Thanks fellas for the WelcomeBacks! Please allow me to indulge in a "teachable" moment...
In my regular October 2017 checkup, my PSA level was 2.5. Over the next 9 months, I experienced repeated bouts of what felt like Prostatitis/UTI symptoms and was prescribed antibiotics - even though my specimen samples came back negative. Insurance wouldn't cover the cost of checking my PSA level more than once a year, since the last number had been in the normal range.
My October 2018 checkup turned up a PSA of 4.1 [just above the 4.0 threshold], so my primary care doc referred me to a urologist whose sub-specialty was cancer. He did the usual test for obvious signs and everything seemed normal, so he said to come back for a 3 month follow-up in January 2019. When that time came around however, he happened to be on medical leave [recovering from a knee replacement] so I saw a different uro-doc who did
not specialize in cancer. He repeated the same tests that were done on my first visit and, again, no apparent signs of cancer. My PSA had only gone up to 4.3, so he figured I could wait until July for a follow-up.
When I went to my March appointment with my primary doc, the PSA level had risen to 5.1 and he
immediately ordered me back to the urologist. My regular uro-doc was back, and this time his demeanor seemed especially grim. "In spite of all the normal test results and your family history [of no cancer], SOMETHING just isn't right - you're getting a biopsy! We MUST figure out exactly why your PSA keeps rising." His tone was not unlike a school principal disciplining an unruly student, and I didn't have the balls to protest!
When I told a friend about the planned biopsy, his reaction was "What, a 5.1 PSA? Man, that ain't
nuthin'! My PSA got up to 12 before having my biopsy and they didn't find cancer. I know someone who
does and his PSA is over a hundred..."
My online medical profile stated that my PSA level indicated a 15% chance of having cancer, i.e., less than 1 in 6. So when I limped out from the biopsy, I figured it would be negative and after recovering from that mini-trauma, my life would go back to normal. In the meantime I kept calling my uro-doc to ask why was I continuing to pee-out blood? He just said that sometimes it could take a few weeks to clear.
Two weeks later I went back to my urologist to discuss the biopsy results. This time when he came into the room, he seemed a lot more relaxed - I dare say, almost
playful! He started asking me questions about the post-biospsy ailments, was I still bleeding, still having pain, yada, yada...I got annoyed and said "Will you PLEASE get to the point: Do I or do I
not have cancer?" So then he showed me the pathology diagram and said, "Everywhere that is printed in
red, that's where cancer was found." Immediately afterward he said, "...but the tumor is still fully contained [stage 1] within the prostate, and if you consent to have it removed, you'll be
fully cured!" [Ok, wonderful - but I would have preferred no cancer to begin with...!] Obviously he was really pleased with himself for discovering that the biopsy he ordered was
not a "waste of time" after all. Guess he doesn't catch many early ones[?]
My point in telling this story is that, no matter what your family cancer history, your friends or medical statistics say - if a doctor recommends a biopsy, then for Gods sake, GET it - it could save your life!
I keep reminding myself with that story whenever I start feeling impatient about the slow rate of my recovery...
