A Tiny Spot That Changed the Plan

Sometimes the biggest turns in this journey come from tests that were supposed to be routine.

That’s exactly what happened this time.

After my radical prostatectomy, a baseline MRI was ordered as we prepared for the next phase of treating my Stage 4A prostate cancer.

At that point, the plan was fairly clear: move forward with radiation and continue attacking whatever prostate cancer might still be left behind.

The MRI was supposed to help establish that baseline.

Instead, it found something new.

A Tiny Spot That Changed the Plan

The MRI showed a small, approximately 3 mm spot inside my bladder.

Three millimeters.

It doesn’t sound like much.

But when you’ve already heard the words “you have cancer,” even a tiny unexplained spot gets your attention.

What made it even more interesting was that I had undergone a cystoscopy just a few months earlier, before my prostatectomy, and this spot hadn’t been seen then.

So now we had another question that needed an answer.

Was it bladder cancer?

Was it somehow related to my prostate cancer?

Was it benign?

Or was it something else entirely?

There was only one way to know.

We had to look again.

Back to the Urologist

My urologist performed another cystoscopy and confirmed that the spot was there.

That meant another procedure.

On September 14, I went back into surgery so the tissue could be removed and sent to pathology.

It was another one of those moments in this journey when the plan suddenly stopped moving forward.

Radiation had been mapped out. Treatment was approaching. Mentally, Sue and I were preparing ourselves to begin the next phase.

And now we were waiting again.

Waiting for pathology.

Waiting for an answer.

Waiting to find out whether another type of cancer had entered the picture.

Cancer has taught me that sometimes the waiting is every bit as difficult as the treatment.

Then the Pathology Came Back

The tissue was not bladder cancer.

But it wasn’t benign either.

The pathology showed prostate cancer cells in the tissue removed from my bladder.

That wasn’t the answer we were necessarily hoping for, but it was an answer.

And answers matter.

It also reinforced something this journey has taught me repeatedly:

The MRI found the spot.

The cystoscopy confirmed it was actually there.

Surgery allowed it to be removed.

Pathology told us what it really was.

Each step gave us another piece of the puzzle.

Another Detour — But Not the End of the Road

Because of the bladder procedure, the start of my radiation treatments had to be pushed back slightly while I healed.

Fortunately, it was only a short delay.

The larger treatment plan remained intact: 39 radiation treatments along with hormone therapy as we continue treating my Stage 4A prostate cancer.

So this unexpected finding didn’t completely change the road we were on.

It became another detour.

And there have been quite a few of those.

When Sue and I started Jonesing for the Journey, we thought our biggest adventure would be retirement and traveling in our motorhome.

Cancer changed that.

Now the journey includes scans, blood tests, surgeries, radiation appointments, hormone therapy and moments like this one—when a routine test suddenly raises a question you weren’t expecting to answer.

But we’re still moving forward.

Why I’m Sharing This

I’m not sharing this because everyone with prostate cancer should expect the same thing to happen.

My experience is my experience.

Your situation may be completely different.

I’m sharing it because there is a larger lesson here that applies well beyond this one MRI.

When something doesn’t make sense, ask about it.

When a test raises another question, follow the question.

When you’re told something is probably nothing but you’re uncomfortable with that answer, ask what comes next.

And when you receive one piece of information, remember that it may only be one piece of the story.

I’ve learned that lesson more than once during this journey.

It’s why one phrase has become so important to me:

That doesn’t mean distrusting your doctors.

I’m not anti-doctor.

I’m pro-you.

Be involved.

Understand what you’re being told.

Ask what the next test is supposed to tell you.

And don’t be afraid to speak up when something doesn’t feel settled.

Sometimes that next question leads nowhere.

And sometimes a 3 mm spot on an MRI changes the next several weeks of your life.

Watch the Full Story

In the video below, I walk through the entire timeline—from the baseline MRI and second cystoscopy to surgery, waiting for pathology, what we ultimately learned, and what it meant for my radiation treatment.

Resources for the Journey

If you or someone you love is navigating prostate cancer, finding trustworthy information can become another job all by itself.

That’s why we created The Resource Map for the Journey—to bring reputable organizations, information and support resources together in one place.

Visit The Resource Map for the Journey →

This Mile Marker reflects my personal experience as a prostate cancer patient and is not medical advice. Every diagnosis, test result and treatment plan is different. Talk with your healthcare team about questions or concerns related to your individual care.