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Journey begins - age 51, PSA 72

Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Nov 7 8:27pm | Replies (43)

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@deku

Thank you all for your kind words of support and encouragement. While I am not exactly pioneering new ground here in the grand scheme of things (and it sounds like a fair number of you have likely been through much worse than I can probably expect), it is all still new and relatively sudden for me (first DRE and PSA test were less than a month ago) and I have not been handling the anxiety very well. I have been trying to be very stoic about it all and trying to protect my family from worrying needlessly, but I have decided to share with my family so they can understand and support. After a post-biopsy scare (excessive blood loss, seems to be under control now), trying to hang tight and keep positive thoughts, but still can't resist the urge to research things like my prostate volume (40.3 mL) and PSA density (1.78) to understand what they mean and how they might correlate (or not) to anything.

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Replies to "Thank you all for your kind words of support and encouragement. While I am not exactly..."

It's natural to research *too* much because you want to be prepared for all outcomes. Knowledge is great, but as others have said, getting too far ahead of yourself just causes unnecessary stress. You've got enough to think about, without adding imaginary scenarios.

Congrats on getting through the biopsy. Probably wasn't as bad as your imagination told you.
Now that the bleeding has stopped, the only post-biopsy oddities are pink urine and/or semen. Freaky, but harmless, expected & very short-term.

Your job now is to wait. Any concerns or worry about bad outcomes can be expressed here, where many of us can reassure you that bad long-term outcomes may not even come about.

You've done Hard Part No. 1.
So you're stronger than you think.

For men of our generation, sharing and being vulnerable can be hard, and you might find it requires more strength and courage than being stoic and holding it in. I know people in the military who are going through the same journey with PTSD. You took the first step, and that's a big thing. Congrats!

There's no hierarchy of pain here. It's ok that we've all had different experiences, some more severe than others, and we support each-other without judgement. The first weeks and months are the hardest, whatever your diagnosis.