And the fear/panic part of my brain is in overdrive. The urologist told me I would experience “pressure” and “minor discomfort” during the procedure. I can hardly believe that in the course of inserting a proble into my nether regions and having a needle pierce my innards on the way to taking 12 samples from my prostate would only result in “minor” discomfort. So for anyone who has had this procedure, I have some questions. How long does it take? Realistically, how painful is it? Did you experience any after-effects, like infection or excessive bleeding? The urologist alluded to a local anesthetic, and I will need a driver. Do they put you to sleep, as some web sites have indicated, or are you fully awake? Medical web sites give various answers to these questions. I can mentally prepare myself to whatever may happen if I have a realistic idea of what to expect. Any advice?
Second hand report: A friend had this done several years ago. By his description, it was not pleasant. Not pleasant at all. His conclusion: Should’ve been sedated.
Having the samples taken wasn’t exactly “painful,” but there was a definite jolt — or maybe “very(!) mild electric shock” would describe it better. The sensation went away immediately.
I wasn’t out, and didn’t need a driver; YMM, of course, V. From beginning to end it took about an hour. For me, the most uncomfortable aspect was having my tuchis hanging off the side of the table: for some reason I felt like I was going to fall off.
Spoilered for the squeamish:Some people report blood in ejaculate afterward, but I had no opportunity to confirm or deny this.
First hand report:
I’ts been a few years but this is how it went for me:
Knelt on a chair and had a lubed probe go up my butt. When the process started, I felt a jolt to the left, then the right. The doctor asked me how that felt, I said it wasn’t too bad. He said that should be the worst of it. (Those two needles were the local anesthetic being injected.)
After that, there were 16 samples taken and I hardly felt them. Certainly no pain. I went home in a diaper and was told there might be blood in urine, stool and semen for a few days. Don’t remember there being any of that for long, if I even noticed it at all.
Was completely awake, took maybe an hour, no after effects at all. I assume you have been given antibiotics to take beforehand.
The whole thing sounded scarier than it was. Good luck to you.
My experience was similar to I. Dunno and OttoDaFe, with the difference that I found the injection of anesthetic to be excruciating (for certain values of that word), but maybe I have a lower threshold for that sort of thing. I did not feel anything when they took the actual samples, and I did not wear a diaper home, but
I did have a little blood in both urine and ejaculate for a bit, even though I waited a few days for any sexual activity. Glad to say the results of the biopsy were 100% clear, and the biopsy would not have been necessary if the doctor(s) had only told me in advance to AVOID SEXUAL ACTIVITY FOR 72 HOURS BEFORE YOUR BLOOD DRAW when it includes a PSA test.
I don’t remember anything strongly unpleasant. But it was 10 years ago.
My results came back positive for cancer. After 10 years, I have no symptoms.
A couple of questions I wish I had asked when I got my results:
How many biopsy procedures were perform that day?
What protocols are used to insure there is no mixup of samples?