Not good news on Friday the 13th

Last week I posted with questions about my 47 yr old husband's PSA of 9.52 and received very helpful information and support--thank you!

Today he had his PSA re-drawn, and it's not like I was expecting a miracle or anything, so his PSA of 8.24 was hardly a surprise, but the free PSA was only 6%, and his PA was concerned enough to call us immediately with the results and inform us that my husband has a slightly greater than 50% chance of having Ca. 

Hopefully we will hear from the urologist's office on Monday to set up an appointment for a biopsy ASAP.

I'm not generally given to pity-parties, but I'm having a hard time keeping my spirits up tonight.  We have 6 children, all 18 and younger, and the 18 yr old was just diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (serious arthritic type of disease that causes joint destruction and is incurable, although thankfully they do have better treatments these days to slow the progression).  Moreover, I have Crohn's disease which is given to flares when I under stress, and we are in a financial mess due to my husband being laid off last year.  You know those families that just seem so unhealthy and to have such constant issues that you have to wonder if they are just a bunch of hypochondriacs?  Well, I am beginning to think that's what we are going to look like to our community.  Talk about humbling.

Okay, enough of Debbie Downer.  On the bright side, I have a good solid job and health insurance (huge!) and actually just interviewed today with a fabulous young company with a lot of great opportunities.  Moreover, we have a very strong marriage and are the best of friends, so if we have to go through crap, at least we know we can always rely on each other.

Thanks for letting me wallow for a bit.   Some very good friends are coming over in a few minutes to sit by the roaring fire and drink wine and hopefully forget about our troubles for a while.

I'll keep you guys updated, and once again I really appreciate having a place like this to come to learn from others' hard-earned experiences. 

Good health vibes to all!

Welcome to HW.

Most of us remember hearing about our PC, (not saying you have it yet), and the myriad of thoughts that went though our mind.

I guess fortunately, PC is a relatively slow progressing disease, and you have sone time to make decisions, and get treatments. You and your husband and kids still have many years to enjoy each other. Odds are good that your husband will still be around when the nest is empty.

Educate yourselves. There are many good books and Internet resources. Keep a log of your doctor visits, lab reports, and be sure and get second opinions on biopsy slides, and any other pathology.

Hopefully your husband will join us here and get involved. It will be good for him.

Best of luck to you. You can whine here any time.

Glad you found this forum. I’ve gotten a lot of good information, encouragement, and support from the people here. They are very knowledgeable and caring. It’s a good source of information on a patient to patient basis.

An excellent book to read is “Dr. Patrick Walsh’s Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer”. It has chapters on screening and detection and talks about the biopsy and how to interpret the results. Two other books often mentioned on this site are “A Primer on Prostate Cancer” by Dr. Strum and “Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers” by Dr. Scholz and Ralph Blum

I would also encourage you to get a second opinion on your biopsy slides. My slides got slightly upgraded, but I’ve also heard of the pathology results being downgraded. The experts most often mentioned on the forum are Dr. Epstein at Johns Hopkins and Bostwick Labs.

Keep us posted. Good luck!

6X, there are many of us that understand your role as a wife and having younger children.  We welcome you to a place you'd rather not be.  I always say my husband is afraid of the computer.  He doesn't post here, but will read or read the notes I've taken.  So, my first bit of advice is to research and understand what you may be dealing with.  These books are available at the Library for you to see what helps you and your husband.  Octorobo is correct, often a round of Cipro (antibiotics) is given.  The main thing is to find an experienced doctor whom you trust.

This is a shared journey and I know your husband will appreciate your support and knowledge.  You have a lot going on in your life regarding health issues.  No need to apologize for being a Debbie Downer.  Our bodies can handle so much stress but then you need some relief.  I was just as anxious after the biopsies.  After that, there might be decisions to make.  I pray that you will have help as you and your husband make decisions on his health care.  Six children and working?  You certainly have your hands full.  I wish you and your husband the best, and please return to let us know how things are going!

Much blessings,

Aimzee

There is a lot on your plate, so you are entitled to Debbie Downer moments. Hope that good news will be coming your way soon so please keep us posted.
Michael

6X,

Just want to let you know that you are not alone. I too am a wife and I just walked out what you are going through now. You will make it! The initial elevated PSA, meeting with Urologist, re-testing the PSA, the biopsy, and then waiting on biopsy results were a very stressful time. Easier said than done, but please do try not to stress all the time, and remember it may not be PC. Hopefully, you will have moments of strength and peace even in the midst of what you are going through. For me, I used prayer, and the prayer of friends and family to help me/us cope with the rollercoaster. Praying your hubby does not have PC, but I will say finding out what was finally going on took me off the not knowing drama. I felt like, "okay, now we know, let's deal with it".

Peace to you and your family.

walkbyfaith