41 years old - scared

Don't be scared James you are among friends, the smart ones will be along soon.

James, you won't be scared for much longer one way or the other. You'll be fine.

Groin and testicle pain has nothing to do with PCa. A professional told me that when I started to feel imagined groin pain during my early PCa days.

Chances, good chances, are that you do not have PCa.

Slow down, go to your urologist and take it one step at a time.

Hello James,

Certainly understand your fear factor, especially at your young age. Unlikely that it is prostate cancer, but can't be ruled out at this point. I agree with another poster above, that your groin pain is highly unlikely to have anything to do with cancer.

You do need to see an urologist. A likely reason is some type of prostate infection, something that could be cleared up in a few weeks with the right antibiotic.

It's possible, if the urologist has any serious reservations, that you could have a prostate biopsy, but that doesn't seem quite likely at this early juncture.

Either way, try to put away any fear and don't let your imagination get carried away. The best way to overcome any fear is with facts and knowledge. Let the urologist do his job, and see then what the answer is.

Hopefully, you will not be needing permanent membership in our club here, especially at your young age.

Please keep us well posted, of what happens next.

David in SC

I know this is scary, but your groin pain is probably very GOOD news.

It probably means prostatitis.

Also, a sharp PSA rise like that is more indicative of inflammation rather than PC.

I suspect you will be given a course of antibiotics for maybe 4 weeks and retested.

Mel

Thanks pat,
Great support.
Yes, I am married with two young boys, 6 and 2.
My father had prostate cancer successfully treated with a RP, but he was 65 at Dx.
And yes, I take your point re: if you are going to get cancer, PC is the type to have.
It seems to me from reading posts in here is that most people had no symptoms at all, perhaps other some increased urination, and was randomly picked up.
I should have added that all the usual blood tests for me came back negative, as did the urine sample for infection. I have had no other symptoms except this groin/pubic/bladder pain. (not bone pain)

Ozzie,

Like the others have said, try not to worry too much (easy to say, hard to do) and see your new urologist and treat that prostate infection. Then tell him about your dad and your free PSA and tell him you want to keep an eye on things long term

Welcome to the forum. Hope we won't be too big a part of your life just now but we are here if you need us.

Hi Oz -

Welcome...sorry you find yourself seeking advice here...but hope you don't have to stay too long...

I dealt with prostatitis for years (before my PCa dx) - and it was a drag. My first symptoms were painful urination and tenderness in my perineum (my PSA was still in the "normal" range). I was working out of town at the time, and became uncomfortable enough to go see a doctor there - who immediately assumed I had an STD, put me through a number of tests (all negative), and prescribed an antibiotic (which didn't work). It wasn't until I saw my own urologist that I received the correct diagnosis, and the right antibiotic - and I managed my symptoms successfully for 4 years.

When my PSA hit 5.6 this year, my urologist initially reassured me that I probably had a prostate infection - and then changed his tune when he felt something on the DRE. All that to say...your normal DRE is a good sign - but should you eventually be diagnosed with PCa, you will have caught it early and will have an excellent chance of beating it and getting on with your life.

By the way, the reading I've done suggests that there is no direct causal link between prostatitis and PCa - meaning that having prostatitis does not increase your chances of getting the disease. However, the fact that your father had it does put you in a higher risk category, so it is great that you are being proactive and getting checked regularly, etc.

By the way, I'm 48 and was diagnosed earlier this year - I had RP surgery at the beginning of July with excellent results (no incontinence or ED). Younger guys tend to do very well with the surgery - that said, whatever the outcome, the important thing is that you deal with it head-on and with as much strength and optimism as you can muster - and armed with accurate information...and the good news is you'll find a lot of that information here.

Beat of luck...and keep us posted.

Doug

Ozzie:

45 here.  Recently had my first elevated PSA of 3.9 a month and a half ago.  I am going to have a retest shortly.  I certainly know the experience and initial shock....and thinking the worse.  Your one step ahead of me in getting a urologist on board.  Good for you.

Stay calm....there are a great bunch of guys and girls! on this site that can offer you some advice....and hopefullly you (and i for that matter) get some excellent news in the weeks to come.

One thing i want you not to do-which i did- initially causing me a lot of concern.  I read literally every post i could---getting great advice of course---but also saw lots of people with PSA's lower than mine at the time of diagnosis which led me to believe that I too was destined for prostate cancer.  Maybe i am -maybe not---at least i dont know at this time.

Keep in mind that the posters on the board are not a cross section of the population....rather they are a small segment of the male population who either had prostate cancer...or are concerned about prostate cancer.....keep that in mind as you read all of the posts....otherwise, like me initially, it will be difficult to stay calm.

Would you please keep us all posted....i know the tendancy when you find hopefully good news - will be to move on to other things.....let us know though how you do.....success stories always welcomed!!!!!

Hi all,
Just an update.
I managed to get in to see the urologist yestarday. Young 'hot shot' bloke at Sydneys St Vincents Hospital. He assures me that cancer is extremely unlikely, and would not do a biopsy at this point. He also said a raise of a PSA from 1 to 5 in 18 months is extremely unlikely to be due to cancer.
The DRE again was normal. He reckons prostatitis, and has gone down the antibiotic path. All this has made me feel alot better.

Interestingly, I am also going in for a MRI scan of the prostate with contrast. The urologist said that in the last few years the quality of T3 MRI imaging has substantially improved (as has the radiologists skill) and can pick out missed tumours from biopsies or if you haven't had a biopsy, higher grade tumours.

Unsure if anyone has any experiences or thoughts about this?

Best
James

James that is great news indeed!
Enjoy the weekend 'Downunder'
Susan
x

That's a great update James - sounds like the youngster knows his stuff - great advice and direction IMHO!!!!!

Hi all,

I thought i'd just update you on my situation.
Firstly, yes, MRI is a bit of an overkill, but I insisted on it for my own peace of mind.

I've since had another 2 psa's, the first one reduced to 3.2 (from 5 but with a free psa of 6%). I have since had 2 weeks of antibiotics, and had another psa but do not know the results yet.

In between all of this, I had a T3 gadolinium contrast MRI with pelvic coil, and thankfully interpreted by a specialist prostate MRI radiologist. His report found that the 'prostate capsule was normal, no peri prostatic lymphadenopathy and no tumour suspicious areas identified. No high grade tumour spsicious change'.

So I guess all this is good. I haven't (and hope not to) join your club just yet!

But i'm still in pain in the suprapubic area, the PSA is still way too high for a 41 year old. I'm just wondering what some of you might do in this situation? Just leave it? Continue regular PSA's? Try alternative therapies/diet? Push for a biopsy?

Thanks!
James