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Posted on 10/26/2025 9:06:59 AM PDT by Red Badger
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I wish I skipped the biopsy. That was brutal and I had a clean scan before.
What I asked my GP was if our organs had an outside layer, a capsule so to speak. My concern then (and now) was the biopsy piercing this capsule (12 times!). I wonder if that would have consequences down the road.
I had the MRI back in winter 2024..............
“Now factor in “the millions of men undergoing unnecessary biopsies and treatments, which frequently result in life-altering side effects.”
A biopsi is not life-altering. Neither is an MRI.
bump
I insist that this era in medicine will go down as the most barbaric in history.
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Part 2 comment on agreeing with this statement...
My comment that follows has nothing to do with prostate health but it generally has to do with the concept of trusting what medical people say....and I’ll just say that I’m not a doctor.
I have a close family member who had a blackout a few months ago and has been subject to a lot of ‘experimentation’ since then with different drugs, strengths, dosages etc. The doctor’s clinic wanted to keep track of what impact the drugs were having on heart rate, blood pressure etc. which sounds like a reasonable and smart thing to do. So... every day, data is submitted from home BP machines along with other stuff (the family has 3 BP machines that generally agree quite closely with each other plus some other toys).
This past week it was noticed by the family that the heart rate was consistently falling under 30 bpm and so a trip to emergency was warranted and that took place on Friday. I wasn’t particularly worried because I wasn’t confident in the heartbeat readings but certainly went along with the idea of further evaluation in the hospital. Why was I not confident in the readings? When I first heard of the low pulse rate a few days earlier, I checked it out with my own oximeter and a Kardiomobile and indeed the heart rate was under 30 as measured by these two instruments.... and so at this point, there was a total of 5 home devices that all provided data that was in agreement that the heart rate was under 30. However, the advantage of the Kardiomobile data is that the actual pulse signature can be observed and when I counted the actual pulses and worked out the heart rate, it came to just under 60 bpm.... in fact, it was exactly double what all 5 instruments were saying. What my observation of the Kardiomobile pulse signatures revealed was an irregular heat beat where two pulses were a bit closer together followed by a larger gap followed by two pulses closer together etc. What all 5 of these devices showed was a heartbeat under 30 which essentially meant that none of the devices could handle an irregular heartbeat and the two pulses that were closer together were being counted as one beat.
Once the ‘patient’ was in the hospital connected to a 12 lead EKG, it all became apparent. I had taken an oximeter along with me to the hospital and while the hospital’s EKG was showing a consistent heart beat of 58 bpm, the $20 oximeter that I brought along and slipped on to the patient’s finger was showing 29... yup, exactly half of what it really was.
So all this time for months of patient review/analysis and trying to sort out drug prescriptions, they were all basing it on a pulse rate of 1/2 of what it actually was. Is an irregular heart rate still a problem? I’m sure it is but that is a totally separate issue from thinking that the pulse rate is half of what it really is....And why did it take me, a non-medical person, to point this out to all these boneheads? The amount of time lost and the potential for very serious consequences (beyond the consequences already realized) was very huge.
Comedy gold!
Well, the biopsy was no fun, but not all that bad. One of my brothers has to get one every year, all negative so far. I think I’ll suggest that he get a new urologist.
Oh yeah? You wanna take that chance? My younger brother's doctor had that attitude, and when my brother finally went for a second opinion on his PSA level 12, they did a biopsy and surgery. His cancerous prostate was bigger than a small orange, and he's lucky it didn't spread to his other organs.
In the current environment, that statement does indeed apply to most people.
However, I would argue that - if my comment re personal responsibility is applied - it does NOT apply (i.e., the 'danger zone' is a metaphor for self-inflicted).
"You are what you eat" is rather apropos here...and my father is the latest, fitting example.
“ BPH, but scan shows it is uniform, just enlarged. Flowmax keeps the yellow gold flowing and I can tell if I missed a dose. However, the white gold tends to go into the bladder rather than make its escape. I’m told this is a path-of-least-resistance result.”
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CAUTION: I spent a number of years taking Flomax (Tamsulosin) for BPH before I had my Prostate fixed surgically. One of the side affects of Flomax is that it can and does cause SMALL PUPILS in the patient. I am now blessed with small pupils and have cataracts but the small pupils will increase the risks of cataract surgery. So if you’re anticipating eye surgery keep those Flomax side affects in mind.
Good luck to you on fighting this illness...
Who’s got a great prostate? Is it a hoax?
My prostate is great! In fact it’s growing larger!................
“If you have a sudden rise in your PSA, get a biopsy. And get you PSA tested annually after age 50. These authors are full of shit.”
Ditto all that. Saddened to hear that your cancer is in stage 4. Prayers for you.
yet another reason I can trust a single medical “professional”.
It was VA that missed mine.
Demand the test. They will not decline.
It’s relative numbers that matter...is it shooting up or staying stable? That’s the key.
And I don’t believe they’ve stopped.
You have a LOCAL admin trying to save a few puny bucks. Total cost is about $100.
That is quite a story. Thanks.
It’s kind of important when the prostate is gone. My dad just went through this cancer, and the point of the test is that if you start seeing a rise, especially a rapid one, above your natural baseline, it’s best to talk to the doc.
OpenEvidence.com says:
“The American Urological Association (AUA) states that there is no single universal baseline PSA value that applies to all men; instead, baseline PSA levels vary by age and individual risk factors. The AUA recommends considering age-specific median PSA values for risk stratification: for men aged 40 to 49 years, the median PSA is approximately 0.68 ng/mL, for ages 50 to 54 years it is 0.88 ng/mL, and for ages 55 to 59 years it is 0.96 ng/mL. These medians are used to identify men at very low risk for long-term prostate cancer mortality if their PSA is below the age-specific median.[1]
The AUA further notes that the commonly cited threshold for an “elevated” PSA is 4 ng/mL, but this threshold is not used as a universal baseline; rather, it is a decision point for further evaluation. Age-specific thresholds for what is considered elevated PSA are also recommended: 2.5 ng/mL for men in their 40s, 3.5 ng/mL in their 50s, 4.5 ng/mL in their 60s, and 6.5 ng/mL in their 70s.[1] The rationale is that PSA levels naturally increase with age, and using age-adjusted thresholds helps reduce unnecessary biopsies and overdiagnosis.
The AUA emphasizes that the decision to proceed with further evaluation or biopsy should not rely solely on a single PSA value, but should incorporate age, PSA kinetics, family history, and other clinical factors.[2]”
This article was heavily simplified and leaves out many factors when it comes to deciding how to proceed after a PSA test while you still have your prostate. I know three men who have gone through this, and none have come out (permanently) incontinent.
Let’s not mention that prostate cancer is extremely common in the US.
“According to an invited review in The New England Journal of Medicine, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) and the second leading cause of cancer death among U.S. men.”
“The lifetime risk for an American male of being diagnosed with prostate cancer is about 1 in 8 (12.9%), while the lifetime risk of dying from it is about 1 in 41 (2.4%).[2-4]
Incidence rates have fluctuated in response to changes in PSA screening recommendations. After a period of decline from 2007 to 2014, prostate cancer incidence has increased by about 3% annually, driven primarily by a rise in regional and metastatic disease, likely related to reduced PSA screening.[3][5-7]”
TL;DR: The test is a simple blood draw that has a practical use and DOES help diagnose cancer when properly utilized - it takes more than one test before taking further action. Whether you decide to take the risk or not is up to you. Your doc can’t force you.
My dad went on cholesterol meds at 86. Still shaking my head. Oh, and glaucoma meds at 88.
I swear my doctor must do fingertip pushups. Not a pleasant experience.
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