Waiting for MRI
My name is Will. I'm 57 years old and have been on Hormone Replacement Therapy for 11 years. As part of the program, blood work and PSA tests are done every 6 months. So I can go back and look at my scores over 11 years (22 tests). I started at .08 and slowly climbed over the years. In December of 2022 my PSA was 4.42. I went to my GP and she suggested I go to a urologist, (which took me several months to get to, due in part taking care of my mom with later stages of Parkinsons).
Once I was able to get in he ran an ISO PSA and called me a week later to say it had increased to 5.4 in just 4 months and was very concerned. So he sent me in for a MRI with contrast. That was two weeks ago, and still no results. I called the Dr to find out why, only to find out the Radiologist who will read my MRI is on vacation and I have to wait. Well, I can tell you I can barely function waiting to hear back. Note to anyone living in Oregon. Go out of state to get health care. Ever since Covid all hospitals and Drs offices are severely understaffed.
There is so much information on the internet about prostate issues and the more I read the more I'm freaking out. I had to see if there was a forum where I could connect with others as I go through this, and glad I found this place. I'm an older dad with two kids (10 and 14), and I'm scared of having cancer and not being able to see them grow up.
Hello Will,
Try not to stress too much. I also wanted to tell you that the MRI is not always accurate. Mine came back (officially) negative as per the MRI technician. Thankfully I have a very diligent Urologist who saw something concerning on the MRI, so he performed Truss Biopsy with 12 cores. It was relatively painless so don't worry about that. My biopsies came back positive so there is that Cancer diagnosis that I was dreading. Mine seems to be stage one so I may qualify for some newer less invasive treatments like HIFU. I have a strong faith in the Lord so we will get through this but please make sure to advocate for yourself and ask lots of questions.
Breathe!
KellyKelly,
Thanks very much, for those wise words and to hear they caught your cancer early! Today I received my MRI results with a: "PI-RADS 2: Clinically significant cancer unlikely". But same as you, my Urologist would still like to do a biopsy/s to completely rule out cancer. Just as I was feeling good with my results, its time for the roller coaster ride once again. We will keep on praying. I'll post back with those results soon.
Thanks,
WillWill,
My MRI was 1 highly unlikely so yes, keep going and hopefully you are clear or in the very early stages. Make sure your urologist is on board with pain treatment prior to Biopsy (two small injections into the gland that you barely feel) Good luck!
KellyWill,
The best thing you can do at this point is the biopsy. It's not as bad as it sounds (just a bit embarrassing).
Good Luck and know that you are not alone, as there is lots of caring on this forum
