A couple of questions

[mccrosti]

Hi All,

Good to find a board where you can get good solid info. Here is my story. I am 56 and was diagnosed with BPH four years ago. Have accompanying ED along with it. Had a biopsy in 08 to determine I was cancer free. Fast forward to the present and I am seeing a VA doc who did a free floating PSA and determined that I had a score of 8 and my FF was 15. Now he wants to do another biopsy. Anyone here been through this like me? What were your results. I'll tell you I am nervous as heck about all of this.

Thanks!

[trimix60]

A biopsy is not gauranteed to find your cancer if you have any. I had 12 cores done and only 1 had just a small amount of cancer. When I had my prostate removed, the pathology report showed way more cancer than what was indicated by the biopsy. If your PSA continues to climb then you need to continue to have biopsies done until the problem is discovered.

Sorry to hear about your issues, we are all here to help you in anyway we can.

Curt

[mccrosti]

Thanks for the update Curt. I've rescheduled my biopsy date for next month rather than July. I have always had very high PSA. But nothing on the DRE and nothing on the first Biopsy - 15 core samples. Who knows? Is there an alternative to surgery? From what I've read, Doc's simply seem to just rip it out without care for cause or consequence. I may be selfish but i don't want to lose the ability to have sex.

Thanks!

[trimix60]

I tell you, for me it was about getting rid of the cancer. There are a lot of options for keeping your sex life intact, that is on all our minds.

I had my RP almost one year ago and I am almost back to normal with a little help from Trimix. For me it was about getting it out and then deal with the rest. You could also go with radiation that minimises the side effects today, but from all the reading I have done it seems like the side effects come later down the road. Seems like it is "pay me now or pay me later"

Good luck !!! keep us in the know about your situation.

Curt

[limpnoodle]

Like Trimix 60 my first concern was getting rid of cancer, but looking back at times I do wonder if surgery was the right choice. Even with battling ED I still think it was because if I had not gone that route we would have never known cancer was outside capsule. I agree with the choice to go ahead with another biopsy as my free was 7% and biopsy came back positive. Ultrasound guided may be able to define more specific areas to "shot" for rather than random sticks. I know it is not a pleasent experience but is necessary. If it does come back positive I would suggest you research all the different treatments available and pick which is right for you. To qoute one of my Drs all treatments have side effects so you pick the ones you think you can live with. If you have not visited the YANA mentor website; I suggest you do. It has the experiences of a ton of guys with all the different treatments and what they have gone through. That website is how I found this one. If there is any good news about PCa its that you rarely have to rush into some type of treatment. In most cases you have plenty of time to decide what is best for you.

Good Luck on your jounery,
Limpnoodle

[mccrosti]

What about diet and exercise to bring the high psa under control? Other than this, I am a healthy guy. I've heard that hard exercise and a low fat diet can help.

[antelope]

A regimen of "eat less, move more" has untold health benefits. Not sure it would directly affect already elevated PSA, but it will certainly help improve your overall health. That, in turn, can result in lessening or even eliminating any number of causes of ED. And good nutrition can be, I believe, a preventive measure where cancer is concerned.

Just my thoughts.

Greg
Baton Rouge

[mccrosti]

Greg,

That is what I am thinking. I was fairly active as a younger man (I'm 57). Was a runner and lifted a little and at one point in my life was *almost* a vegetarian. In the last 15 years I have gained about 35 lbs and am basically sedentary. May be time to return to that lifestyle.

Dave

[antelope]

I started going to gym again almost 2 years ago. I feel better, have more energy, and all my blood chemsitry numbers are improved. I've even regained some muscle mass and certainly muscle tone. (Understand that no one has ever mistaken me for an athlete!) I lost 35 pounds between March and Sept of last year and have maintained that loss for 9 months so far. My cardio endurance has improved probably 200%. My program calls for treadmill 3 days a week and lifting 2 days a week. My bald head is still the same, and I still can't get hard without chemicals, but I sure do feel better! My next goal is to lose 15-20 more pounds.

Healthy eating and good exercise: I can't recommend them enough.

Greg
Baton Rouge