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Anesthesia during Prostate Biopsy - Have you been fully anesthetized during the Procedure, or not?

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Prostate Cancer
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Posted 2/19/2016 12:35 AM (GMT 0)
I had my 12 core biopsy done at my uro's office. They did a local injection into the prostate.

It never occurred to me that I might ask for any sort of sedative. I had to drive myself, and go back to work, neither of which would be consistent with sedatives.

It was unpleasant, but I've done much worse since in the PCa journey.
Posted 2/19/2016 1:01 AM (GMT 0)
2 biopsies here and awake for both. Second though, a numbing gel was used before the lidocaine was inserted. I believe this helped a lot! I barely felt any of the needles.

Sometimes there is an infection risk, and Cipro is frequently prescribed to take before and after the procedure. There's a 'cipro resistant' risk that I wasn't aware of for my first biopsy, at a local uro group's surgery center. For my second biopsy at JH, the doc stuck a long swab up my keester to get a lab sample to check for such a resistance.

I wouldn't have minded to have the option to be twilighted for the procedure, but it wan't too bad, especially the second one. Very minute amount of bleeding from the rectum. Several days of blood in the urine for both, as well as disgusting semen, which took a few more days to clear.
Posted 2/19/2016 3:35 AM (GMT 0)
Acre, to answer your question, I'm not doing anything specific post op for maintenance or to keep my PSA in check. The Surgeon told me less than 5% chance I'll ever need further treatment. Not sure I believe him. But I'd like to

So the only thing I do to keep my PSA undetectable - is I pray once in a while. And hope that I stay lucky as I have been. It's just part of the new normal. Nice you are diagnosed, it just stays with you
Posted 2/19/2016 5:56 AM (GMT 0)
General anesthesia here. They didn't bring it up. I did (somewhat assertively).

It cost alot more because it has to be done in an operating room. But insurance pays. (It cost alot more).
Posted 2/19/2016 1:24 PM (GMT 0)
I was given a local numbing shot and the Cipro. I felt both plus the first several needles but they weren't bad. about the fifth sample needle was excruciating pain. Uro said it must have passed through an innervated portion of the rectal wall because the prostate was effectively numbed. All I know is the pain was every bit as bad as a cut to the surface of the eyeball - nothing else has ever come close. To top it off I got a bad systemic infection two days later. I ended up on IV antibiotic cocktail in the hospital for 3 days and oral follow-up for two more weeks.

This is not to scare anyone, but be aware cases will vary. On the plus side even though the biopsy was positive for PC my surgery went much better and the whole experience is history.
Posted 2/19/2016 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
Numbing gel and shot prior to biopsy. Like most medical things much is dependent on the skills of the physician and ones threshold for pain.
For me it was a better experience than being in a dentist's chair having a crown put on!
You will do well.
Posted 2/19/2016 6:33 PM (GMT 0)
W0hll, Tall Allen, Redwing57, Northern Lights, Howard3569, Ken, Paul65, 142, MDNative, Pratoman, island time, Explorer59 and samster: Thank you all for the detailed responses. Much appreciated! It is nice to have discovered such an interactive resource in HealingWell. Great community willing to give of itself and share the experiences, knowledge and Hard-Knocks, Street-Wise, Battle-Tested expertise.
Posted 2/19/2016 8:22 PM (GMT 0)

Tall Allen said...
The other thing we have to be increasingly vigilant about is increasing rates of antibiotic-resistant infection. You should tell your urologist which antibiotics you've had previous exposure to. A rectal swab and culture is prudent but could delay your procedure. Some have found that applying a povidone-iodine gel to the area may reduce infection.

I agree with TA here and second his opinion. I had a rectal swab and culture at JH prior to my biopsy in Nov 2013 and was found to have a resistance to Cipro as a good example - so they used another antibiotic for the procedure. I've never had another place test for antibiotic resistance though. More attention should be paid.
Posted 2/19/2016 9:17 PM (GMT 0)

Paul65 said...
listened to Led Zep very load on my phone/earbuds... A great distraction and wholly endorsed by the Uro.

MistyMountainHop approves of this.

I had three biopsies. Well, one failed biopsy without sedation or numbing shot and two successful biopsies using twilight sedatives. Apparently, my anatomy is not conducive to DREs or prostate biopsies. shocked smhair

When we scheduled the first biopsy, I asked my URO how uncomfortable it would be. He held up his meaty finger and said the US probe would make his finger feel tiny by comparison. That didn't help my state of mind.
Posted 2/20/2016 4:49 AM (GMT 0)
First biopsy, took urologist's word on it, had nothing but lidocaine shot each side. The 12 biopsy shots hurt like hell, my back hurt for days. Bs on this. Second biopsy I popped my sleeping pill ativan when walking into his office. Second biopsy, no problem at all. The best stuff of course would be the versed used for colonoscopies..
Posted 2/22/2016 11:50 PM (GMT 0)
This is my very first post.
I have had 2 biopsies. The first was 12 months ago when first diagnosed. There was no sedation or anesthesia of any sort. I just toughed my way through it and recovered after a few weeks. On a pain scale I would say 5 out of 10. This biopsy was done as part of an office visit and since it was my first one I didn't know what to expect. The recovery was uneventful except for the bleeding.
My 2nd biopsy was done last week Friday at CTCA, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, in Zion IL. What a totally different experience. I had a complete history and physical 2 weeks ago followed by some lab work and my but was swabbed so they could give me the exact correct antibiotics to target the bacteria specific to my body. I also had complete sedation. I lost consciousness in the OR and woke up in Recovery. Bleeding has been minimal compared to the first time.
If my new biopsy is normal then I won't have to do another one but if I do ever have to get another biopsy I would totally choose complete sedation.
HTH
Posted 2/23/2016 12:14 AM (GMT 0)
Steven B: Thanks. VERY interesting information. Can you share more about the Cannabis Oil? This is an interesting angle on treatment. Since you opted out of radiation or surgery, what was your thinking and decision-making rationale for this departure from the allopathic route? How do you use it? Application process/Procedure? Frequency, Use trends? Thanks!
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