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Posted 4/9/2015 11:17 AM (GMT 0)
I had a blood test taken last week. Doctor phoned for me to come in. First he gave me a rectal exam and then afterwards he said he felt a large lump and my PSA levels were bad and that my blood count was very low and said the pain I had been having in my back and pelvis and the fact I keep fainting is because of this. He said he was sending me for an urgent scan and sent it straight away. I am 70 and trying not to worry. What is the waiting time for scans to be done? I live in the Glasgow area, can anyone help? What happens at these scans, do you get results immediately? Thank you. Sam44
Posted 4/9/2015 1:08 PM (GMT 0)
Sam, not sure about wait time for scan results, here in the US its a couple of hours to a couple of days, but I think longer in your part of the world, you should ask your Doctor.

What is your PSA? What kind of scan? It should be, what you would want, is a 3Tesla mpMRI. Bad PSA along with a large lump, and back pain doesn't sound like what you would want yo hear from the doc, but even in a worst case, if it turns out to be Prostate cancer, it's highly treatable, even in advanced stages, unlike most other cancers. Not saying fun, but treatable nevertheless. Let's hope it's not what you fear.
Try to take a breath and let us know the results.
Posted 4/9/2015 2:36 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to HW, sorry you need to be here.

You should get results back quickly. What was your PSA number? We've have a better idea of where you might be if you were willing to share that. Finding a lump isn't good.

Even if the worst is found you've got plenty of options for treatment and every reason to expect a good outcome. What you need now is a lot more information. The scan is the next normal step.

Do let us know how that turns out.
Hang in there the waiting for answers is difficult.
Andrew
Posted 4/9/2015 2:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sam44

I'm originally from the Glasgiw area but live down south now. In the UK, there is a two week charter that doctors must adhere to if cancer is suspected, so I would imagine you will here something within the next fortnight.

Hope that helps
Posted 4/9/2015 3:39 PM (GMT 0)
Sam your psa is probably quite high. I am quite sure the doctor suspects prostate cancer and probably advanced. The scans are undoubtedly bone scans, he probably{ this whole reply is probably,} suspect it has spread to the bones where your pain is. I have no idea about the fainting spells relationship. It is not an automatic death sentence, present day treatment an keep you alive for years and years. You will need treatment and the treatment will relieve your symptoms. It will actually kill most of the cancer but you will be on treatment the rest of what should be a long life. You came to the right place. My ethnicity is scotch.irish, have my clan plaid and motto, " slow but eager" and from the lowlands{marsh} Fear not brother you are a bit fear from Brigadoon still.
Posted 4/9/2015 4:33 PM (GMT 0)
Sam,

Welcome to the forum. Sorry you find yourself here but glad you found us. Hope we can help.

If your doctor is right in his obvious suspicions you are about to be diagnosed with an incurable disease. That sounds worse than it is. People react badly to that word -- "incurable" -- but the fact of the matter is that once you reach a certain age "incurable" diseases start to accumulate. I have several of them and I don't expect any of them to stop me or even slow me down that much.

Given your symptoms I'm not sure a diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer would even be bad news for you. If your symptoms are caused by prostate cancer then treating that cancer will probably give you quite a bit of relief. While advanced disease can't be "cured" is can usually be managed for years and years.

Keep us in the loop.
Posted 4/9/2015 5:59 PM (GMT 0)
He probably wants you to have a bone scan and a CT scan. He is checking to see whether there is evidence of metastases in your bones. They will have the results then and there, but the radiologist has to look at the scans and write a report, so it depends on how backlogged he is.

I agree with PDA that if there are bone metastases ("mets"), hormone therapy will get you feeling a lot better very quickly. If there are a lot of mets, they found that starting you off with docetaxel, a kind of chemo, can help you feel better and extends survival. But, let's see what the scans show first.

- Allen
Posted 4/9/2015 6:08 PM (GMT 0)
TA, why would they want bone and ct scans if the diagnosis hasnt been made yet? He hasn't had a biopsy or an MRI. I'm sure I'm missing something
Posted 4/9/2015 6:25 PM (GMT 0)
Prat - we don't know what Sam's PSA is other than, "bad." The pain Sam is having may or may not be PC related so a scan is in order to discover the cause of the back/pelvis pain. That should be done in any case.

There are many, many possibilities here and not much hard data.

Hang in there Sam, we're here if you have more questions.
Andrew
Posted 4/9/2015 6:47 PM (GMT 0)
Got it Andrew. As usual i was thinking in my narrow minded PC world. I guess they are checking for something else first.
Posted 4/9/2015 6:55 PM (GMT 0)
Pratoman,

Scotland doesn't have PSA screening, so when a 70 y.o. patient comes in with a large lump on the prostate, pain in the back and pelvis, high PSA, and problematic bloodwork, advanced PC is a primary suspect. The next logical step is a bone scan/CT. There's no point to a biopsy or MRI until they rule that out.

- Allen
Posted 4/9/2015 7:15 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Allan, now i understand.
Posted 4/9/2015 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sam, I am in UK but down south!
As said you should get an appointment for a scan within 2 weeks of referral though it might take another week for reports to be completed.
It is a scary time at the moment for you I am sure, but the guys here are very knowledgeable and able to answer many questions especially those you think of them half an hour after you met with your GP or consultant as I usually did! If it does turn out to be the case that you have prostate cancer, like many have said there is much that can be done to slow any disease process right down and keep it in check for many years and that is what you need to tell yourself in any bad moments you may have in the next few weeks.

I wish you every bit of luck
Posted 4/10/2015 12:23 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for your replies. All I know is that he listed a lot of things I didn't take in. My PSA 15.1 but I have no idea what that means. I have a scan & biopsy on the 28th of this month and will know more then. This time I will take my wife or son as I couldn't take it all in. I so appreciate all your replies, it means I know what questions to ask so thank you. I will keep you informed. This is my first time doing this, my wife encouraged me to join a forum. Could you perhaps tell me what 15.1 means whether it is good or bad. He said my blood count was 9.8, my wife thinks that's why I keep fainting. Thank you all again.

Sam44
Posted 4/10/2015 1:06 PM (GMT 0)
Sam, one thing I found very useful was to take a small notebook to all appointments. Take notes (or have your wife or son take them), and write down your questions as they come to mind.

15.1 sounds high. Normal range for your age is probably around 4 or so. One thing to remember, is that PSA is NOT a cancer test. It's a test of prostate activity, and there are any number of things that can cause an elevated PSA. The other tests (bone scans, cat scans, biopsies, etc) are used to narrow down the possibilities.

Keep us posted!
Posted 4/10/2015 3:25 PM (GMT 0)
Sam,

15.1 is high. There are other things besides prostate cancer that can cause both a PSA that high and a palpable lump that can be felt on a DRE. So you don't know yet. But, like I said, if it is prostate cancer it can be treated, which should help with your pain and will hopefully keep the disease bottled up for years.

And to put things in perspective, while a PSA of 15.1 is higher than normal it isn't unusually high for this forum. We have a number of guys who had PSAs in the four digits years ago who are still doing fine. We have one guy whose PSA was over 3000 at diagnosis eight years ago (did I remember right, Todd?) who has been posting Facebook photos this week with him and his family hitting the beach in Kauai, Hawaii.
Posted 4/10/2015 4:39 PM (GMT 0)
Glad to hear you're going to take someone else to the appointment. I took my wife to these appointments and it made a world of difference of what we understood when we got home. It's also not a bad idea to write down any questions you might have so you don't forget them.

You PSA is high but not horrible. Don't be surprised if the biopsy finds PC. Don't be overly shocked either. Even if the worst is true, you've got plenty of options for treatment. Treatments aren't fun and have their side effects, but it will deal with anything you've got.

Frankly, I'd be more concerned about your fainting spells at the moment. Get the scans, but fainting isn't good. Hopefully the doctor has some answers for that soon.

Hang in there and keep us updated on your progress,
Andrew
Posted 4/11/2015 6:52 AM (GMT 0)
Sam, welcome to the forum. Now go thank your wife for suggesting that you join....believe me, if you do have cancer, or anything else prostate related, you'll be happy you did! My only regret was not getting on this site about four years earlier!
Beth for Gary
Posted 4/11/2015 8:56 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you Beth & Gary. I hope all goes well with you. the 28th of April seems ages away but just taking each day as it comes. Thanks again :-)
Posted 4/11/2015 9:04 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for your support and replies, means a lot even though I don't know you. A notebook sounds a great idea. I have a friend I will have a chat to. about 10 years ago he was diagnosed and at first he lost a lot of weight, looked terrible, very shaky on his feet and then after steroids he blew up, couldn't regognise him but after about 3 years, he started getting well and looks amazing and feels amazing. He is a young 76 year old. Again thanks so much, after reading all your replies, my wife and I are feeling a lot more calmer so thanks again.
Sam 44
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