We drove to Sacramento on Tuesday so that I could get me one of them prostate MRI things they are doing for research at UC Davis Medical Center. We have to drive there because no specialist locally accepts my health insurance policy (I have an Anthem BlueShield policy via Covered California). Last year we had Anthem BlueCross. No specialist took that locally either. As of January 1st Anthem BlueCross pulled out of most of California including Sacramento County which is where UC Davis is located...so we made a switch to the last remaining health insurance policy offered that we can buy. I still have to drive to Sacramento (80 miles each way) to see a specialist but I’m good with that. It is what it is.
At least, for 2018, I can still buy a health insurance policy that I can use to see our General Practitioner locally. The reason he takes it is political for him. He is a Scotsman and dealt with the red tape of the British health care system and tells me what he has to go through in the States dealing with ACA policies is easier. He want’s to be able to treat folks with ObamaCare policies and so his practice does take some of us but not too many. The local doctors we have (most primary health care providers and all specialists) who don’t accept our policy are also doing for reasons ranging from not accepting any ObamaCare policies just because all the way to those who think it is abhorrent to give health care to anyone who gets any government help (that's welfare!) whether it be an ObamaCare policy or Medicare. There are even those (I spoke to one in person) who believe it’s actually immoral to give people healthcare who can’t afford it straight up on their own. Well, those docs will always find their peeps.
Everything...and I mean everything...is political now no matter what the subject including health care and cake baking. We definitely do live in interesting times.
Back to my experience last Tuesday with a little background. First off, I need to let you know I have no problem talking about my medical situations. I’ve always felt it is simply information and may help others. So here goes.
I feel very fortunate I can go to UC Davis which provides top rate healthcare as it’s a medical school. Personally, I love teaching hospitals. My dad taught at a teaching hospital so he could do research which was his passion. I also know I have a good likelihood of being part of a study when I go to one of those hospitals and I’m good with that as well. Heck, I let them do studies on me at my dad’s hospital when I was a kid just to make some money.
My PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) was always on the high side. According to my 23&Me genome testing, for me, it should be on the high side due to genetics. Years and years ago I had my first PSA taken. It was 4.1 (anything over 4.0 is currently considered to be a red flag for possible prostate cancer). That number didn’t bother me one bit. Later PSA numbers fluctuated between 4.1 and 5.3. Up a little...down a little. That pattern continued for years. If you do have a bunch of PSA results over time, what you look for is a sudden exponential increase in the number.
Last year it spiked to over 9.0. A second one a year later confirmed it was still over 9.0. I had another more specialized type of PSA blood test that also checks not only for prostate antigens but also genetic markers for prostate cancer. It rules out the need for up to 80% of the biopsies done by showing if one is warranted or not. The results of that test concluded I had a 35% chance of having an aggressive prostate cancer. It also meant there was a 65% chance that it wasn’t. For me, it was enough to act. So I went to UC Davis and had a prostate biopsy. Not the most fun I’ve had, but not really that bad. There was some pain at times during the procedure and some rectal bleeding for a week afterward (don’t you love that?)
The results of the biopsy came back negative. UC Davis is conducting their own research however as PSA’s themselves are losing their status as being a reliable test for prostate cancers. They believe up to 80% of prostate biopsies based on PSA numbers alone are truly unnecessary. The UC Davis study takes guys like me (negative prostate cancer biopsy but a high PSA) and conducts a very detailed 45-minute specialized MRI of the prostate. You have to wait least 2 months before that to allow swelling of the prostate to wane due to the biopsy. They insert an anal probe that presses a coil against the prostate for the duration which gives them a very detailed image of the prostate.
In some areas of the world, MRI’s of prostates are now done vs. biopsies because biopsies of the prostate do have side effects such as permanent impotence, bladder control issues, sepsis, and death. UC Davis has only a 2% rate of sepsis from prostate biopsies. The national average is 6%.
The MRI will show any cancer that wasn’t found by the biopsy. If something does show up, I’ll have to go back and get a biopsy of just that spot in the prostate. This research is being done to hopefully create a new protocol that will be accepted in the USA to replace physical biopsies of the prostate. I believe that will occur and I’m glad to be able to get such an in-depth examination of my prostate.
So, I was just wondering. Have you ever had an MRI? If so, of what body part? I’ve had a ton of them due to my past cancer situation and now my prostate. What about you? Care to talk about it? If not…
What do you want to talk about today?
RSVPS
1. Chrislove, organizer (kosmail him to connect)
2. tiredntexas
3. JJR1971
4. scott5js
5. cosette
6.
MAYBEES :
Mr. cosette
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