PSA Ultrasound

Many folks have had ultrasounds performed and for the most part the procedure is painless. This past Saturday I had the pleasure of an ultrasound to assess my kidneys and more importantly my urinary bladder. Preparation for the exam consisted of drinking 32 ounces of water one hour prior to the exam and holding on to it through the exam. Nearing the end of the exam I was instructed to off load the excess water, come back and let the tech assess how much liquid remained in my bladder. However, after the tech let me go I found myself in the bathroom unable to rid myself of the offending liquid. Sweating and my bladder now in spasm, which is like cramps on steroids, I was begging God for relief and fearing a trip to the emergency department to have a catheter inserted to relieve the pressure. After much trying and straining I was able to open the spillway so to speak. My guess is a swollen bladder against a swollen prostate means you're in trouble and that has me going to the bathroom as soon as I have the urge!

Next, first visit with the urologist to discuss the next move. Lab work (the second PSA) and the results of the ultrasound.

PSA VELOCITY

Let's talk PSA velocity and why it may be important. Simply, PSA velocity is the amount of rise in the PSA level in a specific amount of time. Having a rise of more than 0.35 might be a problem depending on who you talk with. Additionally, the significance of the rise is related to history of prostate cancer in the family, positive or negative digital rectal exam and the previous PSA level and or previous prostate biopsy.

Now, in my case the PSA velocity was is in question due to having my PSA drawn and sent to labs which use different routines. My PSA from a local hospital was 4.04 the same sample was sent to an outside lab with a result of 5.0. Consequently my PSA velocity was fast on one test and really fast on another. Thus my provider decided to add an additional test to help interpret my PSA and velocity.

Next time free psa and what it means in diagnosis.

Note: This information is my own interpretation of the facts as I know them in my specific case.

Psa

Not public service announcement by any means, PSA is a test for your prostate and numbers, while controversial, have been an indicator for prostate cancer. In the past the reference range has been 0 to 4. Anything over 4.0 meant you needed to have further testing. This is controversial because depending on whom you talk to, the range for testing needs to be lowered to 2.5 from 4. Additionally, there are those who think that the testing should be stopped altogether because there are too many negative biopsies being done based on elevated psa tests.

So, how does all this end up on my blog. My psa is 4.04….I am going to chronicle my journey wherever it takes me.

Who do you know?

The events of this week in Chardon have again forced us to take a long hard look at getting involved. Allegedly the perpetrator of the violence posted to his social media account that indeed he was going to bring a firearm to school. Unfortunately, if true, nobody acted on this information and we lost three young lives with the lives of many others changed forever.

Looking back during my junior and high school years I remember a young man who I thought needed some help. However, this was the late sixties and at that time children did not take weapons to school and shoot their classmates. I wonder what happened to that young man I knew. Considering the events of the last decade, that young man I knew fit the bill to commit violence.

Who do you know? Is there someone you know who needs some help, or worse, needs to be stopped? Well, I know that it's not easy to do this to folks you know but, imagine how you will feel if something happens and you could have done something.