Biopsy vs MRI Guided Biopsy

Well Gentlemen I am fresh home from my prostatectomy Done on afternoon of the 23rd . I stayed on mostly water diet the 24 hours prior to the surgery.
( robotic nerve sparring, lymph nodes looked healthy, done by highly reviewed Dr John Boon, Houston Methodist -Sugarland )
Only weird thing that happened was after the surgery my blood sugar shot up from my normal 80s to 175!!! They administered insulin and afterward it even came down on its own. They decided to keep me two nights because of concerns about my insulin returning. I was under some gas pains and felt like I had done 500 sit-ups LOL.. They sent me home yesterday 25th . with a stool softener for ease of Bowell movements I didn't want the hydrocodone because I am on a crusade against Tylenol and also I have Tramadol for when my grade 2 L5-S1 Spondylolthesis acts up. I slept in my recliner last night because it felt better straightening out flat on the bed. I slept good!! My wife is an angel at times like this (...ah actually she's always an angel to me.).. I had some darkening and swelling in my penis and scrotum. I weigh 136-145 pounds so the doctor was probably needing more room in my tiny tight flat abdomen plus I work out very hard and have probably challenging muscles to spread out and my trunk is so short he had to go it almost 2 inches ABOVE my naval and it probably was little more traumatic than a 230 lb man belly I was on the surgery table 3 1/2 hours and it seems like 3 seconds LOL. I am new to surgery and staying in hospitals so this is an adventure to. Boy was I relieved when I passed gas and had two BMs in a row. Now 7 days I will have the catheter removed and then in 3 months I will go to take my first blood labs to see what else has to be done. I will keep you posted and I may post this elsewhere because I am on more than one thread. And Again I can't tell how much I appreciate you Guys for being for me and helping guide myself to my own best choice in this matter
JimmyM73

Good job, Jimmy. Follow all your discharge instructions. Walking is an important activity to do without exaggerating it. Your important post-op pathology report should be ready when you have your cath out. When it is, be sure to get a copy of the complete report. It's an important document, even more so for us high-grade guys.

All the best for your recovery,

Djin

Hey Guys Here I am almost a month since my Robotic prostatectomy. I got all the way down to 128 lbs, which is my 1962 middle school weight !! I am now up to 133 and slowly climbing I hide the ice cream at 155! HaHaHa!! I am a little 5'8" small framed man. I am dry at night or anytime I am horizonal, like in my recliner and I don't have to sleep with any absorbent pads or diapers and usually get up 3 times a night to empty my small bladder.. I do drip at times when I lift, cough or laugh or sometimes if I am just standing in one place too long . On an average day in mostly vertical position I use one pad and one diaper and on a highly active day I have to change pads three times a day to stay comfy. I am looking into external condom caterers for some of my real busy days. I have sexual urges but cannot develop a "full size" yet, but regardless Dr said, " don't engage in any sexual activity until after a full 6 weeks" I have been using sildenafil for two years prior to surgery as an E.D. aid. I have very minor abdominal pain now and you can barely see my incisions !! All of this was pretty much expected. I try to walk at least 2 miles a day besides my normal yard and garden work, etc. I keeping all my lifting under 10 pounds. Eating good and drinking mostly 4 to 6 quarts of water a day. I am experimenting with 1 gram of fenbendazole and two caps of curcumin daily at least 4 days a week to " hopefully" reduce the existing PCa in my system until my first blood test in 3 months.(Prayers are welcome!) With Gleason Score 5+4=9 I am quite sure I am not outa the woods even though the Dr said the cancer didn't "break out" of the prostate shell. Post op Pathology agrees with Dr Epstein (I have you Guys to thank for that advice) . I am taking a break and going across Texas about 600 miles to the Davis mountains, pulling my RV next week to try to get my mind off of all of this Cancer stuff. Here again wanted to find the time to report my recovery for those here that follow my path to hopefully a cure and also to thank all of you that have given your heartfelt advice.

Well Fellas, here I am reporting after 3 months recovery from nerve sparing, DaVinci Prostate removal by Dr John Boon Houston Tx. I was pre-op & post-op 5+4=9, which did not break out of the prostate. I am doing well , I regained 15 pounds I lost post op, have very minor incontinence that usually requires one thin pad in my briefs daily and zero incontinence while sleeping right outa the gate, I am still suffering E.D. (but I an 73) and my PSA is <.01!! But I am still in a learning phase as I guess is the way it will be for some time yet .I still take daily Curcumin supplements , Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamin D3, Vitamin K a minor regimen of Fenbendazole (3 grams a week) My big question for now is ....According to everyone's experiences, will this <.01 PSA stay like this or is it gonna go up?? Did everyone experience this big drop on the first pre-op lab or am I just lucky??? A thanks to all of you for your Fellowship and advice, it is always appreciated. I have told a friend about this group who has been recently diagnosed also. OH.... And thanks halbert for the good wishes on my trifecta, 2 outa three turned out good and as far as the E.D. I am taking a daily 20 mg dose of Sildenafil to help blood flow down there and a daily vacuum therapy, until my nerves down there fully recover. Nerve sparing doesn't always mean that you are good to go immediately after surgery, because they have been traumatized from the operation after being totally undisturbed for 73 years ! There is no way I can ever thank all of you for you concern for helping me.
Thanks, JimmyM73

Hi Jimmy. Great job on completing your RP! One question: was your first post-op PSA <0.01 or <0.1?

The reason I ask is that most RP men have their very first PSA done with the standard PSA test used for men with prostates. It's lowest possible value is <0.1, which is that test's "undetectable" and the very good result you want to see post RP.

If your value was indeed <0.01, it means your doc ordered an ultrasensitive PSA test, which is what many of us high-Gleason men have in their years of follow-up. Being below 0.01 after surgery is a good statistical prognosticator of less risk for a future return of a rising PSA (BCR) followed by possible clinical recurrence.

Either result is excellent, but when guys write <.01 it is unclear to readers whether they (1) left off the leading zero and meant <0.01, or (2) misplaced the decimal point and meant <0.1. One value is, of course, ten times smaller than the other.

Congrats!

Djin

Oh!! One Thing ....I was wondering... I see a lot of folk here with pre treatment PSA like in the 50s and up to 80s mine never really reached much over 6.0 so it makes me wonder if that is an ANY indicator of my PSA moving back up off off the <0.01 or is the Score 9 the only known indicator of PSA going back up in the future???
Hi halbert , The beer sounds good but what country would I have to go to find that Brand LOL ??? (without Googling )
Always Thanks,
JimmyM73

Post Edited (JimmyM73) : 5/30/2021 12:25:04 PM (GMT-6)

halbert per your advice I did edit it to say PSA going back up.. Thanks Jimmy ( There a lot of terminology here that I am learning about . Especially all the acronyms ) BTW they don't seem to have that beer in Texas LOL

Hey Guys ...Just a heads up from the prostate removal operation done back on Feb 28 2021 . For the most part I am continent unless I pick up something weighing over 50 lbs and forget to breath out when I do it.. I do go sometimes up to 3 days without wearing a pad now. Sometimes I have a drip escape after a day of too much drinking or water melon LOL Now the E.D. does continue but keep in mind I an 74 and sorta heading that way before the operation. I use the vacuum pump to aid me in that dept. and Viagra. I hear the injection really work better but I don't like the price. I am still happy I did the removal as opposed to the radiation in my opinion and research. Happily married , hiking and skiing and enjoying life. This FYI to anyone considering treatment.

Good to hear from you Jim. Thanks for the update and good to hear that it is going well.
Michael