I remember going through the prostate cancer scare with my grandfather. Louis is 86 years young and a few years ago he had a high PSA score of 21. I took him to the doctors since I found out that the test's normal range was much lower. The physician recommended a prostate biopsy and gave us some information. My grandfather was 84 years old and he said about 70 percent of men his age will develop prostate cancer. He also said that with such a high PSA score he was almost sure it was prostate cancer. On a positive note, he did say that prostate cancer usually is a slow growing disease and in my grandfather's case he might be able to just take hormonal therapy to control the disease. ( I already had all this information printed out of course!)

We scheduled the biopsy and I picked Lou up the day of the procedure. The nurses had given him a valium to take before the biopsy. I made sure he took it on the way to the doctors office. After about 15 minutes I asked him if he felt anything from the drug. He replied that he felt nothing yet.

We enter the doctors office and he gets called back quickly. I was in the waiting room eating my bagel and reading a magazine when this other couple came in sat across from me. They smiled and the man said some pretty goofy things and was laughing. I realized that maybe HIS valium was working. My grandfather I guess needed a double dose.

My grandfather gets finished and after we walk out the door I tell him how much that guy was laughing in the waiting room. My grandfather replied (not even trying to be funny) "He isn't going to be laughing when he gets in there." Also, I have to mention that my grandfather told me exactly what they did to him, every detail. It did not seem fun and was painful for him.

So, this leads me to an article I came across that said prostate cancer biopsies need not be the painful ordeal that many men anticipate, according to findings presented at the annual meeting of North Central Section of the American Urological Association in San Diego.

Usually before the biopsy local anesthetic will be injected between the prostate base and seminal vesicle. This seems the most logical place by physicians to control pain for the patient. Some patients were still complaining of pain with the procedure. By administering topical anesthetic several minutes prior to lidocaine injection at the prostate apex and the surrounding rectal tissue significantly reduces pain during the procedure, say the investigators at the May clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

If my grandfather ever has to get a prostate biopsy again I will know to ask about this less painful method. The biopsy came back negative. We both dropped our mouths when the doctor told us. The doctor was acting strange as though he couldn't believe the biopsy was negative.

When we left that day my grandfather said "That doctor still thinks I have cancer". I said " I think your right". Six months later he had another PSA test and it was normal and they have continued to be normal since. Yeah for pop-pop!