NHS/Private diagnosis

You can ask the urologist you see privately to put you onto his NHS list once a diagnosis has been given as this will mean you are further up the list when you go back to the NHS.  How did the appointment go on Thursday?

Consultant very good and straight to point although I am thinking he is fully expecting cancer. As he has organised an MRI SCAN, CT scan with dye and a bones scan. He did examine and did say our go rightly so to be worried as left side of prostate really firm. His urine flow was very stop and start. But whole chat was about prostate cancer and it was me that mentioned at the end about possible benign conditions which he just didn’t entertain much. We have both cane away more or less preparing for a cancer diagnoses after scans and biopsies. Give him his due he had already requested bone scan yesterday before seeing us toda just with the gp referal. Which I thought was strange as they don’t normally want to expose you to radiation unesscary also the cost of scans. All in all I am confident we have a very efficient and knowledgable consultant so will just wait and see what happens. He is away to start him on tamsuliin which again is used in prostate cancer patients possibly benign conditions too away to research. It’s a minefield all this

He got a phone call at 11 yesterday to go get MRi at 1pm which he was scanned for 45 minutes and he had to get contrast so not sure if that a bad sign or normal for the initial mri? 

Absolutely normal.  As are bone scans and all others at this stage.  An MRI should be done before the biopsy so that they can see exactly where to target the biopsy - though years ago at my diagnosis quite often it was done the other way around which as well as meaning the biopsy couldn't be so well targeted to the area of concern it also meant that an MRI could not be done until 3 to 6 weeks after the biopsy as the inflammation caused by the biopsy would cloud the MRI. 

Yeah he had an mri with contrast on Friday, shoukd get ct scan with contrast this week, bone scan said would be about 4 weeks. We can wait for biopsy’s on nhs which is a waiting time of 8 weeks apoarently or we can go and get them done privately in London. Will see what scans show first and what we advised best to do. Although if we have had the scans maybe they will bring biopsy’s forward fingers crossed. Both our dr and our consultant felt the same suspicious area. Which is why I think with his symptoms and psa and the said firm area on left side of prostate likely to be cancer. 

Unfortunately I feel I am becoming obsessed and really just need to wait for an actual diagnosis but I am quite like that anyway I seem to look into worse case scenarios so am not shocked when told it is anything bad which isn’t healthy but so worried and anxious of what to come. Where as my husband who is the one going through it seems to be taking it in his stride which am sure he not but he just deals with things differently 

Hello Skye, I think you and I tackle this very much in the same way. For me, forewarned is forearmed! But, being forewarned brings its own stresses too, doesn’t it?  I just so much wish that the medical professions would understand the toll this takes on us wives.

I have never suffered with panic attacks but think I’m getting them now. I get such a crush8ng pain in my chest x - so much so that it makes me cry. The tears stop the pain but nothing seems to stop the tears. What a mess!

like your husband, mine seems to be taking it much better in his stride but I am wondering if he is being completely truthful with me ( or even himself?) in order to protect me?

take care and hopefully you will get some dollops of good news and not just bad soon!  Our first ever bit of good news came when we were told the bone scans were clear - what did I do? More tears of course! ( we have a reservoir nearby, I am contributing to its water levels!)

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