Anxious about appointment after biopsy

Good morning.

As with most in this group I am both sorry and glad that you are here.

People get their biopsy results in different ways. Some by phone, and some in person. Mine was in person.

Looking at what happened to people in this group getting them in person does not indicate anything in particular. By the time I got my biopsy results I already knew that I had cancer (told to me in a telephone conversation while I was driving), and had a clear bonescan and a CT s can confirming that the cancer had escaped to one nymph mode only. This was good news because it gave a clear treatment pathway - hormone therapy and radiotherapy.

Go with him. Read up on things. Makes notes. Ask questions. Be polite but firm. Make sure you get the information you need and write it down.

I really hope it goes well.

Steve

Thank you Steve,

My mum has told me to think positive until we know otherwise, but we can’t help worrying.

I've done a lot of research in terms of if it is cancer and what we could expect. My husband isn’t really talking about it, and I don’t want to force him until we know what he’s facing, but I know he is worrying.

I’ve seen some conversations where people say to write down questions, so I’ll do that so that we’re well prepared.

i hope your treatment is going well, and thank you for taking the time to reply.

Hi Shim76 - I'm asking the exact same question as you in a recent thread on here and like you will be going with my husband but a week later and in Sussex! We don't have the possible genetic link so possibly one less worry for us perhaps but I am going along too although my husband said it was fine to go by himself and I should just go to the theatre with a friend instead of himself (we had tickets which clashed with the appointment date and no chance of changing the appointment unless we waited til May!) As if I'd leave him and as if I'd enjoy my outing anyway! From the very helpful replies on my thread it's clear that every authority delivers the news slightly differently but a universal response is to phone the Macmillan nurse if the unknowing is impacting your emotional and mental health badly. Good luck and soon you will be in the know and we'll  be in that no mans land still, asking you and others for support 

Hi Shim76 , sorry you are posting on here but you are most welcome.  So where are you in this journey?  I don’t know what took your OH to get tested or what results you have had (PSA, MRI etc), but my reading is that PCa is likely, but that covers a massive range from needing no treatment for years to aggressive needing active treatment (like I was 7 years ago).  I am also in N Hants and have had visits to Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Andover, Winchester and Southampton hospitals over the years for various tests and treatments, so don’t read too much into that.  If you are now going to Winchester, I presume it is to Oncology (Nick Jonas ward) and honestly they are absolutely great.  Please ask away or DM me if you want any information.  You can see my story (so far) by clicking on my name or avatar.  Good luck, David

Hi Ally52,

thank you for coming back to me. I agree how could you possibly enjoy going out while your husband is getting his results!

wishing you both all the best with your husband’s results as well.

Hi David,

He’s generally felt unwell for a while and since his brother died it has weighed on his mind. He took himself off to the doctors and so he’s had a range of investigations into different things - a gastroscopy on Christmas Eve which showed helicobactor pylori but no cancer in the stomach / oesophagis etc. but because he also mentioned his brother to our gp, she also arranged the psa test which has then escalated to mri and then biopsy.

I don’t think the psa was extraordinarily high, but what worried me was that the mri confirmed he would have to go through the next stage of investigation which was biopsy.

I’m also worried that he might have to go through that again if the first biopsy was inconclusive or didn’t show anything (and if the consultant suspects cancer may be present).

I imagine everyone is the same as us when these investigations move to the next phase, but it’s all very new and strange at the moment.

Hi again Shim76 , yes it is all very worrying but try not to read too much into it.  Generally most guys on here didn’t know they had cancer before diagnosis, so feeling unwell is much more likely to be the Helicobacter Pylori.  Once you have the results of the biopsy and know the direction of travel, you will feel better.  It’s a very scary time but you are not alone.  David

Good Morning Shim76 

Another welcome to our little family here, although I too am sorry to find you here. I am Brian one of the Community Champions here and I have been on my own Prostate Cancer journey for over 3 years.

You have had some cracking replies from our little family all can add is:

* Yes both of you go to the meeting. It's easy to miss something. Make notes and ask for a copy of the meeting minutes.

* If you are researching Prostate Cancer, use trusted sources, Prostate Cancer UK, Cancer Research UK or Macmillan (There's lots of information on Dr Google but plenty is out of date or just wrong).

* Have your list of questions ready - What do the results mean? Where do we go from here and what treatment do you propose. Remember there are different treatments and you might not be offered them all even if they are suitable. Here's a link to help you with your list - Questions For Your Team.

The wait for test results is awful but we are here for you, any questions ask away, however trivial they are.

Best wishes - Brian.

Thank you - since I posted here John rang and spoke to the macmillan nurse who has confirmed it definitely is PC and has spread into his pelvis. That's what we were expecting but of course you do have a small hope that it will be something else. We now await the exact diagnosis on 6/2 but do feel slightly less churned up emotionally now we know what's what!