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My DH had his annual colonoscopy today (Crohn's Disease/Ulcerative Colitits - 35 years.)
He got a good result on that exam but the doc (top specialist) found a "bump" (although his written report said "nodules") on his prostate.
He's 74, has had a major heart attack 20 years ago. Runs everyday and is a vegetarian - no symptoms of any unusual prostate problems but I know that doesn't always mean much.
Gastroenterologist recommended he get a biopsy to see what's going on. He has never had a PSA test.
How worried should I be?? I read that there's a 50/50 chance it could be malignant and also if there is a palpable "bump" its not necessarily in the earliest stages (I curse you, Dr. Internet!!)
My 80 year old brother had an "aggressive" prostate removed 12 years ago and he is doing great.
In many cases too much reading can exacerbate your worry. I know, we all want to be informed; nothing wrong with that, but at this point its not really helping anything nor is it solving the problem. Its easy to get a PSA test done. It won't answer all the questions obviously, but it will add a piece to the puzzle. A biopsy will most likely answer the question, but until it can, all the reading in the world is just going to raise your anxiety with "what ifs". Also, remind yourself that even if he does have prostate cancer it is very common, very treatable, and tends to take many years to become trouble. Off the top of my head I can think of 4 male friends over 60 who have prostate cancer. They are all doing fine....tracking and monitoring now that they know, which makes a difference.
He's 74, has had a major heart attack 20 years ago. Runs everyday and is a vegetarian - no symptoms of any unusual prostate problems but I know that doesn't always mean much.
The general rule is that the later in life prostate ca shows up, the less aggressive it is. Virtually every man over the age of 85 has microscopic prostate ca. Many men die with prostate ca, but few die from it.
A PSA test at this point won't tell you much: a normal level does not rule out ca, and levels go up from an inflamed prostate, a recently manipulated prostate or an enlarged prostate, as well as from ca.
More and more the research suggests watchful waiting is appropriate, particularly if there are other health problems that may be more important in limiting the pat's life and risks of treatment outweigh benefits. Worry about the ca may not be warranted in a 74 y/o with known ASHD.
My DH had his annual colonoscopy today (Crohn's Disease/Ulcerative Colitits - 35 years.)
He got a good result on that exam but the doc (top specialist) found a "bump" (although his written report said "nodules") on his prostate.
He's 74, has had a major heart attack 20 years ago. Runs everyday and is a vegetarian - no symptoms of any unusual prostate problems but I know that doesn't always mean much.
Gastroenterologist recommended he get a biopsy to see what's going on. He has never had a PSA test.
How worried should I be?? I read that there's a 50/50 chance it could be malignant and also if there is a palpable "bump" its not necessarily in the earliest stages (I curse you, Dr. Internet!!)
My 80 year old brother had an "aggressive" prostate removed 12 years ago and he is doing great.
Thanks for any advice!!!!
several things come to mind: 1-don't believe everything you read on the net. Our granddaughter who is a nurse practitioner says, we need to stay away from the net or at best, don't take everything to seriously. I know it is hard to not worry. I think we all depend on the net too much.
2-of course he should get both a biopsy and a PSA test as well. I am surprised he has never had a PSA test.
3- like your brother, my husband had an aggressive prostate cancer about 6 years ago, along with another type of cancer. He is just fine now, so, as most of us know prostate cancer is very slow growing, easy to control with surgery , radiation or a combination of treatments and probably most men with it will die or something else before they die of cancer.
In our church alone there are several men, in their 70s and older who are very much alive and active even though they have experienced prostate cancer. So my thought is, should you be worried? Probably not, but it is easier said than done. Good luck to you and your hubby.
@christianstad - You will probably not get a great deal of help here, at least not the kind you are needing in this information-gathering phase. You and your husband need to learn a lot of information in a relatively short period of time and CD is not the place to do it. An online community devoted to the discussion of Prostate Cancer can be found here: Healing Well. I am a prostate cancer survivor myself and I got more help and learned more about my disease from the Healing Well forum than I ever did from my doctors. I highly recommend you AND your husband check it out.
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