Prostate worries. Anyone out there can help calm my nerves?

[socal67]

Hi there

I am having some serious anxiety issues over some prostate PSA readings and was wondering if any person out there might have some similar experience or something to say to calm me down...

I went to see my doctor a few months ago because I noticed some blood in my urine. I panicked.  He did a quick urine test in office and found absolutely not trace of blood so he was not concerned. He did notice my blood pressure was extremely high and was concerned about that. Again I panicked. Since then he put me on some medication and that has been controlled.  However he did do a blood test . Waiting for results, I panicked. When I saw him again he let me know my PSA level was slightly elevated  He reassured me and my wife that it was noting to be concerned about  most likely NOT cancer and that most men my age, start growing a bigger prostate and that it was no big deal. He put me on some antibiotics in case that it was an infection and said see you in 30 days. I panicked some more. Well 30 days elapsed, he recently took more blood for a retest.

Well I got a call last week from the nurse that my PSA level did not decrease and that he was sending me to a Urologist. I completely lost my mind that day . Since then I having been going nuts googling prostate PSA issues and trying to find some info on why this is happening. Almost everything I come across on 0172 are about persona already diagnosed with prostate it cancer and it's making me feel worse  . My wife told me last night, it's almost as if I am obsessed and I want to get the disease. I am at the point where I am losing my mind and also making my wife lose hers. So far, my primary doctor, my wife, my friends and my parents say I am over re-acting. Somehow that just drives me even more crazy. I am obsessed that when I go to the urologist I will have the worst. My wife is completely annoyed with me and asks I be strong for my 2 small children. It's so difficult because this fear is on my mind 24/7.

Anyways sorry about the rambling but I just needed to get some of this off my chest somewhere where I can be understood. That's my story.

Thanks!

[Pharmer76]

I'm sorry you're struggling with this and I hope you get some answers from the urologist.

So, worst case scenario - say you DO have prostate cancer.  Yes, it is scary - but it is extremely treatable and you are taking action early.  Early localized disease = 100% survival (based on what we learned in class).  The likelihood you have prostate cancer decreases if you are under 50 right now (I'm sorry, I don't know your age) and if you don't have a strong family history of the disease.  It is rare to be diagnosed if you are under 40 and MOST men are older than 65 upon diagnosis.  Hopefully, at least a couple of these points are working in your favor.

Did you doctor do a rectal exam?  This is a very good way of seeing if your prostate is enlarged. 

Your PSA level can be elevated for a variety of reasons - many of them totally benign - BPH, ejaculation, prostatitis (infection), urine retention - the list goes on.  There is even controversy over using PSA as a diagnostic marker for prostate cancer.  I don't know what your level is (less than 4, over 10?) - but even an extremely elevated level (> 10) does NOT equal cancer.  I won't lie and tell you the risk isn't increased - you already know it is - but it is NOT a foregone conclusion.

Please try to stay calm and positive.   

[socal67]

Pharmer

 First, thanks for the quick reply, appreciate it!

I'm 42 years old and being that I have HA, I had not had a physical in many years until now. Of course when I finally get one I have high blood pressure and what my doctor called an elevate PSA level. What originally scared me was that my PSA level is 4.5 which my primary doc is not concerned about for my age. He was more concerned about my blood pressure.  He said many men after 40, their bladder starts growing and their PSA starts creeping up and that 4.0 is the cutoff. His words'nothing to be concerned about since it was just a .5 over and you are young" No prostate cancer history in family that I am ware of. However my latest anxiety is the retest. After a course of antibiotics it did not go down   By the way, he did not do a DRE and I guess just thought, let's give this guy some antibiotics to see if it's an infection. Now we know its not but my mind is jumping to some serious conclusions since the PSA did not budge. The sane part of my brain tells me that it can still be enlarged prostate, non-bacterial prostatitis (explains why antibiotics had no effect??) or maybe a stubborn infection. I have read that the prostate is very difficult to penetrate with antiobiotics at times.