>> Surgeon is recommending surgery (radical prostatectomy)
A surgeon will ALWAYS recommend cutting it out.
I received an elevated PSA during a blood test in June.
The doctor scheduled me for a MRI and CATSCAN. I got the catscan first then immediately went to the room for the MRI. When the MRI was done, they moved me to an operating room. I asked why and the quack said they always remove the prostate. I told him that he hadn’t even looked at the imaging results yet. He said it didn’t matter, I needed surgery. I put on my clothes and walked out.
Weeks later the insurance company said they would only pay for 1 imaging procedure, because the MRI and catscan were redundant. I had to pay for the MRI out of pocket.
I switched doctors and the new doctor said she’d just watch the progress over time, because the 2 imaging procedures were inconclusive (i.e., they could not tell anything).
I asked about a biopsy. She said biopsies are too risky. Because the prostate is so small and it needs 12 needle probes; there’s a 5% chance of infection from fecal matter; additionally, there’s a 5-8% chance of spreading any cells from the prostate to other organs and a 25% chance of spreading through the prostate during the healing from the biopsy. It’s just better to watch it with blood tests over time. She did mention something called a 4k test that supposed to be better than the PSA, but it’s not available from my insurance.
Additionally, prostate is the slowest spreading and growing of all cancers. It could take 7 to 10 years or longer. I’m in my mid-70s now. I’ll probably outlive the cancer.
Right now, though, I just started on by 12th season with shingles. And yes, I have had the vaccine, both the newer one and the older one. They took the typical shingles burning down to just itching, but it returns every year oalmost on the same day each time.
“She said biopsies are too risky. Because the prostate is so small and it needs 12 needle probes; there’s a 5% chance of infection from fecal matter;”
In my case the chances were apparently 100%, and I ended up in the ER for only the second time in my life. I will not have another biopsy. If I die of prostrate cancer, so be it. I believe the diagnosis and treatment are worse than the condition. Just my opinion.