MY TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS



MY PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL WOES



Around the first of January I noticed that I was having lower back pain so I went the doctor for a checkup toward the end of the month. My lower back ached and my right hip was shooting pain mostly while I was standing still. I thought it was probably arthritus. After my initial checkup the doctor wanted me to come back the following week for lab work. They had found a touch of blood in my urine.

During the first visit I had x-rays and when I came back for the lab work they ran an ultrasound on my kidneys as they had seen a kidney stone in my left kidney.

I called the doctor for my report about three days later and the nurse told me everything looked alright except I did have a kidney stone and my blood test indicated that my PSA was 4.7 which indicated that my prostate needed to be looked at because anything over 4.0 was abnormal. She made an appointment with the urologist for the following weekend which was last Friday. The urologist did the Digital thing and scheduled me for x-rays and dye on my kidneys next weekend. The following week he is going to do an ultrasound biopsy. That is where I am at this stage.

February 28, 1997.
I was supposed to have had my biopsy today but it has been postponed until Tuesday. They did the dye thing last Friday to check on my kidney stone. I haven't heard the results of those test yet.

March 5, 1997
I had my biopsy yesterday at about 9:00 A.M. A little bit about it. The nurse told me to take off my pants and shorts, put on the gown and get on the table. After a short while the doctor came in and told me to turn on my side, that he was going to insert the transrectal ultrasound device into my rectum and look at my prostate first and then he would take three biopsies on each side. After scanning my prostate he said he was ready to do the needle biopsies. He said he would count to three and do it. He said it would feel like a dull thump and a prick which is exactly how it felt. He did this six times and it was over. Not too bad, just uncomfortable.

Bleeding has always been a major concern with me. I have always had trouble bleeding. When I have teeth pulled they nearly always hemorage. Also sometimes during the seventies I had gallbladder surgery. When I was in recovery, I was told to take deep breaths. I could not. They said my blood preasure was 20 over 10. Needless to say I was rushed back into surgery. I was bleeding on the inside. The next time when I woke up in recovery I felt a lot better.

The drive home was about sixty miles. At home the first thing I did was go to the bathrom. I did a bowel movement and it was all blood. After that I went to bed but had to use the bathroom just about on the hour. Each time blood poured out. About 1:00 P.M. I had another bowel movement and started feeling really dizzy and nausiated. My wife was in the back bedroom so I decided to try and make in to my bed. I made it to the door before I passed out and collapsed to my knees. I was then able to crawl to my bed. I had another similar episode just before 3:00 P.M. going to the bathroom and getting dizzy. This time I just sat on the pot until I was able to make it to my bed. My wife called the doctor and he said he would check me into the hospital and they could pack my rectum but that he didn't think I was going to bleed to death and that the dizzy spells were because of the bowel movements. I decided to stay home and see how things worked out. As it turned out I had no more problems. I didn't have to use the bathroom that night and the next morning the bleeding had for the most part stopped.

Now comes the hard part. The waiting.

March 6, 1997
The nurse called about 2:30 P.M. The test came back negative. She said I needed to have my PSA checked in about six months. I feel really relieved. I did have an ace in the hole though. I had a lot of people praying for me and I intend to thank them tonight.

Now my main worry is the kidney stone. The doctor not to worry about it as long as it remained where it is.

March 13, 1997
POSTSCRIPT
I went to work last Monday and after bringing my suitcase into the motel, noticed that I had started bleeding from the rectum. As it turns out, I ended up in the hospital hemoraging and nearly passing out several times. A gastrointestinal surgeon cauterized a spot that was bleeding and I was released from the hospital yesterday. I plan to take the next two weeks off before attempting to go to work again. All of this was my fault because my urologist had told me to do no heavy lifting. I was warned that there could be bleeding for up to a month.


UPDATE:July 20, 1997
I had an appointment with the doctor (a different one because my HMO changed) and tried to bring him up to date with my prostate and kidney stone problems. He is sending off for my records. In another month or so I am going to have another PSA done. With all my bleeding problems, I am frightened to death of going through another biopsy much less learning that I have cancer and having surgery. I know I will seriously consider the radiation and seeding treatment.

This doctor is concerned about my blood pressure. It was 170/110. He wanted me to come back in two weeks, which is next Friday, and he may have to put me on blood preasure pills. I purchased a blood preasure machine and have been taking my own blood pressure. I started a diet last week (approximately 1000 calories per day) and have gone from 226 pounds to 216 pounds.

This brings you up to date on my physical woes.
UPDATE: September 21, 1997
I had my six month PSA test done around the middle of August. The nurse called and said my results came back normal whatever that means. I didn't ask for the numbers. Guess I'll find that out when I go for my next appointment in about two more months. Doing well on my diet. The doctor did put me on a mild blood pressure pill. My blood pressure is running anywhere from one thirty something over eighty something to one fifteen over seventy five. My weight is down to 192. I feel a whole lot better.

NEXT UPDATE: November 25, 1997
Just had my latest checkup yesterday, the 24th. The doctor gave me the rusults of my last PSA test. It was 1.9. His largest concern seemed to be about my blood pressure since I started being under his care. It has been running around one thirty something over eighty something for the most part. Really proud of my weight though. Down to 184 pounds yesterday. I stopped my diet several weeks ago but still watching my fat grams to remain in the neighborhood of where I am now.

The doctor said for me to have another PSA test in three or four months, but that I don't need to see him for about six months.
UPDATE: July 26, 1998
My last PSA was in March of 1998 and it checked out alright. I'll have another one done in September or October.


UPDATE:June 20, 1999
I have been having PSA test run about every six months and so far the results have been in the normal range. I have continued on my blood pressure medication, UNIVASC since about September of 1997.

My HMO has folded and I will have to change doctors again after the end of the month. My choices in doctors and hospitals will be reduced drastically. The only hospital on my new HMO will be the charity hospital, USUMC, in Shreveport. Of course I can go to the local hospsital in Natchitoches.

No primary care physician will be required on my new HMO, (EOP). I will be able to choose any doctor on the EPO list. The only problem with that is that the list is very short and many of the doctors on the list for LSUMC in Shreveport are first year doctors and will not be there after this year.

Nothing new on my kidney stone. Guess it's still sitting there just waiting to deliver me a lot of pain and agony.


UPDATE:March 6, 2000
The doctor changes my blood pressure medication to Plendil a couple of weeks ago. I am to do a stress test for my heart later this week and the doctor wants a specialist to look at my colon. I still have my kidney stone. I hope everything works out ok.

UPDATE: May 14, 2000
It appears that Plendil was not doing the job, so last Thursday my doctor added a couple of other medications. Hopefully my BP will get under control now. My colon was scoped last month and I had a barium enima performed. Nothing serious found, but I can tell you one thing. The enima did NOT make my day. It was a pain in the rear.



UPDATE: May 21, 2000
Last Friday morning, I had blood drawn for lab work. That afternoon, Lisa, my doctor's nurse called saying that my lab work indicated that my kidney's are not working properly and that they want to do an Ultrasound on my kidneys. She set me up an appointment for June the 9th. I already know that I have a kidney stone in my left kidney. I had an Ultrasound done at another hopital in October of last year. I am going to retrieve those records so I can give them to my present doctor. I am sure that the stone is causing my problem, but the treatment is what concerns me. Should surgery be required, then I am back to my worries about my bleeding problems. I am very concerned about all of this.



UPDATE: June 16, 2000
On Friday, June 9, 2000, I had additional lab work and an ultra-sound done for my kidneys. I retreived my x-rays and medical records for ultra-sounds done in 1997 and October of 1999. I had learned in 1997 that I had a kidney stone and I believe my doctor may have mentioned a cyst. I perused my records and learned that I had two non-obstructive kidney stones, one 2 mm and another 6 mm, as well as a 2.9 cm cyst in the lower pole of my left kidney. There was a 9.7 cm x 10.5 cm in the upper pole of my right kidney. Apparently, there was no change between the 1997 and the1999 ultra-sounds except that in 1999 the cyst in my right kidney was 11 cm. There was no evidence of hydronephrosis in either kidney.

I had an office visit with my doctor yesterday to learn the results of my latest lab work and ultra-sound. He said that my lab came back normal and found little or no changes in the ultra-sound of my kidneys.

My next appointment is September 21, 2000. The doctor wants me to watch my blood pressure. My BP is still higher than he would like it to be, even taking three medications. He may need to change my medication again or increase the dosage. I'll just have to watch it


UPDATE: October 6, 2001
The last few visits to the doctor have caused me some concern. It seems that me blood calcium is slightly high. Naturally, the first thing I did was check on the internet to find out about calcium in the blood. The first thing that pops up is "CANCER." At my last doctor's visit, he had PTH (Parathyroid) blood test done. With all my blood pressure problems and now this, my doctor is concerned about my kidneys. After the PTH test, my doctor says my kidneys are weak but stable. He said it may be due to my blood pressure medication.
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The Prostate

The prostate is a small gland about the size of a walnut. It is found only in men. It surrounds the first part of the tubes (urethra) which carries urine from the bladder to the penis. The same tube also carries semen. The prostate produces a thick clear fluid which is an important part of the semen. The growth and function of the prostate gland depends on the male sex hormone, (testosterone), which is produced in the testes. Some treatments for prostate cancer only work because they reduce the levels of testosterone.



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Blood Test

A sample of your blood is checked for PSA (prostate specific antigen). PSA is a protein produced by both normal and cancerous prostate cells. A high level of PSA can be a sign of cancer but your PSA level can also be raised in benign prostate conditions. The higher the level of PSA the more likely it is to be cancer. Any reading over 4.0 is considered to be in the abnormal range and needs further examination.


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Rectal Examination


Your doctor places a gloved finer into your rectum to feel your porstate and check for anything which is not normal.


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The Biopsy

The ultrasound scan and needle biopsy are done together. The ultrasound scan uses sound waves to build up a picture of the inside of your body. To scan the prostate gland a small probe is passed into your rectum. The image appears on a screen. The scan measures the exact size of your prostate and can detect abnormal areas within the prostate. The needle biopsy can be done at the same time. A small needle is put into the prostate through your rectum. A sample of cells is drawn into a syringe. The process takes only a few minutes.


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This site last updated September 11, 1999.
I am really behind on this site as far as updating. A lot has happened since 1999. It is now 2004. I'll get back to this later.