RALP in 3 Weeks - Some Questions from Indy

I am exactly three weeks out from surgery on Nov 7. A couple of questions.

I asked to have a PSA pulled right before surgery, more for my own curiosity as to what the number is before they let the robot have his way with me. I was told by the surgical nurse NO. By email. Is this an unreasonable request? I haven't had my PSA pulled since before the biopsy on July 20.

The other question I asked is should they have a new Uro CT with contrast to confirm everything is still encapsulated given the largest of my three tumors is at the Apex both sides along the wall. It has had a few months to grow and I would think they would want to confirm for margin cutting where things were right before surgery. Also told NO. I have asked the same question of my Urologist that is doing the Lymph node removal. A different surgeon is doing the prostate removal. They tag team. Again, is this an unreasonable request? I have not heard back from my original Urologist.

In good news I am down 32 pounds. Still a bit over my target weight but I have three more weeks to get closer.

Thanks for input. Ready to have this done. These last three weeks are going to be a drag.

Don’t know why your surgical team refuses to send a blood sample for a PSA test, but why don’t you do it yourself a couple days earlier? You can order your own lab test in Indiana. I just did an online search, looks like it would run you around $60. I understand why you want it. In my case, my last pre-surgery PSA of 7.2 was four months before RALP. Some nomograms and other pronostics ask if your PSA was <10 before surgery, and I don’t feel like I really know the answer.

As to the CT, I can see why your surgeons don’t need it — they can adjust during the surgery to whatever they find. But do you need it before you sign consent to surgery? Would you choose RT over surgery if the PCa has broken through the capsule?

DmanIndy,
You and I are same age, birth year 1965. I had my RARP on November 2,2016 which is 2 years and few days before yours. I was incidentally diagnosed with Prostate Ca after having TURP.
Biopsy confirmed prostate Ca but with higher Gleson 7 (4+3) and it was multi focal.
My prostate was indenting my bladder and was chocking my bladder neck.
Thankfully, after RP I was downgraded to 3+4 with multiple lesions.
My PSA was never higher then 0.92.
MK

What mattamx said.
Spend the next 3 weeks getting into the best shape possible , it will help your recovery, and will divert your attention from worry. Also spend the next 3 weeks having lots of sex, if possible. Play the cancer card if you need it. It’s allowed for us.

As already suggested, just get your own PSA done for your own information. That is what I did. You might even find- depending on what you did to lose all that weight- find that your PSA has gone down. Mine did, for the first time in history, about 24%.

Of course, whether it goes down or goes up, you won't really know what it is telling you, even though with any treatment, going down is usually considered a good sign. But if you want to know, for whatever reason, what your actual # is right before treatment, then you can find out. Even if you have to do it mail order, such as through Life Extension. But recently there has been a lab here in town called something like "Any test, any time", all you have to do is go in and tell them what you want, no doctor's orders required.