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Posted 5/20/2010 1:12 PM (GMT 0)
Hi V

 

The valium (and the forumites) will get you thru the biopsy if that is what you choose.

 

Ray

Posted 5/20/2010 2:52 PM (GMT 0)
2. What is his/her thought on comfort during the biopsy? Some men find that its "no big deal" but others have found the pain excruciating. I had IV anesthesia so it was a piece of cake for me. You might want to think about the comfort issue and address it with your doc.

Kind of surprised to read about the variance in discomfort.

There must be differences in how the procedure is done from doctor to doctor that accounts for the discomfort/pain difference..

Mine was close to the "no big deal" end of things. When the doctor explained the procedure to me prior to the biopsy, he described the pain/discomfort part and was dead on with his description. There was no "some find it not that big of a deal and some find it very painful" in his description.

Overall, out of a scale of 10, mine was a low 2 out of 10. Primarily discomfort and not pain.

Here is how mine went.

Doctor put the lanacaine (painkiller) covered probe (with the ultrasound) in and it didn't feel much different than the digital exam. Uncomfortable but not painful.

Once lanacaine numbed me, the doctor injected the real pain killer into the rectum wall-3 or 4 injections. It stung a little bit kind of like a novacaine shot at the dentist office. Still not bad. This was the only painfull part and it was more of a short sting.

Then a short wait while the anesthetic took effect. I think this is when the doctor took the ultrasound pictures.

Then doctor did the biopsy. There was a snapping noise as the biopsy was taken, that sort of startled me a little bit, but it was not painful.

Probably the procedure took 15 minutes, maybe 20 tops.

A minute or two after the procedure ended my penis burned a little bit-not really that bad but noticeable.

This subsided in about two hours.

A little blood in urine and BM the 1st day. Blood in semen for about 3 weeks.

Do others experiences with biopsy differ? I assumed it would be about the same for everybody.
Posted 5/20/2010 6:27 PM (GMT 0)
Called today.... going for the valium smilewinkgrin
Posted 5/21/2010 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
To my new found "Brothers"......  Ok guys, going for the biopsy Tuesday  5/25.... got my Cefzil, Cipro and last but not least  VALIUM.... that will hopefully take the edge off at least an hour before I go in...

I'll let you all know how it goes... (Not that you all don't have your own experience).....I asked for only 2 but my Doc said he'll give me 20.... guess he thinks I'm gonna need them while I wait for the results.

Posted 5/21/2010 3:05 AM (GMT 0)

Best of luck V

Please keep us posted -

Ray

Posted 5/22/2010 4:13 PM (GMT 0)
Mainly discomfort for me but then I've had a colonoscopy with one oral valium pill. I watched it on a monitor with the doctor.
Posted 5/22/2010 11:36 PM (GMT 0)
April6th,

Since you ask, yes, I found my biopsy to be quite painful. Very much like having dental work, which I'd done the previous week. In the case of the dental work (a crown), the dentist remarked that he probably had not hit the right nerve the first time, and gave me another injection, which helped. I think my uro didn't hit the right nerves either, but apparently another injection was not an option. Maybe my neural anatomy is just odd. Anyway, no more prostate biopsies for me, since that sucker is gone.

DJ
Posted 5/23/2010 2:51 AM (GMT 0)
I also wonder why more people do not ask for some sort of sedation (eg, versed & fentanyl) for biopsy. Probably nobody tells them that it is an option.
Posted 5/23/2010 2:11 PM (GMT 0)

regal1945 said...
Why would anyone go thru that without being put to sleep? Also why all the surgery when there are just as good options and may have fewer side affects. Just asking why as it baffles me.

Not an option for me... Insurance did not cover IV Anesthesia for this procedure.... but I do have valium

Posted 5/23/2010 4:39 PM (GMT 0)

I  went the sedation route. That seems like the best way to go as plenty of folks found the biopsy agonizing!

In my case, they had an OR opening about a week before any other openings, so I got mine done quicker.

Mel

Posted 5/23/2010 5:00 PM (GMT 0)
My uro did not mention pain or even discomfort as being a possibility.

Afterwards when I asked the nurse said that pain relief or aneasthetic wasn't even possible!

This has been my only complaint re the way I've been dealt with, because well it was painful.\

So I'm glad you're getting something sorted.

Alfred
Posted 5/23/2010 5:15 PM (GMT 0)
I won't say the 12-core biopsy wasn't painful, but the stress of the PCa supposed diagnosis made it worse than it needed to be.

I sat at the office for a while to be sure I wasn't going to fall over, then drove myself home. If I had been forced to arrange to find someone to drive me, I would not have gotten it done as soon, and the whole process would have extended for months, it turned out later. I accidentally fell into a scheme of immediate hospital and robot availability that was originally projected to need a 6 month wait.

Don't say take a taxi - asked about that, but in my state most physicians will not allow you to leave in a taxi after any sedative treatment - same in many other states as well. It is a legal issue of responsibility.
Posted 5/25/2010 10:41 PM (GMT 0)
Ok boys..... came back from the biopsy today. Results on Tues 6/1/10.  Funny enough, the only pain was the third lidocaine injection and the last 2 out of 12 samples taken... and at that on a scale from 1-10....it was a 7.  No pain at all for the first 10 samples which surprised the hell out of me.  Was sore when I got home, felt like I had a boot in my butt..... third time to the bathroom was crystal  clear.
Tylenol took the edge off the soreness and two hours later it was like it never happened.  Thanks AGAIN to everyone here for the support.
I'll be posting the results next week.
Posted 5/26/2010 1:54 AM (GMT 0)
Glad it went well for you.  I think that the great majority of biopsies are as you describe.

Personally, I prefer pain to sedation. Sedation of most kinds make me sick for at least a day.  I rarely go home from out patient procedures because of nausea and vomiting.

So I do colonoscopies, cystoscopes, even uretoscope without ansthesia. 

Probably another thing is I hate being out of control.

Good luck on your journey.

Posted 5/26/2010 12:25 PM (GMT 0)
I went though the same dilemma myself earlier this year. I am 48 and my father and uncle died of Pca around 60.
My PSA was between 1 and 2 for past few years and free PSA dropped to 18 this year. The doc felt a nodule and was scheduled for a biopsy.
Much feared risk of sepsis happened to me. Was in ICU for 7 days and was a very frightening experience.

Make sure the doc gives you general anesthisa and lots of of pre post biopsy antibiotics. I did not have either so lesson learned,

The biopsy came positive and am scheduled for robotic surgery next month.
My suggestion is instead for deliberating, get the biopsy with the hope all is good and you can put this all behind
Posted 5/26/2010 12:38 PM (GMT 0)

chitown said...
I went though the same dilemma myself earlier this year. I am 48 and my father and uncle died of Pca around 60.
My PSA was between 1 and 2 for past few years and free PSA dropped to 18 this year. The doc felt a nodule and was scheduled for a biopsy.
Much feared risk of sepsis happened to me. Was in ICU for 7 days and was a very frightening experience.

Make sure the doc gives you general anesthisa and lots of of pre post biopsy antibiotics. I did not have either so lesson learned,

The biopsy came positive and am scheduled for robotic surgery next month.
My suggestion is instead for deliberating, get the biopsy with the hope all is good and you can put this all behind

Thanks Chitown... actually had the biopsy yesterday, waiting for results by next Tuesday. I've been taking Cipro & Cefzil for the last 3 days and will be continuing for the next 4.  My DRE came back ok, Doc didn't feel a thing and the ultrasound looked good.  Good luck with your surgery, hope all goes well.

Posted 5/26/2010 12:56 PM (GMT 0)
I am gettin tons of good info. from you all.................my husband just had his biopsy yesterday....how long for results??
thank you
Posted 5/26/2010 2:52 PM (GMT 0)

girl1 said...
I am gettin tons of good info. from you all.................my husband just had his biopsy yesterday....how long for results??
thank you

It all depends on your URO and tha Lab.... I'll be getting mine in 1 week.  How old is your husband?

Posted 5/26/2010 7:44 PM (GMT 0)
Only thing I might add is regarding the biopsy.  I went in sick to my stomach with fear of the unknown. But, it was not too bad!  For me, instrument insertion was VERY uncomfortable - but not painful. I think the doc sprayed the P with a numbing agent, since I had no pain at all with the 'bites'.   As one poster noted, do consult with the doc as to the number of specimens. I had 16 bites taken, which I consider much wiser than the past benchmark of 6 or 8.
Posted 5/27/2010 2:55 AM (GMT 0)
Once you get your biopsy results, you can also have the slides sent to another lab for a second opinion. I sent mine to Johns Hopkins. It was covered by my insurance.

Bill

Posted 5/27/2010 7:14 AM (GMT 0)
I got my biopsy results a week later.
An appointment to see the uro to be told the results was arranged on the day of the biopsy. These are not the sort of results you want to be told on the phone. As whatever the results you will have questions etc that need a face to face conversation to be handled properly.

It takes a while as the tissue gets prepared, the slides get examined in their natural state, then they get stained and left and then get re-examined once the stain has done its work.

As for the pain level, on a scale of 10 I'd give it an 11. I nearly bit off my tongue. I've had teeth drilled without anaesthetic that was less painful than the biopsy. It took me about ten minutes to get to my feet and get dressed afterwards even wityh help. (That was why I mentioned earlier that I was astounded that pain relief was not available. (I would not have welcomed the idea that I might have needed to repeat the biopsy six months later)

I was also told I wouldn't be able to drive after the biopsy, as for taxis there are taxi companies here that are given the okay by both the hospitals and the insurance firms. I actually walked to and from my biopsy as it was done at a hospital close by in the Hague; (that hospital referrred me to the hospital in Amsterdam). It took about ten minutes to walk there and twenty to get home, but I think that moving the parts around and not sitting on them helped. I felt shattered that afternoon, but a short sleep with some paracetamol (tylenol) made things okay again.
No infection. No blood in BMs, a little blood in pee for two days and lots of blood in semen for about 4 weeks (semen red then brown then just dirty looking)

Hope your results provide answers.

Alfred
Posted 6/2/2010 1:35 AM (GMT 0)

corvetteman3 said...
V, Like you long family history. When I had a PSA jump went to see the URO. He recomended a biopsy and I agreed. Was not real surprised with the positive results.

I made the decision at that point to get it out. The rest is history.

Do the biopsy. Hope it comes back negative if not we will be here to help you through the dance.

Cajun Jeff

Got my results today,,,,, Did you want to lead on the first dance??

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