Video 2 - Knowing your PSA level - Prostate Cancer Story
Vložit
- čas přidán 22. 01. 2018
- This video focuses on the importance of understanding your individual PSA level and how that information can help you manage your risk for prostate cancer. I am advocating that you test your PSA level before the age of 50. As a 43 year old who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, knowing my PSA level saved my life.
Just found your video, I’ve been diagnosed with prostrate cancer at the age of 40. I will be watching your journey to help me through mine.
I hope my video can help you. Best wishes and keep fighting.
Hey i brother, I'm going threw the same thing, I had my robotic surgery and had my prostate removal 8 weeks ago, I'm feeling better but I'm still having some inconence issue it's slowly getting better, I pray every day for it to get better, and I will pray for you also stay strong and get well thank you for the video
Best wishes. I struggled with incontinence as well for weeks. I just stuck to my exercises and today have almost no leakage at all. Stay with it and best wishes.
Hi Chris, I wonder why you didn’t get the MRI Prostate first before getting the biopsy. I understand without the MRI result would be hard for your Urologist to pinpoint exact locations of the lesions or tumors.
It was a personal choice. I wanted to proceed with the biopsy asap and the MRI approval from insurance was taking a while.
@@chrishartley6966 Thanks Chris. Looking back, would you rather have radiation therapy than surgery? Radiation therapy has other options for relapse. But still it’s your choice depending on the severity of your case.
Just diagnoses with Gleason 6 2 out 12 cores at 55. If your PSA comes pack higher than normal your primary will or should send for a follow up re-test about eight weeks later. As soon as my second PSA retest came back at 3.97 (high for a 55 year old) and my Urology appt. was scheduled, I did a bit of research and the 3T Multiparametric MRI was recommended by many prior to a TRUS Biopsy. So during my Urology visit the Doc did a DRE and said he did not feel any lumps but confirmed I had an enlarged prostate which goes back to my 2013 diagnoses of BPH. He then proceeded to say he was going to setup a in office biopsy date however I requested a 3T Multiparametric MRI be done first. He agreed that was a better way to go as the first step but also said that he usually just goes strait to TRUS biopsy as some insurance wont pay for a MRI as a first test. I said I'd pay out of my own pocket so no worries however my Insurance did end up paying a portion as it was out of network without my deductible being started for the year so my portion around $650 which included the reading.
I highly recommend that you do your research and push for a 3T Multiparametric MRI prior to biopsy even if you have to pay for it out of your own pocket if you can. It ill be the best money you ever spend. So my MRI report came back with no suspicions findings however it even says on the report notes that 3T Multiparametric MRI is not sensitive in picking up lower grade Gleason 3+3=6 disease.
In Europe, a prostate MRI is the "gold standard" meaning if your MRI shows nothing, no biopsy and your done. US physicians are not in agreement with this and still favor a follow up TRUS biopsy. In those with detected suspicions lesions, the MRI can be overlaid in the TRUS software for a guided biopsy although random samples will still be obtained of the whole prostate. In my case, the MRI did not show anything which initially surprised me given the evidence of 3T MP Prostate MRI in early detection but later learning early stage small cancers can be missed.
Just a note for those who's insurance wont pay, there are imaging centers known for charging substantially less for CT's and MRI's tests for this exact purpose of people having to pay out of pocket. The place he referred me to for the MRI is such a place so If I did end up having to pay for the whole thing it would have been around $1,600 rather than the $3,000 some large hospitals charge.
@@24hourgmtchannel64 Just curious, are you on active surveillance now, or did you have some kind of treatment?
@@bb3b644 I was trying to get comfortable with active surveillance and my initial diagnoses doctor really pushed it hard over any kind of treatment. Statistically he was not wrong however the wait and see kept knawing at me so I got a second opinion at NW in Chicago and he like the first doctor said I was a candidate for AS but in our coversation also said it was not long ago when all G6’s were in OR shortly after diagnoses. He said he'd support me in either direction I choose. Two things pushed me towards addressing it now and that was the factor of dealing with it while low grade, contained and the other that really pushed me over the edge was a comment from someone on a support forum who had very similar low G6 numbers as mine and nothing detectable on MRI. He decided on a RP and his doctor told him it was a wise choice after waking up as he could see the tumor very close and nearly breaching the outer wall which was not seen on MRI so of course he was happy with his decisssion to treat. When diagnosed most of us research and learn that confirmed grade on either MRI or biopsy is not given and that a higher grade can be missed. We also learn that final determination isn’t until the prostate is out and in pathology. With all this back and fourth in my mind I decided to have it removed and had it done October last year. My outcome so far was 98% content by month one and around Month 5 I was 90% with erections without drugs and still improving. After recently seeing one of my favorite actors William Hurt die from this disease I consider myself very fortunate. Final pathology report showed 1% involvement total with only G6 so my doctor said he was confident of full recovery but that will never lesson the nervousness of each 3-6 month followup PSA’s.
What kind of doctor would not insist on an MRI before the biopsy! Wtf! You can have such better accuracy with MRI guiding the needles.