derry argue

Lois,

Your husband is a lucky man to have you as a wife!

I have had two biopsies and have a PSA of 9. I, too, found the first biopsy
unpleasant and asked for an anaesthetic the second time around. I would
strongly recommend your husband goes this route next time as I did not know
a thing about it until I woke up.

BTW, the PSA is an indication only. I was worried, of course, but have now
been declared free of cancer for the second time and hope to have the
operation (PVP) in the next few weeks. There can apparently be many reasons
for a high PSA but it is wise to have the biopsy to check.

I suspect some of your husband's symptoms may be due to the side effects of
Flomax which I am also on. The medication does what it says but posters
here have described various side effects including mood altering. One thing
that has come out in our discussions is that not everyone experiences the
same things with BPH.

Good luck and I hope everything turns out OK.

Derry

judamd@aol.com (dave

Lois, tell hubby he probably does not have advanced cancer. Advanced
cancer usually has PSA readings in the hundreds, even thousands. I
have an acquaintance with a PSA of 23 and nothing on the biopsy or
bone scans. I'm not sure how high the PSA's go only with prostate
enlargement so it is possible he does have some cancer but the fact
that nothing was noted on the ultrasound is certainly good news. My
urologist saw right away I had a tumor on ultrasound which turned out
to be cancer even though my DRE was negative.

Now, what is the worse case? He might have prostate cancer and if he
does he should be made aware that of all the cancers one can get,
prostate cancer is one of the friendliest. With many other cancers,
the patient can expect to be dead in six months with or without
treatment. However, with prostate cancer, even with no treatment at
all, most men live many, many years and treatment (either surgery or
radiation)has a very high cure (not delay but actual cure) rate. A
non-smoking man my age (60) with excellent cardiovascular numbers as I
have has a 10% chance of death from a heart attack within 10 years,
much higher than the few percent chance of dying from prostate cancer
after treatment yet everyone focuses on the cancer giving no thought
to the more likely heart attack. Always remember that even though
many men are diagnosed with prostate cancer something like only 1 in
10 of those diagnosed ever die of it and that doesn't include the many
who have it and never know they have it. I think your husband has
probably been pretty healthy all of his life and now to be suddenly
clobbered by colon polyps and then a high PSA is more than he can bear
causing him to think the end is in sight. His biopsy may not show
anything but if it does, there are plenty of good options open to him
for treatment and he can expect a full recovery.

Keep us posted on what develops, here's hoping it's all good news.
Dave Perry

bnd777

Providing all the proper tests are done and an op done to remove the
prostrate if nessecary as its been caught early it should be fine
I know someone who had same thing 15 yrs ago and he is great they did a
Prostatectomy and got the lot

leonard evens

Your husband is certainly a worrier. I have gone through phases where
I did the same sort of thing. In my case, I realized that I was trying
to prepare myself for the worst case. The more I thought about it, the
harder it got. The problem is that you can't prepare yourself in
advance for such things, and moreover there is no point in trying. Most
likely, it won't occur, and if you obsess about it, you are just going
to make yourself unhappy. It is better to assume the best and only
attend to the worst if it actually happens.

As far as the details of his situation are concerned, I agree with the
others. He almost certainly doesn't have advanced prostate cancer. All
his symptoms have much more likely explanations. It is even more likely
than not that he doesn't have prostate cancer at all. If he does, it
is likely to be at a treatable stage. In addition, at his age, the
treatment is less likely to have serious side effects.

gadesta@totcon.com (chris

Your husband if very, very lucky to have you to keep a level head. But you
will have a difficult time to convince him to calm down and not worry until
there is something to worry about.

I have been where he has been and more. This month marks my 6-year
anniversary of being cancer free after having colon cancer.

Then too, I have currently got a PSA of 18.75, but it is due to a large
prostate. I know this because I have had two biopsies in the previouse years.
Both showed negative.

My uro has suggested that I have a TURP or a TUNA, but I'm not ready in spite
of the visits at night to the bathroom. I had been taking Proscar for 5
years. It did reduce the PSA, but it had side effects that I didn't care for,
so I stopped taking it.

I am scheduled for a cystoscopy next week. Depending to the results, I am
strongly considering contacting the doctor in St. Augustine, Florida to
schedule a PVP.

Whatever you both choose as your solution, do it with full confidence in the
doctor(s), hospital, etc. You might not succeed in infusing a positive
approach in your husband, but try to keep yours. Good luck to your both.

Regards,
Chris

firechief

At least one member of the family is remaining level-headed.

Fellows have been writing in here and in sci.med.prostate.cancer
about their mid- to high-hundreds PSA results. While 12.4 is
considered above normal, it is not a death certificate. And there
are many other things, other activities, which could produce an
above average test result. Did the urologist tell your husband
to avoid *** before the test?

I cut-and-paste these two sentences so you can see the
relationship between erectile disfunction and Flomax. I was
unable to tell if he he's had the problem for a long time or
just since taking Flomax.

Tamsulosin hydrochlorideTamsulosin hydrochloride
Tamsulosin hydrochloride (Flomax)
Tamsulosin hydrochloride
(tam-SOO-loh-sin)
Pregnancy Category: B Flomax (Rx)

Classification: Alpha-1 adrenergic blocking agent

Action/Kinetics: Blockade of alpha-1 receptors (probably alpha1A) in
prostate
results in relaxation of smooth muscles in bladder neck and prostate; thus,
urine flow rate is improved and there is a decrease in symptoms of BPH. Food
interferes with the rate of absorption. t1/2, elimination: 5-7 hr.
Significantly
bound to plasma proteins. Extensively metabolized in liver; excreted through
urine and feces.

Uses: Treatment of signs and symptoms of BPH. Rule out prostatic carcinoma
before using tamsulosin.

Contraindications: Use to treat hypertension, with other alpha-adrenergic
blocking agents, or in women or children.

Special Concerns: Use with caution with concurrent administration of
warfarin.

Side Effects: Body as a whole: Headache, infection, asthenia, back pain,
chest
pain. CV: Postural hypotension, syncope. GI: Diarrhea, nausea, tooth
disorder.
CNS: Dizziness, vertigo, somnolence, insomnia, decreased libido.
Respiratory:
Rhinitis, pharyngitis, increased cough, sinusitis. GU: Abnormal ejaculation.
Miscellaneous: Amblyopia.

Overdose Management: Symptoms: Hypotension. Treatment: Keep client in supine
position to restore BP and normalize HR. If this is inadequate, consider IV
fluids. Vasopressors may also be used; monitor renal function.

Drug Interactions: Cimetidine causes significant (something lost in
download)
in clearance of tamsulosin.

How Supplied: Capsules: 0.4 mg

Dosage
Capsules Benign prostatic hypertrophy.
Adult males: 0.4 mg daily given about 30 min after same meal each day. If,
after
2 to 4 weeks, clients have not responded, dose can be increased to 0.8 mg
daily.

don

I suffered with bph for several years. Prior to having a TURP at age 68
in 98, my psa went from 4 to 17. It has never been less than 4. I had
several biopsies during this period, all negative. After having the
TURP, my psa dropped back to 4 and has been there since. My urologist
says this is fairly common in people with enlarged prostates. This
could very likely be the reason for your husband's high psa. Let's hope
it is.

Don

martin howard

Lois, what is a high PSA? Mine last month was 439!!

Yet I feel well. Yes the cancer had spread to lumbar 1, but by diet, herbs,
supplements, fasting, urine therapy and other methods I have stopped it
spreading further and my urinary functions seem to be getting back to
normal.
No cutting, poison, radiation etc.

It is slow, slower than I thought it would be. But then I always assume I
can do a job in half the time it really takes.

I am even enjoying this journey through cancer. But then as a Quaker I
welcome personal experience, changes in life etc. To others they can be
alarming. It all depends on how you view change, as a friend or enemy.

--
Martin Howard
Webbs Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Es*** CM7 5DZ
01371 850 423
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
http://www.webbscottage.co.uk
Updated 19th April 2003

bnd777

Good Luck Lois


news:<7ede468b.0307030657.50897df4@posting.google. com>...

jack

Great news Steven! Now go on vacation, relax and have fun.

A word or two of advice before the next blood sample for the PSA.
Don't do anything that might inflame, disturb, inflate or otherwise
irritate your prostate. Such as ride the motorcycle for the week
before, ride a bicycle for trips, over a mile, have a DRE exam, or
some us even say ejaculate for the four days before the blood is
drawn.

I had a doc do a DRE, liked to kill me, thought he was trying to
squash my prostate. Anyway then had blood drawn for the PSA and it
was double my last number, 3.6 to 7.1. Had another PSA test three
weeks later, 3.8.

Jack


The

everyone

PSA/