Post RP and SRT journey - oh joy

Sorry to hear about the lost of your mum. I hope you get a PSA result that pleases you. In any case, the PSA never maintains exactly the same level if the result is above the assay's LLD. It may fluctuate with no particular meaning in tests done in short term intervals. You would need three constant increases to get a meaning.

Let's be careful with the Covid issue. Yesterday there were more than 10,000 positive cases confirmed in Portugal (a record) where testing is done in lower numbers. UK also reports a high number of newer daily cases. Let's protect our homes from possible invasion by the virus.

Best,

VGama

Hi Hew,

Things can get a bit grim round here as well.
I try not to think about the long term prospects for myself. I had a pretty serious but very localised cancer. I may be cured but the balance of probabilities must be that I will have a recurrence. There may be long term effects from the surgery and radiation that may range from incontinence to all sorts of nasties.
So these are all things to keep in the dark hole of my mind.
My wife is not as fit as me, before I was ill I found looking after everything quite easy, now I have the after effects of my own illness to support as well.
On the brighter side we have a rate of 40 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people every seven days in our area, this compares well with the rate for all of France which is around 280 cases per 100,000 every seven days, needless to say there are black spots in the low thousands.
But the French are rolling out the vaccination program at a snail's pace of thousands per week, they have no sense of urgency at all, and the rate of COVID-19 is climbing slowly but inexorably with the idiots that supposedly govern the place resigned to a third lockdown with all that will entail.
Bloody amphibians; they think they are scientists and statesmen like Dalton and Napoleon when in reality they are drunken scribblers like Rabelais or worse.

Happy New Year,

Georges

Hi Hew,

I would not sweat myself about that, really it is not doing anything for the moment, it is probably machine rattle.
Give the wife a cuddle and try not to think about it.
PSA results are machine and analysis technique dependent, so it may change a little for good or ill with the next analysis.

Best wishes,

Georges

that those PSA data are just noisy and do not signify a trend.

Time to relax...

I agree, such small variations on such small numbers don’t mean much. Your numbers and trend look good, I wish I had them. That said, I am happy for you. I know how hard it is but try to relax and celebrate days with no confirmed bad news. In the beginning you think that the hardest part is to master all the choices and research and maybe it is but eventually you realize that the biggest challenge is ignoring the “what if’s” and to enjoy all of the many good days. Generally speaking, PC is slow growing and treatable. Most of us have many years or even decades. If a man lives to be 85 he has a very high chance of dying with but not of PC. Many people live a Very long time with cancer, with modern testing and imaging many more of us know about it. The trick is to learn to make peace with it and ignore it if there is no bad news today. I always stretch my testing out to the limit that my doctor advises because it helps keep me relaxed and enjoying my good days.

None of us ever knows for sure what tomorrow brings but what we do know is that for now we get to carry on and if we can manage our fear of what could happen then we can enjoy it.

George