Sense of urgency

Hi everyone. I’m glad your here

I’m 61 years old. I’ve been watching a heart valve problem and a hereditary history of early colon cancer for years

Recently I passed a heart checkup and colonoscopy with flying colors.

However, I had my first PSA ever - 29, and then 31 two weeks later after a Hail Mary of anti-inflammatories to see if I had a non-cancerous cause of the first high score.

I’m scared and embarrassed that I let this go for so long

But here’s why I’m posting. I saw my urologist for a routine exam and scheduled a follow-up for three weeks later

When I heard nothing from him, I thought all was ok. I was worried about my testosterone and didn’t give PSA a second thought

Imagine my shock when he dropped those results on me.

Should he have called me earlier? I know this is a slow moving cancer but still...

After my second PSA, he said call my office to schedule a biopsy on his office. I called on April 12, same day I got the second bad PSA. The office said next available biopsy appointment would be May 9. That’s 27 days later!

I emailed his scheduler yesterday to request an earlier date. By 27 hours later, she hadn’t replied. So I called today, got a firm “no”, and asked that the doctor call me. It was clear that her answer was no so why not a prompt email reply?

So my general question for the forum: is this acceptable? I have an alarming PSA score and 27 days seems like an eternity. I’m assuming I also need scans. What if those appointments are delayed a month?

I don’t feel that this is right. The slow-moving form of cancer is still cancer. And the 3 week silence on the first PSA doesn’t seem right

My heart and colon guys are very responsive and have great bedside manner

I’d like to hear your thoughts on whether I should expect a greater sense of urgency and responsiveness giving two PSAs in the 30 neighborhood