Dr Swindle is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week on 0409103333. Never hesitate to call him if you have any concerns or if you feel unwell. He would prefer to be contacted and know if there are any problems. There are certain complications that require emergency medical treatment.

If any of the following complications occur go immediately to the emergency department where the prostate biopsy was performed or your nearest emergency department. Once you have sought emergency treatment then contact Dr Swindle on 0409103333 or have the medical staff contact Dr Swindle. If you are unsure whether or not to go to the hospital then contact Dr Swindle.

• Urinary tract infection:

  If you have symptoms of a urinary tract infections such as difficulty urinating, burning on urination, frequent urination, swollen testicles or fevers then seek urgent medical advice as instructed above.

• Severe infection - Sepsis:

  If you have symptoms of a severe infection such as fevers, chills, shaking, lethargy, warm skin, shortness of breath, rapid heart beat, drowsiness or a general feeling of being unwell then seek urgent medical advice as instructed above.

• Urinary retention:

  If you are have the symptoms of urinary retention such as difficulty urinating, abdominal pain, poor flow or frequent urination then seek urgent medical advice as instructed above.

• Bleeding:

  If you are passing a large amount of blood in your urine or bowel motions and are passing blood clots then seek urgent medical advice as instructed above.

Follow-up with Dr Swindle

Dr Swindle will telephone you within 72 hours following the procedure. Should the results be available any earlier from Pathology, Dr Swindle will call you as soon as they are available.

If the biopsy results are positive for cancer you will be required to come back within the next week or so to discuss this diagnosis in more detail and to discuss treatment options. It is recommended that you bring your wife or partner along to this consultation. If the biopsy results are negative for cancer you will still require a follow up appointment with Dr Swindle however this can be done at a later stage approximately 4-6 weeks after the biopsy.

It is very important that you do return to discuss your biopsy results with Dr Swindle even if they are negative as rarely small prostate cancers can be missed with the initial biopsy. Occasionally Dr Swindle will recommend a second biopsy either straight away or in the future if any of the following are present or occur.

• A highly suspicious rectal examination
• A persistently rising PSA
• A low free/total PSA ratio
• Presence of large amounts of PIN (prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia) or atypical cells in the pathology report