Hi all, I am booked for a radical later this month , I have had an appointment made for a flow rate, can this affect the decision for surgery ? I must say my flow is not that great !
It does help the doctor build up a picture of your PCa, and how the PCa is affecting you, and could conceivably affect how they interpret your scans (is it direct pressure on the urthera?), but I don't think it would generally make surgery more or less likely.
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Heinous
If I can't beat this, I'm going for the draw.
Meanwhile, my priority is to live while I have the option.
Hi Skylark
A low flow rate can be an indicator of low bladder pressure. And low bladder pressure may mean that surgery such as TURP may be less advisable. I had an op delayed because of this possibility. There is another test that can be done to check bladder pressure - it involves two pressure detectors (one in urethra/bladder, one in rectum) which allow the difference in pressure to be measured and therefore judge if the bladder pressure is OK. For me, this test showed the surgery could go ahead.
Hope this helps and good luck with your treatment.
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