I had my 10 month post op follow up for psa and for my ongoing incontinence issue. After the 6 month visit I have been in PT and have had good progress in pelvic floor strenght but no help at all with the dribble while standing and i remain 100% incontinent while on my feet and moving around. At the 10 month the local uro threw in the towel and said I wasn't going to improve and to be evaluated for the artificial urinary sphincter. This is something I that was already pretty much expected. While I remain hopeful, I think it is time to get evaluated. Instead of going to my local Baton Rouge uro's associate who is probably more than qualified I have made an appointment with Dr Boone at Methodist in Houston. After he makes the call there won't be much wiggle room in my thinking process.
Months ago I dreaded this step but others on this site who have blazed the way with their own AUS devices have improved my attitude greatly about getting a sphincter installed.
The psa was fine, well sort of, maybe. Here is what has happened on my three post op psa tests.
3 months done at Tulane where the surgery was done, 0.04.
6 months the results done by my hometown uro and were called to my wife and she told me 0.06, or so I thought but she was not real clear exactly what they said. Well no matter, whatever it was it had enought zeros and I would wait till my 9-10 month and get the exact info then.
At 10 the month I asked my dr what was the 6 month psa? Answer undetectable. Ok what does that mean? answer, well that is zero. I am now cutting out four or five more questions and answers for breivity and finally I drag out of him it was <0.1. Humm.
Then he gets defensive and goes thru the usual deal about ultra sensitive causing noise ect. ect.
His group has their own psa machine which is excellent, no doubt, for diagonsing pc but I think I would rather know that I am 0.09 rather than falsely thinking i am "zero".
Now this next part I thought was interesting. His nurse calls me a few days later with the 10 month results and I talk to her this time. She says it is 0.0. I ask her to repeat it. again 0.0
Now i understood how my wife got a little confused. Bottom line, find someone else to do my psa testing!! I shouldn't have to have some sort of cat and mouse game with a uro just to find out what I what to know. Then have his nurse tell me something that true but misleading to say the least. Why just say it was <0.1? Numbers are not so complicated, or so I thought.