MRI & biopsy questions

I had a biopsy in May, and found these ideas useful:

• It is uncomfortable, rather than outright painful. I am not saying that there is no pain, but it is of the tooth filling/implant level, not dramatic.
• It is very undignified - but if you are married and your other half has produced children, then if she can put up with it, so can you ()
• You are not too sore afterwards, but you should take care. I wouldn't drive myself home, because the thought of an emergency stop would make my eyes water. If you take a shower the morning after, then perhaps be aware of where the soap makes contact.
• In my case I could urinate straight after, but during the night after it was very difficult. I nearly moved into the bathroom just to wait. It was uncomfortable and I set a time after which I would request help, but thankfully normal service was gradually resumed. I assume that all of this will be due to swelling.
• There are some questions that the person doing the procedure won't have an answer for or will need to wait for the results of the biopsy. In my case there was a review of tests to date, which explained some of the things that I was worried about.

It is not fun, but I suspect it helps if you can, at least partly, laugh about. They will do your best to keep you talking, so that you are not focussed on the procedure.

When I had mine done, I was told that the procedure was to find answers. I had already received a CT and Bone Scan as well as the MRI so I pretty much knew where it was and what it was. The person doing the procedure could not advise me on treatment, because generally those kinds of decisions are made after the analysis of the biopsy and the MDT Team has met. In my case that meant I had a further meeting with a specialist nurse to discuss the biopsy results and start on hormone therapy and then a meeting with the Consultant to discuss the full treatment package.

The key questions to ask - what I asked was mainly about process:

• How soon would I get the results?
• What would happen next?
• How long would I have to wait before a treatment plan emerged.
• How could I help myself with recovery time?
• What, in particular, did I need to look for in my body's immediate response to this slightly strange procedure? 

In answer to the last, I got everything he described, but all over inside 48 hours.

I hope that is helpful.

In addition to MSTEV's brilliant and comprehensive reply, I would advise making sure that they are doing a template biopsy through the perineum rather than the old fashioned TRUSS biopsy through the back passage. The template biopsy is guided by scans, can reach more parts of the prostate and carries less risk of infection. 

I drove my husband to his biopsy. I don't think he would have been able to or liked to have driven home. Our neighbour drove himself there and back. But we do live a fair way from the hospital and have city traffic and bumpy country lanes to consider.

His summing up was that it wasn't something he would do every day but was not unbearable - discomfort and undignified rather than painful. He had a tremendous amount of bruising and swelling right across his genitals afterwards - so much so that I suggested perhaps they had done a transplant at the same time!!! (That was not so well received!!!)

 SCJ , good luck for tomorrow. You will be fine.  David

Good luck,you will be fine,I’m just back from a biopsy for my  lung cancer,this is my second one in 2 weeks they couldn’t do one down the throat last week as low oxygen levels so they managed to take it out my collarbone lymph nodes which was no bother ten minutes and done,I got one in January for my prostate cancer which I caught early and on hormone jags since June but their putting the radio therapy on hold for moment as the hormone will keep it at bay but the lungs more serious so they want to concentrate for now on that xx

Hi Robert,

Lots of hugs and love from us here in Brighton. Keep us updated and good luck

Hi SCJ

Similar to me when I started treatment, 13mm lesion, and two smaller lesions.

Ask if MRI shows near capsule edge or not ,  PSA lowish, hopefully Gleeson low as well.

Good luck with biopsy , hopefully HT and RT will finish it off

Best wishes 

Steve