[eifedwards]

I am a 42 year old male.
A DRE by a urologist has shown that I have an enlarged and slightly firmer prostate gland on my right hand side. My PSA level is low (0.9).
I am booked in for scans and cystoscopy next week and getting more and more anxious by the second.
I have found surfing the internet on this subject to be a little counterproductive and scary.
I was wondering if there were any other forum users who could share their knowledge on the subject with me
Many thanks

[Mr. B]

[quote="eifedwards"]I am a 42 year old male.
A DRE by a urologist has shown that I have an enlarged and slightly firmer prostate gland on my right hand side. My PSA level is low (0.9).
I am booked in for scans and cystoscopy next week and getting more and more anxious by the second.
I have found surfing the internet on this subject to be a little counterproductive and scary.
I was wondering if there were any other forum users who could share their knowledge on the subject with me
Many thanks[/quote]

Although I'm 23 years older than you, I recently went through what you are going through, which led to my having a TURP/laser combination surgery just over five weeks ago. So far all is going well. I recently posted my story on the "living with" part of this website.
http://forum.urologychannel.com/hc-forum/bph_living-with_f293/my-bph-and-recent-turp_t48731.html#p105629

[mrcoyote]

OK>you have a very low PSA for your age and you're going to a urologist, so you have two very important things working in your favor already. Urologists can only tell a few things from a DRE. I'm sure he wants to take a further look just to be sure, so there's really no need to be overly concerned at this point. I know surfing the internet can be worrysome. Lots and lots of stories, but you are doing the exact right thing by investigating this early. Since early diagnosis is the key to most prostate problems, I think you are fine. Your urologist can answer your concerns when you get the results from your tests. For now, just relax.

[Jack377]

I've experienced a couple of cyctoscopy procedures - the first in my 40's and recently a number of years later. It's not a pleasant experience, but easier for some than others The process and feeling is similar to having a catheter tube move thru the urinary track. The more that you can remain relaxed and reduce involuntary muscular contractions during the process the better. There is generally a burning experience during urination for a day or so after the procedure. But, a urinary track pain reliever such as phenazopyrid can help. Be sure to request something if the urologist doesn't automatically write you a prescription.
Curiously, you didn't mention that you were experiencing BPH symptoms. If prostate cancer is the concern, I don't really understand the need for the cystoscopy, as a biopsy is usually cosidered the definitive tool of diagonosis. The PSA and DRE are only possible indicators. One always wonders whether doctors have a propensity for wanting to apply their trade irregardless of the circumstances.

[mrcoyote]

I had BPH for over 20 years and every exam and procedure prior to Laser TURP you can think of. Every urologist is different. With what you said he found, an enlarged prostate and no lumps with the DRE, and a very low PSA, perhaps he is not thinking you need a biopsy right away. And maybe you don't. If he suspects cancer, I'm sure he will want to do the biopsy. And remember, the biopsy is not the definitive check for prostate cancer. Yes, it can detect it, but not in every circumstance. In it's very early stages, it may only be in one very small area of the prostate and be missed during the sampling. This just happened to a friend of mine. They took 12 samples, and missed the cancer. A short time later, his PSA went to 77 and they did another biopsy, and there it was. The biopsy is only mildly uncomfortable and involves some blood in the urine for a while. Other than that, it's no big deal. Talk to you doctor about doing it if you are that concerned, but remember, some of them will only do it if all the indicators point to possible cancer. Good luck.

[eifedwards]

Thanks for all the replies. Since my initial post I have had a cystoscopy and a TRUS with biopsy. I wasn't looking forward to either, but as it turned out, neither turned out to be a drama. In fact, I felt no pain whatsoever during the biopsy which was a nice surprise.

Both tests revealed nothing sinister and i have been diagnosed with BPH for now and am on Tamsulosin (frequent urination first alerted me to a problem).

It is 10 days after my biopsy and things do feel a little odd in my nether regions with the odd bit of blood now and again in my urine but I'm not too worried about either though.

Now, I'll get straight through it - I seem to be having retrograde ejaculations now. Is that something I should expect after cystoscopy/biopsy/Tamsulosin or is it worth giving my urologist a call?

[mrcoyote]

Great news and glad to hear the results of your tests. My guess is that you are on .4mg of Flomax per day for the BPH. I took that dosage for many years and it worked for me. Yes, there are some side effects and some do experience some retrograde. If you are concerned about it at this point, give your doc a call just to confirm, but I'm thinking this and the blood in the urine is pretty normal for what you had done. The bleeding will stop. Your body may take a little time to get used to the Flomax> mine did.
The important thing now is to keep watch on your PSA since you have a low baseline number, and get a regular PSA test at least once a year just to be sure nothing is going on. I know it's said that you don't need a PSA test until age 50, and even then, some docs don't recommend it without "symptoms". BIG MISTAKE. I had a 33 year old friend who went in for a PSA at that age, and they did a radical prostatectomy the same week for cancer that had already broken out of the prostate. I know that's an exception, but.....it happened. He had a great result and is fine now, fortunately. If you don't have good luck with the Flomax, there are other drugs you can try, but I won't get into that now. Your doc will know. Again, good luck and know you did the right thing.

[gott1936]

Mrcoyote, why do I feel like you are a " Urologist " ?

[mrcoyote]

I'll take that as a compliment! Ha! No, I am not a urologist or a doctor, as I have said on this site many times. What I am is a person who has been dealing with BPH for a long time and been through a lot with it, and I have a desire to try to help those who are suffering the way I was for so long. That's my only motivation for posting here. After my fairly recent surgery, and years of suffering, I made up my mind that I would somehow try to help people and ease their fears......because I know first hand as well as anybody what this can be like both mentally and physically for somebody. I am not an expert, but I can relate what happened to me and what worked and didn't for me. And if somebody can benefit from this in some small way, I get a sense of satisfaction knowing that it did. And thank you for the compliment.

PS> I am actually more of an automotive mechanic and restoration guy than a doctor!

[gott1936]

Touche', and thanks for your insight in prostate disorders.