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That’s a very interesting question, Mike. I must say that I thought the pain people felt in a biopsy was more from the needles at the beginning of their journey – through the sensitive bowel area, but you may well be right that the prostate gland has a sensitivity too. It certainly reacts to the needles from biopsy and brachytherapy, literally shrinking away from them (which is what makes the placing of the seeds accurately so difficult).
I had a degree of discomfort prior to my biopsy in the area that I subsequently found was where my prostate gland was situate. But I put that down to the prostatitis I should have been diagnosed with – and it disappeared after my DRE (Digital Rectal Examination). Was there any sign of prostatitis in your pathology reports?
Subsequent to the biopsy, I was aware of all sorts of issues in that area, but feel that most of those were the kind of twinges that occur all the time throughout our bodies, but which we ignore unless our attention was focused on them. The best example I can think of was my concern about two issues in the months after the diagnostic procedures – the pain in my lower back and a stabbing pain in my groin (which is where I thought the lymph nodes might be located). In my state of mind immediately post diagnosis, I thought these must be signs of progression, but as I learned more about the normal course of the disease and the normal kind of time frame involved in metastasis, I calmed down and realized that these two painful symptoms had been with me for many years, on and off, and were certainly unrelated to PCa.
The gland did however acquire a greater degree of sensitivity after my TURP and a DRE some 2 years later was extremely uncomfortable, so I guess that you might well be able to discern some sort of activity in the gland.
Mike I had my biopsy under a general anaesthetic (basically a big chicken). But I did have the gold seed fudical markers inserted rather slowly into my prosate whilst I was awake. It was uncomfortable but tolerable. The seed at the apex being the most uncomfortable. I also found the DRE to be most uncomfortable as I had reasonably substantial prostatitis at the time.
So yes, I would say the prostate is reasonably sensitive. The gay fellows certainly seem to think so LOL!!!!
I know what you mean. I've felt a constant pressure in that area since my surgery 18 months ago. Every minute of the day I am aware of that spot and I'm getting pretty tired of the sensation.
Hey Mike;
I definitely think that the prostate can register pain. I have had mild discomfort/pain in my left groin area since a brachytherapy almost 3 years ago. I believe that the discomfort is from my remaining prostate. Perhaps the scar tissue in the prostate is somehow related, perhaps that part of the prostate doesn't drain properly during orgasm, since my discomfort gets worse after that. Whenever I have my six-month rectal exam, it hurts on the left side of my prostate when the doctor presses it ( well the right side feels a little sore too.) My PSA is 0.5 almost three years after the procedure so the urologist and oncologist don't get very interested in my complaints about pain.
Mike,
You may have felt pressure from the prostate pressing on the urethra. I have read quite a bit, and feeling pain in your prostate is not typical. Pain from the pressure causes pain when urinating. I recommend going online to research this.
I appreciate the candid responses. I think Terry's message most closely approximates what I meant when he said he chalked-up the his sensations to normal twinges we have in our bodies now and again. I wonder if the slight twinges you feel occasionally could actually be cancer cells growing and multplying? I don't think that's too strange of a conclusion to make, considering that we somewhat agree there must be some feeling in the prostate gland
Here is an interesting observation.
While I was having my EBRT, and having had ADT for a few months, I found increasing fatigue a real problem.( Still do ! )
So before the drive to the hospital for the R/T, I took a nap in the afternoons.
We have electic storage heaters. About the time I had my nap, the afternoon boost switched on. I actually could feel the electricity surge from the nearby heater in the prostate. A sort of very very mild shock.After R/T finished,this sensitivity diminished.
Have wondered if it was the P.Ca. cells reacting, or the healthy prostate ones.
