Today Was A Good Day

This morning I received a return call from my Urologists office.
I received some great news....I don't have prostate cancer.
This last several months have been quite the drain on Veronica and I. It seemed like every time we turned around another doctor was telling me that I might have some sort of cancer. This didn't happen with just one doctor but several doctors in several different medical fields.
It turned into one big mind game...I don't know why but for some reason doctors seem to throw these words out there without having any real medical proof that a person actually has this disease. That's what I heard a lot of over the last several months...you might have this or it kind of looks like that...on and on it went. No matter what I want to call it or how I feel about the way the last several months have gone down, the latest news was great and very well received.
Now with that issue out of the way, I will start getting things set up so that I can get some work done on my lower back....which is the real culprit to all of my upper leg, hip and groin pain and problems. Those issues have been going on for about 1 1/2 years now and with my prostate now being cleared of any wrongdoing or involvement in those issues, it is time to move on and address my back problems.
I sure hope my falsely accused and innocent prostate doesn't hold anything against me as far as what it has been recently put through. Sorry there Mr. Prostate. I hope that you will forgive me.

Follow Up on My Prostate Biopsy

I had my biopsy done this last Monday and today is Friday. Yesterday I started my walks again and got in 9 miles with no problems.
Today I did a 5 mile walk and then I started back on my weight lifting.
I experienced some fatigue while doing my weightlifting but I don't know if it was caused by the procedure or the heat/humidity or a combination of everything.
Other than the fatigue, I have experienced no ill effects caused by the biopsy and for the most part, I escaped the procedure pain free...except for a bit on the day of the actual procedure and the morning after.
I decided not to push things too much and have opted out of my usual 4 mile walk this afternoon.
The heat index is way up there...around 110 degrees f. With everything going so well from the biopsy, the worst thing I could do is push everything and cause an unneeded issue.
I will take it one day at a time and slowly build up to where I was prior to the biopsy.
The only thing left that is biopsy related is to get the results of the biopsy.

Medical Update

Veronica and I got up early again this morning and headed up to Norfolk, VA.
I had an appointment to see my Oncologist, so that we could get the results of the last 2 procedures that I had done along with the results of several blood test and a urine test.
All of my test came back as either being normal or no change since the last test or procedure was done. There is no bone cancer nor metastasis in my body.
I ended up giving some more blood so that they could run an additional PSA test.
With these recent findings, my Oncologist strongly suggested that I have a Prostate Biopsy done to get a more definitive answer as to what is occurring in my body. This test should be able to tell me whether I have prostate cancer, prostatitis or if my Mast Cell disease is effecting my Prostate. Depending on what the biopsy findings are will dictate what direction I need to go from that point.  
My Oncologist gave me the name of 3 of his top rated Urologists in the area. I will be reviewing their medical history and background and from there I will make a decision as to whom I will be allowing to perform the Prostate Biopsy on me. Not something I am looking forward to at all, but this is unfortunately the only way we will know with any level of certainty what I have.
I really hate being backed into a corner with no viable options other than to have this procedure done.
I could decide not to do it but if something is going on and I wait until years later to find out about it, it could very well be too late to take care of it with the outcome being on a positive note. 
I will have to decide by Monday as to which Urologist I decide upon and then make contact with him, so that I will feel comfortable with him doing the procedure. Plus I want to make sure that whoever does it will not just use a local anesthesia compared to what I want, which is a general anesthesia. Not doing general anesthesia as I want would be a deal breaker.
More info to follow.

Hopefully A Step In The Right Direction

Veronica and I left early this morning to head to Norfolk, VA for an important Oncology appointment with my original Oncology doctor. He is the doctor that performed the tests that showed that I had Mast Cell Disease in the first place.
Before going to the doctors office, we stopped off at a Super Walmart that they have in that area.
We have a local Walmart where we live but it is a lot more expensive than the ones in Virginia. We can usually save at least 10% by shopping at the Virginia Walmarts.
My doctors appointment was at 11:45. It was really great to see him again. I feel that I get excellent medical care from him and feel extremely comfortable discussing issues with him.
I caught him up on my medical history since it had been a little over a year since I had last seen him.
After a discussion and brief physical exam, we came up with a direction and game plan for me.
Although he did not have any definitive answers as far as what was going on in me, it was decided that this next upcoming Thursday, I will be returning to Virginia and have 2 different test performed.
The first will be an Ultra Sound exam on my Prostate and that general area. About 1/2 hour after that test/exam, I will be having a CT Scan taken of my entire abdominal area.
For that test I was given 2 plastic bottles full of a contrast medium type of chalky liquid. I have to drink one bottle 3 hours before the CT Scan and the 2nd bottle 45 minutes before the start of the CT Scan.
The next day I will call my Oncologist and let him know that the tests were completed and he will contact the reading radiologist and discuss the test findings with him.
I will then return to see my Oncologist on 5/5. We will discuss the findings at that time.
My Oncologist also mentioned that the only real way to know whether or not that the Mast Cell has effected my Prostate or that I have Prostate Cancer, would be to do a Prostate Biopsy.
This most likely will be the next step in getting to the bottom of this issue. I will take the advice of my Oncologist as far as which Urologist he would recommend for this procedure.
I am supposed to continue taking the rest of my Cipro, which I have about 2 1/2 weeks worth left.
As of now, I still have no new knowledge of what is going on inside of me but I still feel better knowing that we have a plan and that I have a doctor that I really feel good about and trust. That alone is a big part of the battle.

Medical Update

My back has calmed down enough for me to get back into my weightlifting workouts again. Plus the weather has been nice and warm so instead of riding my recumbent bike for 30 miles, which seems to take forever, I now do a 5 mile walk in the morning and another 3 miles in the afternoon.
As far as my other health issues...I am on my 2nd 30 day dose of Cipro to see if I can get my PSA levels down to a reasonable level. Taking the Cipro everyday is about the only thing that I am certain of as this point in time.
After completing this 30 day period, Veronica and I will be traveling back to Norfolk, an approximate 2 hour drive so that I can go back to my original Oncologist...whom I really trust.
I will donate my usual amount of blood for my Mast Cell Disease testing and also a little extra so that they can check my PSA levels.
We will then go over all of radiological test results including that rather scary MRI one that I posted about.
I have a bad feeling that if my PSA levels don't go down sufficiently, then I am destined to have a Prostate Biopsy done shortly thereafter. This is something that I am dreading.
The day that we head up to Norfolk will be a day that consist of 2 completely opposite halves.
The first half of the day will be dealing with the ever depressing and stressful medical issues.
But when that part of the day is over with, we can switched gears and transition into something much more enjoyable....the Jimmy Buffet concert at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Virgina Beach.
So from the doctors office, we will head to our hotel and relax for a while before getting all gussied up for the concert that Veronica thought she would never see.
Like I said...a day consisting of complete opposites. I refuse to let the 1st half of the day ruin the 2nd half.
As they say in the business...the show must go on.

WTF - Also Known As Another Day Another Medical Issue

This morning I went to my Chiropractor in an attempt to get my back to feeling better.
I arranged to have a copy of the MRI that I had taken on my hip faxed to him.
When I got there for my appointment, he sat me down and was obviously somewhat confused.
He asked me to go over what tests had been done on me and what doctors I have seen and he wanted it in a chronological order.
I did the best I could to fill him in.
He then discussed the findings that were on the MRI.
I kind of knew what was on there based on what my family doctor had discussed with me.
What I could not remember is if my local Oncologist had discussed these findings with me. As hard as I tried, I could not remember him ever discussing the results of an MRI that he prescribed for me, after I complained about the pain that I was experiencing in my upper right leg and hip.
The first time that I can remember anyone discussing the results with me was when my family doctor talked to me about the findings during an office visit 5 weeks after  the MRI was done.  My family doctor suggested that I go to an Urologist for followup.
I finally got a copy of this report from my Chiropractor and I was rather alarmed at what I read.
I am really perplexed as to why my Oncologist never reviewed the results with me.
Because I was not happy with this Oncologist, even prior to these findings coming to light, I had already made a change so that I could go back and see my old Oncologist that I had been seeing for years, prior to moving to the Outer Banks.
I suppose that it is possible that I somehow "fell through the cracks" after I switched back over to my old Oncologist.
But I would also think that a doctor that sees these types of results,would have at least made telephone contact with me even if I had switch him for a different doctor.
After discussing the MRI findings with my Chiropractor, he promptly faxed the findings to my Oncologist in Virginia and also made a telephone call to them to let them know that the MRI had been faxed to them.
After leaving the Chiropractors office, I went to the Regional Medical Center where I have had all MRIs and X-Rays done since we moved to the Outer Banks.
I will be picking up copies of everything that they have on file for me on Monday.
I will either take those files with me personally or have them shipped overnight to my Oncologists office.
I wanted him to have them before I go to see him, which is this next Thursday. I am hoping that if I get them to him early enough, he can have one of his radiologists read the MRI and X-Rays because they are more experienced with seeing and understanding what Mast Cell Disease looks like on the MRIs and X-Rays.
Other than that, there is not much more that I can do. Unfortunately I might have lost some valuable time depending on the outcome of the Radiologist readings and interpretations of the MRI and X-Rays.
I also just started taking my 30 day supply of Cipro treatment today.
So to say that things are all up in the air and that I have even less answers than I did before, that would be a great understatement.
Good news...I got the ok to start back into my weight lifting workouts as long as I watch the type of movements and lifting that I do, so that I don't further aggravate my lower back.
I will start my weight lifting routine up again tomorrow. It will give me something to keep me busy and to focus on other than all of this other medical stuff. But for today, I think that I will try to relax as much as possible and just let everything sink in.
Below is a copy of the MRI results that I finally got to see. To enlarge it, just click on it:



 

A New Battle Arises

I have been deliberately withholding the writing of this entry until I had a little more information to share.
I think that the time might be right to put out there, what is going on here.
Over the last few years I have had my PSA taken at irregular intervals but there was enough of a pattern building to look a little more in depth at what my numbers were trying to tell me.
About 2 or 3 years ago, I remember going to a Urologist and discussing my PSA test scores...Prostate Specific Antigen. For info on what a PSA test is all about, click here.... PSA
Back then my score was around a 3.2 Because this particular Urologist felt that my PSA was higher than what he would have liked to see, he wanted to jump right in and do a Prostate biopsy on me, even though he did a DRE (Digital Rectal Exam) and found nothing.
This sort of brazen devil may care attitude did not set well with me, especially since he was so eagerly wanting to invade MY body parts.
That visit to the doctor really had an effect on the way I looked at a Urologist and the overall taking of PSA tests by yours truly.
So over the next couple of years, I shied away from a majority of PSA test and those much dreaded DREs.
I has a few PSA tests done here and there along the way but anytime a DRE was mentioned, I poo pooed it off as being totally unnecessary.
That is the way it was until I moved here. Once I got hooked up with a very good and talented local doctor, I stated to get my PSA taken at regular intervals. I have probably had more PSA tests done in the last 12 months than I have had over the last 5 years.
One things that was becoming apparent from all of these PSA tests was that my PSA score was on the rise.
A year or two ago it was around a 3.2 or so. I had another one taken about 3 weeks ago and it was a 5.2.
After having that score in the books, I was referred to a local Urologist. This was the first time that I had been to this doctors office. During this visit, he decided that I would go through one of those dreaded DREs.
So with drawers down and me grabbing my old knees, this Urologist went for pay dirt.
After doing what felt like figure 8s and spending just a little more time that what I was comfortable with his finger up my rectum, he withdrew his digit and told me that everything felt normal except...(insert long artistic pause here).......that I had a small hard spot or nodule on the right side of my prostate.
In my lifetime, I have heard this word mentioned a few times but never really had much of an idea what this prostate thing was and what usefulness it served.
Because I am not a doctor and a little tired, I will not bore you with my attempts of describing what the prostate is, what is does nor where it is located. I will provide you a link that can better explain it than I could... The Prostate- What Is It? and for the male readers in the group, you might want to take note of what you are reading because it could be you in the same position that i find myself in and I am not just talking about the position with my drawers down and my hands on my knees.
With the knowledge of what he found inside me and the ever increasing PSA test numbers, this Urologist wanted to do a prostate biopsy on my. What is it with these guys...they all seem so anxious to prod and probe you and take pieces from your body. Its no wonder why I really tried to stay away from them.
I told him that there was no way that I was going to have a biopsy done on my prostate. He wanted to know why and I politely informed him that I had read some horror stories about the pain involved and how it screwed up ones sex life.
He stated something to the effect that wouldn't I want to get it done if it would keep me from dying.
Nice guy...throwing out the death card at me.
We left things in this fashion...that I would get another PSA test done in a couple of weeks and then return to see him and discuss this biopsy thing further. I left knowing that I most likely would not be seeing him again, which is exactly how that will be playing out. I just was not comfortable with this guy.
So I made an appointment with my local family doctor and discussed what had happened and what should I do next.
I really like my family doctor and have complete faith in her. She decided that i should have another PSA test taken and we discussed her doing a DRE on me to confirm what the other Urologist had told me.
When it was all said and done, she did find the smallest of nodules on the right side of my prostate. She said it was extremely small and she wasn't positive that it was a nodule but with my PSA scores where they were, that we should probably figure out some sort of game plan.
First she wanted to give me another PSA test.
I just got a call from her a little while ago and my PSA was up to 6.7....yikes...it was just 5.2 a couple of weks ago. I found it to be an alarmingly quick jump in numbers.
My doctor told me that it could be some type of bacterial infection in my prostate and that she would suggest that I take Cipro and another drug for a period of a month. For information about Cipro
I am hoping that my body will tolerate this drug. I have had some problems in the past with my body able to handle certain medication.
After being on the Cipro for a month, I will have another PSA test performed and see if the Cipro brings the numbers down. Even if it does, there still is the fact that I have this little itty bitty nodule on my prostate.
Trusting my doctor the way I do, she recommended a Urologist that she trusts, that would be able to perform the prostate biopsy on me. Because my doctor trust this doctor, the Urologist was "grandfathered" and included under my umbrella of trustworthiness.
When and if the time comes, I would see this Urologist locally here one time. He only comes to this area once every 2 weeks. I would then travel to his location, about 55 miles away and have the procedure done there and then all followups would be done locally every two weeks.
I haven't even touched on what would happen should the biopsy results show a high Gleason Score. Yes...yet another new word to throw in your vocabulary to impress others. What is a Gleason Score?
I have read some articles on how they perform these prostate biopsies and guys, let me tell you, it is one of those things that while you are reading it you will start to close your legs and butt cheeks together in almost a death grip and you will probably find yourself grimacing at the thought of it while little beads of sweat trickle down from your forehead and down your face. It is one of the EEeewwww!!! and YIKES!!! moments.
Needless to say, I am not looking forward to any of this happening but once again I find myself preparing for battle.
I will let you know how things are going as time goes by but first I must take the meds for 30 days and who knows, maybe everything will totally disappear and my PSA will come back a 1.5 and I won't have to concern myself with having prostate cancer.
Ok...so I did some mind altering drugs before writing that last sentence. You can't really blame me can you?