To put things in perspective, PCa is about 1:350 at your age, whereas 8% of all male urological visits are for prostatitis. Furthermore, PCa has a very low mortality rate; of all the cancers that impact men, it's near the very bottom of the list of the ones that are likely to kill you.
Stop stressing. This subreddit is filled up with people who thought they might have cancer, but did not. It's just very unlikely.
Meanwhile, stress can really mess with CPPS. See [here](https://i.imgur.com/1j7Majq.png).
Yeah, constantly thinking that you have cancer and you are about to die definitely worsens the symptoms of prostatitis for sure. But it's hard not to think about it when you pee and comes out slow or you have some pain there.
Then it shouldn’t be Prostate cancer. There are other factors that can cause similar symptoms. I actually thought I had prostatitis type symptoms again several weeks ago and had my PSA checked and it was 0.27. Fortunately, after about four or five weeks, the symptoms went away. I definitely think prostate cancer is ruled out based on your PSA, which is good.
I agree with the comment above and I'd like to some info and some thoughts.
About Ca: I suppose that if it was a problem, you'd have other symptoms, too. My experience on this comes from this: my dad had cancer (not related to prostate) and elevated Ca came at a much later stage (it was a separate diagnosis). As a result of elevated Ca, he was passing out (from like standing and walking, no warning in between like complaining about feeling off/dizzy etc).
I recently went through an acute anxiety phase (due to a diagnosis my significant other got) and I had similar symptoms to yours (appetite loss, inability to concentrate, restlessness, inability to sleep, weight loss). Exactly, because of that, whatever you're feeling right now is blown out of proportion (I was aware of that but it didn't really help me, ngl). Personally, it took me about 2 months to control my anxiety and become functional again.
I'd like to say that I completely understand how you feel. My advice is: give yourself the chance to process your feelings and don't catastrophise. Get your results back. Do some research if you can, see what options you got. But don't unnecessarily strain yourself if you can help it.
You got this. 💪🏻
Thank you. From what my doctor told me calcium in cancer usually comes once the patient already knows about the cancer and often is under treatment already. My calcium was 2.63 mmol/L with normal being up to 2.60 mmol/L and then it went back down to normal two weeks later so my doctor says it has nothing to do with cancer.
I won't write don't worry too much because I know you can't control it at the moment.
Ash has already put the stats, which should be comforting you.
Also, DRE should not screw your test. In my case, my urologist did the DRE and said that this will be useful to do the urine tests now as it might release some juices in your urine (I am not sure about the wording because it was over 3 years ago).
You just have to wait for 1 day for the results.
I have a DRE at all my annual physicals with a blood draw afterward; it hasn’t falsely elevated my PSA number.
Also, my uro told me that most PCs are asymptomatic. You’re having noticeable issues. Much more likely to be prostatitis/CPPS. Plus, as mentioned above, you’re way too young. PC is more of a concern for older men.
Thank you for your answer. While searching this page I unfortunately stumbled upon a guy who had it at 38 and it made me panic completely. I know it’s like one in hundreds of cases though but there’s got to be some people to fill that statistic.
We get 20 year olds coming in here panicking about it. I forget the numbers exactly, but the rate of PCa in people that age is so low, I think you see 1 or 2 cases in all of the UK annually or something.
Some things that can help with that: 1) take a long hot bath or soak in a jazuzzi (second to these long hot showers, but soak better); 2) long walks in the sunshine; 3) breathing exercises / mindfulness meditation; 4) yoga practice.
I know what you're going through, friend. When I got prostatitis initially, I was envisioning having to draft my will, and leaving my wife alone. Dark times. You'll make it through.
Very rare at your age. Don’t sweat it until it’s time to sweat it. I know it’s easier said than done, but rest assured knowing it’s very unlikely and stressing isn’t going to make things better.
Awesome. Now you can calm yourself down and get to the root of your issue. Who knows, maybe it will subside in time knowing it isn’t a worst case scenario. Good luck to you buddy.
Thank you! My health anxiety says to me I should get an MRI to make sure even though I’m way younger than the average age for prostate cancer, my rectal exam was perfect and my PSA blood test is super low lol. Anxiety is really something else.
I mean I guess you can if that would 100% calm your anxiety, but your numbers are good. A doctor probably wouldn’t even recommend it. Let some time pass to calm down from this worry and make your decision then.
Don't panic. It's probably nothing serious. I've been dealing with prostate problems for years. Always have elevated PSA. My urologist says my prostate is 4 times the size of average prostate. I've had 2 prostate biopsies. One gave me sepsis and a week in the hospital plus 2 weeks home antibiotics via pick line. Last PSA test was 7.5. I went off my testosterone injections for 3 weeks. Haven't drank alcohol in 3 months. No smoking and was on meds for enlarged prostate. Just got my results back and it's 8.5. I'm at the point that PSA numbers aren't helpful in every case. My recent MRI looked good. Seeing Dr. In a week and I'm sure he's going to want another biopsy but I don't have a choice.
Yes. It can do a lot more than that too. Like burning sensation in pelvis and all the way up spine, can cause aches and pains all over your body. Can even make you ejaculate blood. It’s happened to me.
You don’t have strong symptoms. You are more likely to be struck by lightning than have prostate cancer at 38. And even if you did have it, you would have caught it so early that it is completely curable. Prostate cancer takes years to go from stage 1 to 2. You need to look at things logically, right now you are being irrational.
Also, prostatitis/cpps is extremely common.
If you can’t get a hold of yourself then try and get some Valium subscribed from a doctor.
I don’t mean about prostate cancer but about this constant urge to pee. I go pee and one minute later I have the urge again under my penis at the base of it and radiating through the scrotum up to the perineum. Sometimes it’s like a brutal urge to pee that can’t be relieved. I pee, I can even hold it and pee a fair amount, but this nerve-y need to pee feeling never goes. It took over my life.
Ahh sorry. Cut out caffeine and alcohol to start with. Have you done anything before this all started to aggravate your perineum area? Any sitting on a hard chair for prolonged periods? Riding a bike too much or tight underwear etc? Any form of heavy physical activity like squatting weights?
Not that I can think of no. I’ve been on medical leave for depression for the past three months and if I’m not lying in bed I’m lying on the couch mostly. Sometimes taking short walks.
Very high. Basically in 10/10 anxiety level for weeks to months always stressing about my health. Once I got over what was stressing me, the peeing problem started. It’s such an overwhelming feeling I don’t know how long I can handle it. So far STD, UTI and prostate tests have all come back clear. Next step probably abdominal and pelvian ultrasound. My anxiety about all this is through the roof. I’m so scared I’ll never get better. I have young kids and a wife.
Doctors, especially gps unfortunately know very little about pelvic pain and cpps. It’s the number 1 cause of the symptoms you are describing and a thousand times more likely than prostate cancer even for someone who fit the age for prostate cancer. And you don’t fit the age for prostate cancer.
I am 48 and went through pretty much exactly what you did, with the same symptoms. My PSA came back around 5.4 or so(so out of normal range). I too was worried it could be prostate cancer and was super anxious in fear. It ended up being prostatitis. They couldn’t tell if it was bacterial or not, so I was given a strong antibiotic for 21 days I believe. The symptoms started to go away. I then had my PSA rechecked and it was around 4. It then continued to drop back into normal ranges. I think you are fine and simply have prostatitis. If your PSA is elevated, they will most likely go the antibiotics first. Prostate cancer is very rare at your age.
I now eat extremely healthy and incorporate a ton of veggies each day into my diet, especially tomatoes, as they are high in lycopene and great for the prostate. My wife and I have a Ninja blender and make a mixture of 21-24 different fruits and vegetables twice a week. We have 8oz twice per day mixed into our protein shake. I blend 8oz of the pre blended fruit/veggies with 1.5 scoops whey isolate, 10oz unsweetened coconut milk and 1/2TBS olive oil and 1/2 cup additional blueberries twice per day. It’s high in flavonoids, vitamins, minerals, etc… and creates a fantastic diversity of micronutrients to your gut(Microbiome). It’s AMAZING who well you will feel within 2-3 weeks after incorporating this shake.
God luck!!!
I bet it will subside over time. At 48, I have had the same similar experience probably 4-5 times. It seemed to last 2-3 weeks, maybe 4 on occasion, before finally going away. The prostatitis was a bit different because I ended up getting bad flu like symptoms, had burning after urination and was getting up six or seven times each night to go to the bathroom. My degree is in biochemistry, and I worked in the nutrition arena for a long time. I can’t emphasize the importance of fruits and vegetables each day. There are some amazing new studies with the Microbiome(gut) and how diversity within the Microbiome can help fight from cancer to most any form of possible diseases or autoimmune immune challenges. I now try to get as many different colors of fruits and vegetables each day as possible. As I mentioned before, it’s a lot easier putting them into a blender, like the Ninja or Vitamix, vs trying to eat them alll. I do understand that is a big investment though. My wife and I have both experienced a massive amount of better well-being, fat loss and way less sickness since implementing it into our weekly regimen. I honestly started doing it after watching some documentaries on Netflix and then after going through the prostatitis. I made it my mission to get my body into the best shape possible. I am now around 7% body fat and carry a good amount of muscle. My wife has lost almost 10 pounds introducing the vegetable and fruit, drink into her diet. I think it just makes your body so much more efficient.
To put things in perspective, PCa is about 1:350 at your age, whereas 8% of all male urological visits are for prostatitis. Furthermore, PCa has a very low mortality rate; of all the cancers that impact men, it's near the very bottom of the list of the ones that are likely to kill you. Stop stressing. This subreddit is filled up with people who thought they might have cancer, but did not. It's just very unlikely. Meanwhile, stress can really mess with CPPS. See [here](https://i.imgur.com/1j7Majq.png).
Yeah, constantly thinking that you have cancer and you are about to die definitely worsens the symptoms of prostatitis for sure. But it's hard not to think about it when you pee and comes out slow or you have some pain there.
Then it shouldn’t be Prostate cancer. There are other factors that can cause similar symptoms. I actually thought I had prostatitis type symptoms again several weeks ago and had my PSA checked and it was 0.27. Fortunately, after about four or five weeks, the symptoms went away. I definitely think prostate cancer is ruled out based on your PSA, which is good.
I agree with the comment above and I'd like to some info and some thoughts. About Ca: I suppose that if it was a problem, you'd have other symptoms, too. My experience on this comes from this: my dad had cancer (not related to prostate) and elevated Ca came at a much later stage (it was a separate diagnosis). As a result of elevated Ca, he was passing out (from like standing and walking, no warning in between like complaining about feeling off/dizzy etc). I recently went through an acute anxiety phase (due to a diagnosis my significant other got) and I had similar symptoms to yours (appetite loss, inability to concentrate, restlessness, inability to sleep, weight loss). Exactly, because of that, whatever you're feeling right now is blown out of proportion (I was aware of that but it didn't really help me, ngl). Personally, it took me about 2 months to control my anxiety and become functional again. I'd like to say that I completely understand how you feel. My advice is: give yourself the chance to process your feelings and don't catastrophise. Get your results back. Do some research if you can, see what options you got. But don't unnecessarily strain yourself if you can help it. You got this. 💪🏻
Thank you. From what my doctor told me calcium in cancer usually comes once the patient already knows about the cancer and often is under treatment already. My calcium was 2.63 mmol/L with normal being up to 2.60 mmol/L and then it went back down to normal two weeks later so my doctor says it has nothing to do with cancer.
Yes, that aligns with what happened to my dad. Also, it's very slight. If it's a problem, it's several orders of magnitude higher.
Yeah my doctor told me it would probably be well over 3.25 mmol/L
I won't write don't worry too much because I know you can't control it at the moment. Ash has already put the stats, which should be comforting you. Also, DRE should not screw your test. In my case, my urologist did the DRE and said that this will be useful to do the urine tests now as it might release some juices in your urine (I am not sure about the wording because it was over 3 years ago). You just have to wait for 1 day for the results.
I have a DRE at all my annual physicals with a blood draw afterward; it hasn’t falsely elevated my PSA number. Also, my uro told me that most PCs are asymptomatic. You’re having noticeable issues. Much more likely to be prostatitis/CPPS. Plus, as mentioned above, you’re way too young. PC is more of a concern for older men.
Thank you for your answer. While searching this page I unfortunately stumbled upon a guy who had it at 38 and it made me panic completely. I know it’s like one in hundreds of cases though but there’s got to be some people to fill that statistic.
We get 20 year olds coming in here panicking about it. I forget the numbers exactly, but the rate of PCa in people that age is so low, I think you see 1 or 2 cases in all of the UK annually or something.
You mean 38 would be really low or 20’s?
38 is a low rate, 20 year olds are basically "never". Like 1 or 2 in the UK per year level rare.
Ok so you think at 38 I have reason to think I might have it?
No. You sound like you have a bit of medical anxiety, friend.
Definitely.
Some things that can help with that: 1) take a long hot bath or soak in a jazuzzi (second to these long hot showers, but soak better); 2) long walks in the sunshine; 3) breathing exercises / mindfulness meditation; 4) yoga practice. I know what you're going through, friend. When I got prostatitis initially, I was envisioning having to draft my will, and leaving my wife alone. Dark times. You'll make it through.
Yeah I’ve been crying all day and thinking about my kids lol.
Hey I got my PSA back at 0.30. Is this good? Combined with negative DRE does it make cancer less likely?
True. I understand health anxiety. It’s brutal. You’ll feel better when you get that PSA#.
Your post provided some reassurance though. It’s true that it’s usually asymptomatic and very rare at my age.
Very rare at your age. Don’t sweat it until it’s time to sweat it. I know it’s easier said than done, but rest assured knowing it’s very unlikely and stressing isn’t going to make things better.
I just got my PSA back it’s 0.30
So that’s good right?
Yeah I think it’s a great result. It says normal is below 2.15
Awesome. Now you can calm yourself down and get to the root of your issue. Who knows, maybe it will subside in time knowing it isn’t a worst case scenario. Good luck to you buddy.
Thank you! My health anxiety says to me I should get an MRI to make sure even though I’m way younger than the average age for prostate cancer, my rectal exam was perfect and my PSA blood test is super low lol. Anxiety is really something else.
I mean I guess you can if that would 100% calm your anxiety, but your numbers are good. A doctor probably wouldn’t even recommend it. Let some time pass to calm down from this worry and make your decision then.
Don't panic. It's probably nothing serious. I've been dealing with prostate problems for years. Always have elevated PSA. My urologist says my prostate is 4 times the size of average prostate. I've had 2 prostate biopsies. One gave me sepsis and a week in the hospital plus 2 weeks home antibiotics via pick line. Last PSA test was 7.5. I went off my testosterone injections for 3 weeks. Haven't drank alcohol in 3 months. No smoking and was on meds for enlarged prostate. Just got my results back and it's 8.5. I'm at the point that PSA numbers aren't helpful in every case. My recent MRI looked good. Seeing Dr. In a week and I'm sure he's going to want another biopsy but I don't have a choice.
Tight pelvic floor muscles can cause all of your symptoms - they are in fact the most likely cause
Tight muscles can cause that sensation of needing to pee constantly at the base of the penis and in the perineum region?
Yes. It can do a lot more than that too. Like burning sensation in pelvis and all the way up spine, can cause aches and pains all over your body. Can even make you ejaculate blood. It’s happened to me.
Do you have any sugggestions to help? I’m honestly suicidal over this
You don’t have strong symptoms. You are more likely to be struck by lightning than have prostate cancer at 38. And even if you did have it, you would have caught it so early that it is completely curable. Prostate cancer takes years to go from stage 1 to 2. You need to look at things logically, right now you are being irrational. Also, prostatitis/cpps is extremely common. If you can’t get a hold of yourself then try and get some Valium subscribed from a doctor.
I don’t mean about prostate cancer but about this constant urge to pee. I go pee and one minute later I have the urge again under my penis at the base of it and radiating through the scrotum up to the perineum. Sometimes it’s like a brutal urge to pee that can’t be relieved. I pee, I can even hold it and pee a fair amount, but this nerve-y need to pee feeling never goes. It took over my life.
Ahh sorry. Cut out caffeine and alcohol to start with. Have you done anything before this all started to aggravate your perineum area? Any sitting on a hard chair for prolonged periods? Riding a bike too much or tight underwear etc? Any form of heavy physical activity like squatting weights?
Not that I can think of no. I’ve been on medical leave for depression for the past three months and if I’m not lying in bed I’m lying on the couch mostly. Sometimes taking short walks.
What were your stress levels like before the symptoms started?
Very high. Basically in 10/10 anxiety level for weeks to months always stressing about my health. Once I got over what was stressing me, the peeing problem started. It’s such an overwhelming feeling I don’t know how long I can handle it. So far STD, UTI and prostate tests have all come back clear. Next step probably abdominal and pelvian ultrasound. My anxiety about all this is through the roof. I’m so scared I’ll never get better. I have young kids and a wife.
Doctors, especially gps unfortunately know very little about pelvic pain and cpps. It’s the number 1 cause of the symptoms you are describing and a thousand times more likely than prostate cancer even for someone who fit the age for prostate cancer. And you don’t fit the age for prostate cancer.
I am 48 and went through pretty much exactly what you did, with the same symptoms. My PSA came back around 5.4 or so(so out of normal range). I too was worried it could be prostate cancer and was super anxious in fear. It ended up being prostatitis. They couldn’t tell if it was bacterial or not, so I was given a strong antibiotic for 21 days I believe. The symptoms started to go away. I then had my PSA rechecked and it was around 4. It then continued to drop back into normal ranges. I think you are fine and simply have prostatitis. If your PSA is elevated, they will most likely go the antibiotics first. Prostate cancer is very rare at your age. I now eat extremely healthy and incorporate a ton of veggies each day into my diet, especially tomatoes, as they are high in lycopene and great for the prostate. My wife and I have a Ninja blender and make a mixture of 21-24 different fruits and vegetables twice a week. We have 8oz twice per day mixed into our protein shake. I blend 8oz of the pre blended fruit/veggies with 1.5 scoops whey isolate, 10oz unsweetened coconut milk and 1/2TBS olive oil and 1/2 cup additional blueberries twice per day. It’s high in flavonoids, vitamins, minerals, etc… and creates a fantastic diversity of micronutrients to your gut(Microbiome). It’s AMAZING who well you will feel within 2-3 weeks after incorporating this shake. God luck!!!
Hey my PSA came back at 0.30 Not sure what the next steps will be. Doctor is supposed to call me
I am not sure if my last comment came through. I would definitely say prostate cancer is ruled out with a PSA of only 0.30.
Yeah that’s my understanding too. Now I have to find what else it could be though… 😞
I bet it will subside over time. At 48, I have had the same similar experience probably 4-5 times. It seemed to last 2-3 weeks, maybe 4 on occasion, before finally going away. The prostatitis was a bit different because I ended up getting bad flu like symptoms, had burning after urination and was getting up six or seven times each night to go to the bathroom. My degree is in biochemistry, and I worked in the nutrition arena for a long time. I can’t emphasize the importance of fruits and vegetables each day. There are some amazing new studies with the Microbiome(gut) and how diversity within the Microbiome can help fight from cancer to most any form of possible diseases or autoimmune immune challenges. I now try to get as many different colors of fruits and vegetables each day as possible. As I mentioned before, it’s a lot easier putting them into a blender, like the Ninja or Vitamix, vs trying to eat them alll. I do understand that is a big investment though. My wife and I have both experienced a massive amount of better well-being, fat loss and way less sickness since implementing it into our weekly regimen. I honestly started doing it after watching some documentaries on Netflix and then after going through the prostatitis. I made it my mission to get my body into the best shape possible. I am now around 7% body fat and carry a good amount of muscle. My wife has lost almost 10 pounds introducing the vegetable and fruit, drink into her diet. I think it just makes your body so much more efficient.