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Posted 4/24/2011 12:56 PM (GMT 0)
 hi everybody,

i am coming to this forum after i didn`t anyone to talk with about this problem, my dad had a PSA test witch came back at level 13, he went to see a specailist and he did a DRE and found that the prostate felt very hard, so he suspected a prostate cancer, and asked hom for a biopsy.

Schould  my dad go for a biopsy or just repeat the PSA test again, please please please i need your advice, i am feeling very bad.

thank you

Posted 4/24/2011 1:22 PM (GMT 0)
I'd have the Biopsy. 

Best of Luck

Hero

Posted 4/24/2011 1:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hello and welcome,

With a PSA of 13 and a positive DRE, I would most definitely reccomend your father having the biopsy.

Good luck to both of you and please keep us posted

David in SC
Posted 4/24/2011 1:38 PM (GMT 0)
Laila, your father should certainly follow the doctor's recommendation and have the biopsy, but please try to calm down and realize that (1) this doesn't mean he has cancer, and (2) even if he does, there are usually very effectiive treatment options for prostate cancer detected early.  Enjoy your Easter Sunday with your father and worry about the biopsy tomorrow.
Posted 4/24/2011 5:20 PM (GMT 0)
Laila, there are two options, each with two possible outcomes. One is that he doesn't do the biospy and doesn't have cancer, and so that's that. Two is that he doesn't do the biopsy and has cancer, and in ten/fifteen years you may really regret it. Three is he has the biopsy and doesn't have cancer, and so that's that. Four is he has the biospy, has cancer, gets treated and you're the happiest person around.

Seems like a no-brainer choice to me. Go for it! Or, rather, have him go for it.

Sheldon AKA Sleepless
Posted 4/24/2011 7:31 PM (GMT 0)
But FIRST...Sometimes an INFECTED prostate can feel hard during a DRE..A two week run of antibiotics and a repeat PSA test to see if there is a dramatic drop before the biopsy won't hurt anything..Ask the Urologist about that..

How old is your Dad?
Posted 4/24/2011 7:49 PM (GMT 0)
hello thanks for your answers
he wasn`t going to do it, but after what you all told me, i begged him to go tomorow to the doctor and do it
thank you hero, David,Clocknut,Sheldon AKA Sleepless
Fairwind, my dad is 56,the urologist said that he can`t give him anything unless he does the biopsy,
my dad is very scared, PLEASE which him luck
Posted 4/24/2011 8:43 PM (GMT 0)
There is no harm in a biopsy. It is a relatively painless, low risk procedure that is usually done in the doctor's office.

The information it provides however, is a very valuable diagnostic tool. it will be important in determining what your next course of action should be.

Good luck to both of you in your journey. Welcome to Healing Well.
Posted 4/24/2011 9:17 PM (GMT 0)

Laila, it's natural that you and your father are very scared right now. We've all been there.  The possibility of a cancer diagnosis can hit like a ton of bricks.

If he's a computer kind of guy, you might ask him to browse around on this site.  As you'll notice, you can visit various pages and look at the different threads going a long way back (442 pages showing on my computer right now).  You can also use the search function to find discussions of particular topics (e.g., "biopsy").  I would hope he might find it reassuring that so many effective treatments are available for prostate cancer found early. 

And, please emphasize again that it's still only a "possibility" that he has prostate cancer.  The biopsy should either rule it in or rule it out. 

I hope he also realizes what a lucky Dad he is to have someone as concerned for his well-being as you obviously are.  Please keep in touch and let us know how things are going, and if he wants to start posting here himself, we'd love to hear from him.

Posted 4/24/2011 9:17 PM (GMT 0)
Hey, everyone here knows how scary this whole PC thing can be and so you have our sympathy and understanding. Look at the top of the topics list and find good advice about everything having to do with PC.

A Gleason score of 13 is not bad but almost everyone would agree that it is time for a biopsy so your dad has a better idea of what is going on. PC is generally slow and there are lots of treatment choices so there is both time to learn and much to learn about. Your dad is lucky to have you at his side through this.
Posted 4/24/2011 10:07 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Laila,
Welcome to Healing Well.

Your Dad and I have/had similar stats. I was 56 and my first PSA was 17.8. Only I was not scared a bit. Why? Because I was too dumb to know if that was a high number or a low one. "What's a PSA?"
It's OK to be a little scared. That means he is a whole late smarter than I was.

The biopsy results will help you decide what needs to be done next.
Git 'er done.

Jeff
Posted 4/24/2011 10:37 PM (GMT 0)

If your Pop isn't "an online kind of guy" send one of us an email...I'm sure several would happy to give him a call.

Best of Luck.

Hero

Posted 4/25/2011 1:13 AM (GMT 0)
Laila, a PSA of 13 indicates that there is some kind of a problem but it is not a diagnosis of cancer. A biopsy will provide much information about what is going on and help to determine what to do next. When facing an unknown problem like this, it is easy to get a feeling of being alone. Please remember that all of us here have been down that road and understand how important it is to have someone to talk to.
Posted 4/25/2011 1:49 AM (GMT 0)
Laila, I am one of the smartest people you'll ever meet on the net, and I'm not only honest about my amazing brain computing power, I'm modest to boot. In other words, quite perfect.

However, sometimes I slip a cog, just to prove I'm human I suppose, and as Fairwind so ably pointed out, I made a wee slip in my advice above. His "But FIRST ...," is excellent advice.

Normally, I'd not draw attention to my cog slipping (I have a wife, children, and grandchildren to do that!) but in this case I raise it as I was concerned about your reply ---- that the urologist can't give him anything without a biopsy first. Seems strange to me. Perhaps others here more able than I can comment. My concern is your dad having a urologist pushing to a biopsy when some drugs might, just might, resolve the PSA issue.

I do hope you'll keep us posted on what he does and how it turns out.

Sheldon AKA Sleepless
Posted 4/25/2011 10:56 AM (GMT 0)
thanks everybody, i live so far from dad, and i am in touch with him just by phone, as i can`t travel to be with him at the moment, i can`t believe what`s happening, he didn`t suffer from any symptoms and he just got employed by one compagny witch sent him for a blood test before starting work, the next day they call him to say he can`t get the job and he has to go see a doctor,
Posted 4/25/2011 2:47 PM (GMT 0)
Laila,
That is almost how I found my PCa. I, too, had no symptoms. My company changed insurance and they required a blood test. A week later I received the letter saying they would not insure me and I should see my doctor. I am convinced that test saved my life.
Not sure if I should love them or hate them.
Your dad should consider himself lucky. (I do.)
Jeff
Posted 4/25/2011 2:55 PM (GMT 0)
as you said we don`t know if we should love or hate them, is PC curable, or the treatment used is just to stop it growing?
Posted 4/25/2011 3:05 PM (GMT 0)

To be considered "curable," prostate cancer needs to be caught early, while it's still contained in the prostate "capsule." If it advances beyond that stage, it's "treatable," but not "curable."   Remember, it's not even certain at this point that your father has prostate cancer.  Only the biopsy can determine that.  There are other conditions that can cause the prostate to feel hard and which can cause an elevated PSA reading.

If it does turn out that he has prostate cancer, and even if it's apparently contained in the prostate, he will need PSA tests regularly for the rest of his life to look for any rise in the PSA, which would signal a likely return of the cancer.  We use the term "cured," but we're always aware that cancer may recur years down the road, and so we always keep a close eye on the PSA level .  In any case, he needs to find out what's going on.

Posted 4/25/2011 3:06 PM (GMT 0)
Laila,
I had my rotten prostate removed 21 months ago and my PSA has been less than 0.1 since then. (Actually <0.01) I say I am cured. But, the only way to know for sure is to die from something else. :-)

If your dad wants to talk he can contact me. My email is turned on.

I have a bit of advice for you. I don't think there is a man on the planet who feels comfortable discussing his private parts with his daughter. We all know our parent have genitals and have sex at least once in their lives but we don't like to think about it.
Go easy on him and give him some space. ;-)

Jeff
Posted 4/25/2011 4:30 PM (GMT 0)
welcome laila,

A biospy may give a good deal of clarity about your dad's situation, and clarity will help stop you worrying quite so much regardless o0f what type of news you get.
It is however important not to have repeat PSA tests at the wrong time. Various things sucha s DRE biopsy, sex, bike riding infections etc will make the PSA go up, so you either have the test before doing them or you have to wait a while after "irritating" the prostate to let it recover. After an infecvtion or a biopsy you may need to wait several weeks for the PSA to settle down.

Does your dad have access to a computer? He may find it an easier way to find things out in private if it's difficult to talk about intimate details etc.

Best wishes

Alf
Posted 4/25/2011 4:58 PM (GMT 0)
Get the bi-op. Some on here say yea or no to pain meds. Have him ask about being put in a "twilight" state during the bi-op, no pain, nothing. Won't even remember having the darn thing, no recovery room, nothing like that just a few good drugs and presto, 21st century, why put up with it if you don't have to.
Posted 4/25/2011 9:21 PM (GMT 0)
i asked him about what doctor said, and he said that he was concerned because the prostate felt very hard from the outside, this why he suspected prostate cancer, and order a biopsie, idon`t know what to think.
Posted 4/26/2011 12:42 AM (GMT 0)
The "twilight" med is THE way to go for a biopsy, in my humble opinion.
Posted 4/26/2011 9:14 PM (GMT 0)
thanks to everyone.
Jeff i am happy that you are fine now, i hope you all a long life with a very good health
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