Biopsy

Staying fit is key when on Hormone Therapy as it lessens the side effects. If you don't already, I would suggest adding a few gym sessions to your runs, I found runs on their own were not sufficient to retain muscle once on HT, especially as the fatigue didn't allow me to train as hard a before.

G

Thanks for the reply:

I home gym and weights everyday as yet no sign of muscle loss. I've cut out sugar and most carbs and have a sensible diet on the whole.

I just feel so unlucky

Jonney

Well not to sugarcoat it as I believe I have a low pain threshold. I had the transperineal biopsy in April, only required 8 samples taken as all the scans had shown them more than enough to confirm my diagnosis. I didn't feel the anaesthetic injection as they used a numbing cream first, however I felt the first sample being taken and I think the 5th or 6th so ended up having a total of 3 lots of anaesthetic. The gun sound was initially whoa what was that but you try and blank it out and yes a loss of dignity especially as the doctor and both nurses we're female, though they we're all really nice. 

The funny thing was the doctor had to keep asking me to move back down in the chair as apparently I was getting further and further towards the top of it without realising.

If I had to have another I would do so, so it can't have been that bad

Hi Jonney

Trying to keep fit is key when on HT, although it's difficult. I'm a walker and it was impossible some weeks to do any miles at all. Crashing on the sofa was as much as I could manage. The HT will push you towards type 2 diabetes ( it did me which made things worse) and the RT screwed up my iron level to a point where walking 200 metres uphill was impossible. The fatigue actually got worse after I finished HT which I'm sure was connected to the low iron levels. GP gave me some iron tablets for 3 months which sorted it. I should have spoken to the GP sooner - my mistake. 

You sound much fitter than me at the start of your journey so hopefully you will be fine.

Regards

Stuart

Thanks for your reply

I'm 70,  think i'm on HT for life which is frustrating. Research beforehand and reading my blood test results helped me to add calcium, iron, Iodine, D3 supplements and tomatoes to my diet. 

Iv'e learned a lot today, thank-you

Jonney  

We all feel unlucky here, but trying to 'control the controllables ' .  It sounds like you have a good fitness setup, I hope you will be able to fight the HT side effects. 

As for your biopsy questions, I've had a TP biopsy (on my 49th birthday, which was traumatic), the local anaesthetic injections were unpleasant, it felt like I was sitting on a hotplate, but the sample-gun itself wasnt painful at all, I had 32 samples taken,  you just feel like someone is using a staple gun near you. The process feels undignified but it's very manageable. 

Hope this helps 

G

Hi Jonney

Not sure if you are on or going to have Radiotherapy but if you are be careful with your diet.

Poole hospital advised low fibre everything, no caffeine of alcohol and no green leafy veg, onions or garlic. The list was quite large and on the face of it not healthy! Check with your RT team to see if they have a diet sheet. The only problem I had was when I didn't follow it at Christmas lunch 2019.

Regards

Stuart

Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond to my question about prostate cancer. Your insights, advice, and shared experiences mean a lot to me. It's comforting to know that there is such a supportive community out there. I truly appreciate your kindness and willingness to help.

Hi !

You have had good responses from the fantastic people here in this forum regarding biopsies.

If I understand you correctly they must have done some type of scans ( mpMRI, PSMA Pet scan and etc ) and from them put you on hormone therapy and Enzalutamide. You wrote that you might be on hormone therapy for life. What was your diagnosis? Normally lifetime on hormone therapy suggest metastatic disease.

Anyway, good luck with your biopsies and for the majority it’s not a bigger issue when done.

Best wishes - Ulf

I’ve had two very different Trus biopsies the first was very painful but I had no local anesthetic injections just some anesthetic cream, I told the consultant before the second one that the first one was painful which he seemed surprised at and then glibly said “its ok I will give you gas for this one  

The gas made a big difference wasn’t painful just uncomfortable, the loss of dignity was of no concern to me that was low down on the things to worry about