Prostate biopsy
 

I am scheduled for a prostate biopsy in the next 30 days. They use the Transperal Method (Needle), has anyone had this procedure? I am interested in recovery time, lots of different info on the Internet, seems recovery normally is 2 to 5 days.

Only GOOD news wanted (JK).

There may/will be blood in your semen for awhile

I've had this procedure in years past on six different occasions. As mentioned, there was blood in the semen for a short period of time. Other than that, I didn't experience any side effects, and there wasn't any recovery time needed.
During the procedure you'll feel a pinch and slight discomfort with each sample taken. I wouldn't classify it as pain, just discomfort. Good Luck and I hope your results are negative.

First, let's assume you mean transperineal biopsy
Second, the only source for only good news is Polyanna

That being said, I suggest you look at a few medical website articles regarding the procedure as well as the info from your urologist

I briefly reviewed the following article and it seems appropriate for a non-medical professional.

Ultrasound-guided transperineal prostate biopsy - Mayo Clinic

After reading the link provided by GE, I DID NOT have the transperineal method of prostate biopsy, rather the rectal approach. I didn't realize the difference. Hopefully someone who has had that will post soon.

Good luck with the procedure, be very careful if the give you the antibiotic Cipro to prevent a UTI. Ciprofloxacin is nasty stuff with horrible side effects.

Over the years I have sedated many men for that procedure, so I can speak to that. Most all just drift off to sleep (Propofol) wake up and it’s done, no recall, no immediate discomfort.

Didn't realize that, and neither did most physicians

Hmmmmm......Let's see---I've prescribed it maybe a thousand times and taken it myself maybe 5 or 6 times. So far the body count is ZERO

Are you certain the test needs to be done? I question this because the PSA "normal" numbers, 1 -4 are inaccurate for everyone. The older you become, numbers somewhat higher than 4 become "normal". Meaning that, in some cases, that test is not necessary. Some physicians disagree with this, however, my information comes from many different sources. Due diligence here is absolutely mandatory. Good luck!

OP, can you share why the biopsy was recommended?

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:censored:

Prostate biospy
 

I am 73 years old, my PSA jumped to 10 recently. I was a bit hesitant to have the biopsy as I feel great. I had a Pelvic MRI which showed a 23 mm lump on my prostate but no sign of spreading.

Thanks to everyone who responded, nice to receive feedback from those who have gone through the procedure.

Get the test and ignore the statistics, statistics have outliers. If you happen to be one of the outliers, and blindly follow the statistics, your decision could kill you. My PSA was only 2.9 but the biopsy showed a Gleason score of 7. The final biopsy after open radical prostatectomy showed stage T3A cancer, which most likely would have killed me by now if I followed the statistics and didn’t get the biopsy. That was 6 1/2 years ago and my PSA remains undetectable (cancer free) : ). I was very lucky to have one of the best Urology Oncologist Surgeons in the world at Mass General do the surgery the old school way (open versus robotics) and get clean margins.

GET THE TEST!

Google “floxed” and read the horror stories. A good friend was prescribed Cipro and a week later ruptured her Achilles’ tendon simply walking. I will never take that stuff.

Thanks for the information, you are correct, everyone is different. Of course there are risk involved whether or not you take the test. We all must decide how to proceed in a way that is most comfortable for each of us individually. My PSA is just over 4 and my urologist wanted to do the 12 sample test. At 75 yo, no thanks.

One case and a google search. I don't think I need to say anything more.

:wave:

Hmmm, OK Doc, whatever you say. Let’s just ignore the thousands of people every year who have had their lives ruined by the horrible, devastating, and progressive conditions resulting from taking Cipro which continue long after they have discontinued taking the drug. Hopefully the doctors that prescribed the drug sleep well at night after they get home from the all expense paid golf vacations sponsored by the pharmaceutical company that makes the toxic stuff.

Me too many years ago on overseas deployments. Only caution I seem to recall is to avoid getting too much direct sunlight. That was a long time ago

Anyone who needs a prostate removal should check on proton accelerator radiation therapy as originally started by Loma Linda University Medical Center. I'm not sure which facility but I think Gainesville or Florida Hospital now has a proton accelerator. A proton accelerator works by releasing the radiation only in the affected area. Much more effective (and less intrusive) than traditional radiation therapy for many cancers.

Hmmm. How about the millions of lives saved by flouroquinolone antibiotics? And just where did that "fact" come from. I might get 3 guesses, but I'll only need one, therefore:

I agree with you 100%. I had a 3.4 PSA. Ended up win a Gleason 9.
 

I agree with you 100%. I had a 3.4 PSA. Ended up win a Gleason 9.

Prostrate biopsy
 

I had the biopsy done 2 weeks ago at the Center For Advanced Health in Brownwood. Piece of cake, just a small pinch (12 times) but no pain, takes 30 min start to finish. No after effects, was playing Pickleball an hour later. Also I took Cipro 5 days before and 5 days after with NO side affects.

Prostrate biopsy
 

I’m 69 years old and I’ve always had a high up and down PSA count between 6 and 12 normally. I’ve had the rectal biopsy done resulting in problems weeks later. For some reason I had bleeding in the prostrate that didn’t reveal itself until weeks later when all of a sudden I was peeing lots of red blood with clots. The clots would block the urinal tract then suddenly let go because of the buildup of pressure. Rather concerning to say the least but days later it cleared up. Later I had an MRI of the prostrate which is much easier and to my knowledge is the preferred method now for trying to detect cancer in the prostrate. You might discuss this with your urologist. Often an MRI can be performed and later a biopsy if needed. Whatever you decide I highly recommend you listen to your urologist prostrate cancer can kill you.

I’ve had two done (both negative) and it was just because my PSA was about 6.0. There was no other indicator of any problem. PSA is a terrible test because it can spike for reasons other than cancer. Even a bowel movement can temporarily elevate it.

It’s not a pleasant thing to do. I could feel every needle poke. Semen was dark brown (dried blood) for a while.

But the worst part is that I now get 1-3 prostate infections per year, which are very unpleasant. Apparently, it’s impossible to fully rid the prostate of the bacteria that got injected by the needle, so the population gradually regrows until I have another outbreak weeks or months later.

I would never get another biopsy because of one slightly elevated PSA level.

I’ve taken Cipro several times with no “horrible side effects”.

Prostate biopsy
 

Five years ago I consulted with my primary physician, my urologist, a radiation oncologist (RBOI in Lady Lake), a surgical oncologist and the chief of urology at Shands before deciding to undergo radiation treatments. That was at age 78 and I have no regrets. Consult the experts and weigh what each has to say. (My PSA is now .65 and slowly declining.)

My Biopsy experiences
 

Last year I had a prostate exam and the Dr. said my prostate felt larger than normal and I was peeing a lot. I was 55 at the time. My PSA was 4.3. He recommended I get a biopsy done. Of the 8 or 12 samples they took, only 1 sample on the right side had abnormal cells and of that it was 1/20th of the sample. This resulted in the 1 sample having a Gleason score of 6. Lowest possible score to be considered cancer. He recommended we do a MRI to be a little more certain. The MRI showed a large growth on the left side which was completely opposite what the biopsy showed! So then it was recommended to do another biopsy thru the perinium. This is much more targeted and they can hit the areas the MRI showed to have a growth. Well end result from that was the MRI was WRONG and the original biopsy was right! Come to find out the MRIs are not always right. Just like PSAs aren't always right. After the last biopsy thru the perinium, because they took more samples, they aggravated the prostate and it swelled up. This resulted in me not being able to pee so they had to give me a catheter which had to stay in for 4 days. This was extremely uncomfortable. It was a heck of a year.

With all that I can say that PSAs aren't a barometer if you should have a biopsy. MRIs clear or not are not always accurate. Getting the biopsy is the only way to know if you have cancer. If you are in the early stages it can also be missed. If they go in for the samples and don't hit where the cancer is then it can very easily be missed.

I'd suggest contacting the Prostate Cancer Support group in the Villages. Pre-covid they were a very active group. They keep up on all the latest procedures and can be very helpful

I had it done outpatient. It was as described uncomfortable but not painful and NO residual side affects whatsoever. Perhaps blood in my seamen but I don’t recall.

Cancer was found in my prostate. I went to Moffitt in Tampa. Got the “stranded seeds “. Virtually no side effects whatsoever. I no longer worry about prostate cancer!

The biopsy was recommended based on the rapid rise in my PSA not on an absolute number.

I had the procedure in my early 70’s and am now in my early 80’s.

I had it back in 2010 piesc of cake ..they will numb you

From what I have surmised, YOUR medical degree is probably better than Dr. Google. Wouldn't it be great if EVERYONE with a medical degree was better than Dr. Google. Because, as we all know, "THAT JUST AIN'T SO" :spoken:

I had the biopsy done around 6-8 years ago, 14 samples were taken and I felt around 4-5 pinches. My PSA was running around 12, that was the reason it was done. A small amount of blood in the urine for around 2 days. No cancer, though it came back as a high grade PIN. If you’re curious, you can look it up. My PSA is down to under three for years, though I continue to get the finger test. Good luck to you and hope all goes well