standard' 12 or 16 sample Biopsy...... I don't ever want another..... but will, likely, if deemed necessary...

Frankly, it's like being butt-raped by a gorilla. A gorilla who is a sex-addict.

I pissed and shat blood for a week ... and hurt for waaay longer than that.

Honestly, it really hurt my little guy.

The good news is that all of my samples came out total negative.

Watch out for infection. Hillybilly Bear, may he eternally Rest In Peace, told me that a close relative of his got a severe infection from having the procedure. After having the prostate biopsy, I can easily see how that would happen.

Still ... having the procedure beats the Hell out of getting cancer of the prostate.

Blessings,

Steve

Why not, at least at 80+ years old, have your prostrate removed instead of constantly knowing that there’s a ticking time bomb up your ass and having to endure the discomfort of biopsies?

Had it done in 2010. One sample was positive and Gleason score was 8. The score runs 2-10. The doc tried to milk my prostate, but he couldn't get a sample. They look for a certain antigen that only shows up due to cancer. I didn't have pain issues but wear a condom if you have sex after the procedure because there will be some blood in your semen. I asked the doc if he found the trapped miners, but he said no.

The side effects can be bad. Plus, it's very slow growing g, lots of men die of other causes, with prostate cancer. Many don't even know it.

My doc told me about a study done in Chicago on middle-aged men who died of other causes. A significant percentage had undiagnosed prostate cancer

The saying is, “your chance of having some form of prostate cancer is about equal to your age. So if you’re 60, you have about a 60 percent chance of having some form of it but IIRC, only about 15 percent of those will have a form that needs to be treated.”

If a first degree relative has had it, your chances go up by about 50%. I don’t remember the chances but there seems to be a connection as well for your mother or sister that had breast cancer.

Removal of prostate is major surgery and likely not in the recommended therapy as an elective for an 80 year old. Recovery from this surgery in not in comparison to recovery from a biopsy. Experience tells me so.

Smoke, Thanks for your reply. I know the potential side effects from removing it but if it starts to worry you or become an issue I’d get it gone. Years ago my mom had breast cancer and that provided my wife and I the opportunity to discuss how we might approach a similar situation. I’d immediately work to preserve life and longevity without concern for “looks”. A mastectomy can be a tremendous blow to a woman’s confidence because of the implications regarding body image and can compel one to take unnecessary chances.

I was told years ago by Dr. Copass of Medic 1 fame that all men would eventually get prostate cancer if they lived long enough. Growing old ain’t for wussy’s….😁

Interesting….thanks.

I’ve known guys that had their prostate removed and I don’t recall thinking it was very involved. They were in and out and recovering in short order is my memory serves…

You're welcome. Here's how I look at it. When the guy who makes his living treating or removing prostate is not recommending either, then it's a good bet you don't need it. Kind of like the barber telling you that you don't need a haircut

Maybe I'm just cynical.

Yeah.

Make sure they allow time enough for the anesthetic to take effect.

Having a prostate biopsy done is like someone shoving one of those stand-up dandelion weeder tools shoved up your butt and taking little bites out of your insides.

I joked with the nurse before the biopsy that I once fell asleep during a root canal. She looked me right square in the eye and said, "You won't sleep through this."

It saved my life.

Had three done so far, no big deal. Follow your Doctors instructions and take the antibiotic. He's going to poke a needle hole through your colon to access the prostate.

My best friend had it done i think they got around 30 samples.

Found cancer on half and he did the radioactive pill implant.

He said he was uncomfortable for a few days.

They did give him some of the good stuff when doing both operations.

So far he has gotten a clean bill of health but he does get tested every few months.

He is 70.

No big deal my petute. I cringe just thinking about it, but maybe I’m just a wimp? Bottom line is I had my prostate removed at age 50 and been cancer free for the past 20 years.

What is the reason for not using general anesthesia for this procedure?

Because local is good enough.

Get the MRI first. I went to biopsies r us and balked at the flippant attitude. A second opinion did MRI and found there were zero pirads to test.
We hear everything from remival with no affect to diapers and peeing blood. I am not willing to chance blind probes without better diagnosis than PSA measured by different people on different standards.

A gorilla with a staple gun😳🦍

Five years ago when I started this journey, the standard for insurances was one negative transrectal biopsy before they would authorize an MRI fusion guided biopsy. There was somewhat of a movement to bypass the trans-rectal biopsy and just start with the MRI guided biopsy..I hope it succeeds.

I can’t believe I’m at an age where I’d ever click on a thread about prostates. 😂

The experiences and suggestions given here by intelligent men that have had or are currently dealing with prostate issues can be of immeasurable value to some members here or even lurkers…so thanks guys. 👍

Smoke….I like your analogy to the barber and agree with your assessment.

One more thing to look forward too. I should probably be getting psa's done around now. I'll ask my Dr about it next week.

The first surgery I ever assisted in was a total radical abdominal prostatectomy. Didn't look at all fun for the guy on the table and it's a bit tricky getting everything back in the right place. The surgeon was asking me how I was doing with all the blood. I said I'm ok I hunt. He said gutting something is easy it's being able to put them back it that earns us the big money. It was not minimally invasive back then.

Good info and reminder though. Time to start a PSA chart.

Bb

I got red flagged for a higher PSA level after a blood test during a routine blood test to switch mortgage insurance carriers.

The subsequent physical and ultrasonic exams showed a negative for prostate cancer. It was the biopsy that finally gave the true results.

All men over 50 should be tested on a regular basis.

My experience was starkly different then most here. It was horrible. Every time that gun went "Bang", I almost ripped the bars off the bed. Sad part is I never should have had the biopsy done in the first place. It was done because of some bad doctoring.

I am 53 and a month ago, I developed Prostatitus. Jesus what a miserable experience. Constant urge to piss. You go piss and by the time you lay back down, you feel like you are about to burst again. Doc gave me some antibiotics and Flomax. After 2 doses of antibiotics, I pissed blood for a day and was back to normal. I still take the Flomax to ensure I never get it again. Doc said you somehow strain your prostate and then you can't empty your bladder and that causes the infection.