I have a friend who is having lots of problems after having his biopsy. He's apparently not doing too well. Don't know all of the details yet but I get the impression that the after affects hit him pretty hard.

I recall that my biopsy procedure (done in an out-patient surgical facility) wasn't too terrible. The only thing I regret is that they told me I would be under general anesthesia when the actual needles were activated. That didn't happen. I was wide awake for about 10 of the 12 needles and just started to drift off to sleep on the last two. I was given no local anesthesia (injection) so I felt all 12 needles. Not fun! I woke up in the recovery room and was feeling some pain. The pain lasted for the next 3 ot 4 days. Okay, not a big deal. I recovered and the end result was 1 in 12 was positive for PCa.

I would appreciate hearing from any others out there who had a difficult biopsy and had problems after the procedure.

:confused:

Going under general anesthesia would have been nice. I have given a topical to make the insertion of the ultrasound/biopsy probe less pain full and that was it. I felt all twelve needle, with the last bunch hurting a lot.

When I got hope I felt a urgent need to urinate, so I tried. I ended up passing out of the floor.

Other than the normal things, it was tolerable.

Blood in urine
Blood in ejaculate. This took about a month to clean out.
general soreness for about a week or two


Luckly it's all behind me know... so to speak.

Going under general anesthesia would have been nice. I have given a topical to make the insertion of the ultrasound/biopsy probe less pain full and that was it. I felt all twelve needle, with the last bunch hurting a lot.

When I got hope I felt a urgent need to urinate, so I tried. I ended up passing out of the floor.

Other than the normal things, it was tolerable.

Blood in urine
Blood in ejaculate. This took about a month to clean out.
general soreness for about a week or two


Luckly it's all behind me know... so to speak.

I don't think you are alone. Here in the USA most guys have their biopsy done at their urologist's office with just a local injection to numb the area. I get the impression that my experience of having my biopsy done at an out-patient surgical center, under general anesthesia, is not very normal. I asked my urologist why my biopsy procedure was done like that and not in his office and he told me that his malpractice insurer insists all prostate biopsies be done at surgical centers where there's more resources in case there are complications. He did admit that complications don't occur very often but when they do, the emergency resources and staff are more superior in places like outpatient surgical centers. I suspect that, in the future, most surgical procedures, regardless of how easy they are to perform, will be done in surgical centers.

Certainly drives up the cost significantly.

:(

Mine was done at a local hospital on an out patient basis. Six of use got changed and marched out to a series of beds. The doctor then did each set of biopsies one after the other. From a cost perspective it was very efficient.

As each one of use returned to the changing booth, we had the stuned deer look on our faces. I said to the fellow across from me that it really hurt. He simple nooded.

Mine was done at a local hospital on an out patient basis. Six of use got changed and marched out to a series of beds. The doctor then did each set of biopsies one after the other. From a cost perspective it was very efficient.

As each one of use returned to the changing booth, we had the stuned deer look on our faces. I said to the fellow across from me that it really hurt. He simple nooded.
Every now and then I read a post like yours that gives us a glimpse of our future if the US goes to a national healthcare system. I hope we can avoid it, while still improving access for those that are currently 'underserved'.

As I recall, you had a daVinci RP? I went to the Intuitive Surgical website and found two hospitals in all of Canada with daVinci robots. There are hundreds in the US. I don't know how many robots those two hospitals have but there are at least eleven robots that I know of in six hospitals in Houston alone! Apparently, Health Canada doesn't have the money or the will to invest in these machines, even given their obvious advantages to the patient and their cost savings to Health Canada.

I had nothing but the valium I took about 45 minutes before this lovely procedure. While not the most wonderful thing in the world, I can't say the procedure was painful. It was uncomfortable - I was terribly anxious and it was the first time I really had to undress, show it all and have the equivalent of a broom stuck up my rear.

It was cancer - so things just got better - ha ha ha ha

Mine wasn't painful and was performed in the urologist's office under a local.
I was of course tense and anxious and may have popped a zanex beforehand.
What I remember was the jolt each time he made a punch which was uncomfortable as was the ultrasound probe.
Compared with the pain of 3 shoulder dislocations and reductions from ski falls over the last 15 years and one hemhorroidectomy the biopsy was mild. The toughest part was dealing with the diagnosis of prostate cancer, the search for options and then the search for a world class surgeon once I decided to go that way. Fortunately I made the right decision for me and picked the right surgeon from among the 4 I interviewed and had a near perfect outcome. Considered medically cured with both nerves spared and undetectable PSA's for the past 61/2 years with minimal to zero side effects.

my biopsy was similar to the two postings just below. one vallium shortly before. [and the antibotic the guy prescribed.] it was a bit uncomfortable. i think they used a topical anesthetic. [sp?] not something i'd want to do every day, but not dreadful either. just uncomfortable. all was over very quickly -- maybe 20 minutes from pants off to pants back on.

that's the good news. now my bad news. in spite of the course of antibiotics prescribed for the day before through three days after, i got an infection from the procedure. now that was unpleasant. about 12 hours in the hospital, an IV drip of industrial strength antibiotic, and a three week course of cipro. they told me that there's a two percent chance of this from the procedure, and i was one of the 2%.

Mine was at my urologist's office. No oral pain or mood-altering med. I got a big squirt of lubicant and topical anesthetic rectally about 10-15 minutes before. As the 12 samples were taken, the feeling grew from slight discomfort to a lot of discomfort to downright pain which just grew and grew. The worst part was it felt like you needed to rub or touch the place that hurt but you couldn't get to it.

Once it was done the pain began subsiding almost right away and it was minor within an hour and back to someness/discomfort within 2-3 hours. I did have a mild anxiety attack of sorts once I got home before I got anything in my stomach, but it quickly went away once I got some food and liquid in me. There was very little bleeding afterwards from the rectum. There was some blood in my urine for a day or 2 and some in my semen for a few weeks or so. My recovery was so good my wife left late that day on her previously scheduled business trip. I had 3 days of anitbiotics (I forget whether it was Cipro or Levaquin) - day before, day of, day after.

Even though I was only 48 at the time and symptom free, I was sure I had PCa so there was no anxiety waiting for the diagnosis or when I heard the verdict. I was ready to schedule the surgery and begin planning and preparing for it and my prostate was gone 2 months later.

Every now and then I read a post like yours that gives us a glimpse of our future if the US goes to a national healthcare system. I hope we can avoid it, while still improving access for those that are currently 'underserved'.

As I recall, you had a daVinci RP? I went to the Intuitive Surgical website and found two hospitals in all of Canada with daVinci robots. There are hundreds in the US. I don't know how many robots those two hospitals have but there are at least eleven robots that I know of in six hospitals in Houston alone! Apparently, Health Canada doesn't have the money or the will to invest in these machines, even given their obvious advantages to the patient and their cost savings to Health Canada.

Some would say, "The nearly 47 million Americans without health care coverage need to go to Canada and apply for citizenship. That would solve America's current health care crisis."

Not sure I agree with that. :confused: