PSA Personal Update

[sbw1]

It sounds like you're in a better position than I am. I'm still alive and kicking after a year and a month with stage IV prostate cancer that has metastasized throughout my body. My PSA was as high as 585 before they started me on a regimen of 6 chemo treatments, pills every day and night, a visit to the doc every 3 months that includes a Lupron shot.

I just met with the doc today. My PSA at my last visit 6 weeks ago was 2.9. Today it's down to 2.29.

They couldn't do a removal of the prostate because the cancer had spread through out my body. It will never be in remission and will never be cured. We just keep it under control with a treatment of drugs.

This far it's working and I'm feeling pretty good. I don't have the stamina I used to, I am a bit unsteady on my feet and if I stand up too fast I get light headed.

When I first heard that I had cancer it was 3 days before I could even bring myself to say the word I was so frightened. The chemo treatments weren't as bad as I expected and the pills I'm on now are a piece of cake.

If you have any q's feel free to PM me.

Good luck and add my prayers to those above.

Hope this is not a hijack, but am curious about a diagnosis of stage 4 prostate cancer. Did this happen after yearly PSA testing and annual DREs? Or, did you decide to have a thorough physical after not seeing a doc for an extended period and discovered you had cancer? Also wondering if the OP needed biopsies following a routine annual physical? Good luck to both off you.

 

[Gofirstclass]

sbw1, How this all started is a long story. My medical is taken care of by the VA. I had my annual physicals and they always did the blood draw/analysis which included a PSA . At least it did until I turned 70, at which time they stopped doing the PSA test according to then-new CDC guidelines. Yup, the same CDC that keeps changing their minds and guidelines about Covid.

Funny thing though, the VA never told me they stopped doing that test.

Advance 3 years and a friend of mine had to have his prostate removed. That prompted me to call the VA to find out what my recent PSA test results were. THEN they told me they hadn't done that test for 3 years. I immediately went in and had blood drawn and tested for PSA. The result is supposed to be 0.0-4.0. Mine was 485.

I set an appt with a non-VA urologist. By the time I finally got on to see him that number had climbed to 585. We did an MRI and the results showed I my cancer had metastasized throughout my body. Looking at the MRI results it looks like someone shot holes throughout the screen with an AR-15. Black spots everywhere.

So I underwent 6 chemo sessions and now am on a regimen of several pills a day. My cancer will never be in remission and will never go away, but my PSA number is now down to 2.1 so I'm a happy camper.

 

[firecadet613]

I did a search earlier while looking up PSA and found this.

 

[sbw1]

Sorry to hear that GFC. All of us men folk should ask for a PSA and a DRE yearly and also ask for a copy all of the lab results (even non prostate related studies). Given technology advances, online test results are readily available. Have your lab work done before your doctor visit and look at the results so you will know what to discuss with your doc at the visit.

 

[Gofirstclass]

sbw1, I get my blood drawn and lab work done by a separate division of the hospital. They do the analysis and post it on the hospital's secure website so I can go in to my account and read through it.

Now that the PSA number is where it should be, everything on the test results page is just about dead center in the middle of the range where it should be

Comforting.