.2 1 year after radiation

sunblade
sunblade Member Posts: 8
edited March 2014 in Prostate Cancer #1
Just got the bad news, my PSA went up to .2 a year after radiation therapy. (Max dose). My history is: in 2000 My PSA was 6.7, had an RRP on 5/15/2000. My pT-stage was T3a pN-stage was N0 Gleason1=4 Gleason2=3 GleasonSum=7 Pre surgery. After the surgery, my PSA was undectable until 9/4/2002 when it went up to .1 then on 10/7/02 it was .3 at which time I opted for radiation therapy in March of 2004 My PSA was undetectable until now at which time it is back to .2.
My question is what can I expect to hear from my doctor? My appointment is next week. What are my options going to be? I am 55 years old, and I would like to know what to expect. Will he be able to give me a life expectancy, or is it too early to tell? I would appreciate any help on this matter.
Thanks.

Comments

  • stuart
    stuart Member Posts: 88
    #2
    In 2001 I had a PSA of 20 and a Gleason of 8...I opted for radiation with two years of Zolodex...For the next two years my PSA was less than 0.1...My PSA began to rise this past January to 1.2...For the past month I have been on 150mg of Casodex daily...My most recent PSA was down to .6...It is my understanding that on average Casodex may be effective for an average of 3 years although I don't know that for a fact...In any case you may want to bring this approach up to your doc...The other positive aspect of Casodex is that I don't feel any substantial side effects...Best wishes to you and I would be interested in how your visit with your doctor goes.
  • 2ndBase
    2ndBase Member Posts: 220
    #3
    I think your news is not so bad so keep hope alive!! My psa was 24 and Gleason of 9 in Nov. 2002. I had one shot of Lupron and the maximum radiation allowed. My last psa was .54 in march but I have no job or insurance as I was let go after I got cancer. I may get another psa test in Nov. but am not sure how much they really mean at this point though my urologist says he wants me to go back on Lupron and have chemo if my psa gets over 1.0 I am 54 years old and still able to work and hope to find a job soon. Jobs are hard to find if you have cancer and anyone that tells you different does not have cancer. But be thankful that you have survived and enjoy life!! I take an occasional pain pill as I have lower back pain and hip pain but have had no treatment since radiation ended in May of 2003 and despite the obvious problems that getting chemically castrated causes I am doing well.
  • tpelle
    tpelle Member Posts: 184
    #4
    2ndBase said:

    I think your news is not so bad so keep hope alive!! My psa was 24 and Gleason of 9 in Nov. 2002. I had one shot of Lupron and the maximum radiation allowed. My last psa was .54 in march but I have no job or insurance as I was let go after I got cancer. I may get another psa test in Nov. but am not sure how much they really mean at this point though my urologist says he wants me to go back on Lupron and have chemo if my psa gets over 1.0 I am 54 years old and still able to work and hope to find a job soon. Jobs are hard to find if you have cancer and anyone that tells you different does not have cancer. But be thankful that you have survived and enjoy life!! I take an occasional pain pill as I have lower back pain and hip pain but have had no treatment since radiation ended in May of 2003 and despite the obvious problems that getting chemically castrated causes I am doing well.

    Mark: How do potential employers know that you have or had cancer? You are not obligated to tell them.
  • 2ndBase
    2ndBase Member Posts: 220
    #5
    tpelle said:

    Mark: How do potential employers know that you have or had cancer? You are not obligated to tell them.

    I tell the truth about why I am out of work and they are not suppossed to hold an illness againest me but I guess I could lie about it, but that usually doesnt help someone find a job.
  • omarisan
    omarisan Member Posts: 27
    #6
    2ndBase said:

    I think your news is not so bad so keep hope alive!! My psa was 24 and Gleason of 9 in Nov. 2002. I had one shot of Lupron and the maximum radiation allowed. My last psa was .54 in march but I have no job or insurance as I was let go after I got cancer. I may get another psa test in Nov. but am not sure how much they really mean at this point though my urologist says he wants me to go back on Lupron and have chemo if my psa gets over 1.0 I am 54 years old and still able to work and hope to find a job soon. Jobs are hard to find if you have cancer and anyone that tells you different does not have cancer. But be thankful that you have survived and enjoy life!! I take an occasional pain pill as I have lower back pain and hip pain but have had no treatment since radiation ended in May of 2003 and despite the obvious problems that getting chemically castrated causes I am doing well.

    Mark, my PSA was 31 with Gleason of 9. Negative bone scan but during prostatectomy they found spread to one lymph node. What I am curious about is your lower back and hip pain. Did you have a bone scan? Although mine was negative, the scan did confirm what I already knew that I had a bad dose of osteoarthritis in my lower back and left hip that gives me more grief than my cancer and 4X bypass does. I was told that the scan can tell the difference between metastasis to the bone or arthritis. So, is your bone back and hip pain due to your PC spread or arthritis? Good luck!
  • tpelle
    tpelle Member Posts: 184
    #7
    2ndBase said:

    I tell the truth about why I am out of work and they are not suppossed to hold an illness againest me but I guess I could lie about it, but that usually doesnt help someone find a job.

    Mark, When an employer asks the reason for your recent unemployment, would you be comfortable with saying "I had abdominal surgery which put me out of the workforce for several months. Since then I have been unable to find employment." Leave it at that. That might get you past an employer's reluctance to hire.

    Have you attempted employment through a temporary employment agency (job shop)? Many times, temporary jobs can lead to full time employment. In 1997 at the age of 63 my brother found that he had colon cancer which had spread to his liver. After the extensive initial treatments were over, he took a "temporary job" with a medium sized manufacturing company as an accountant. As a temporary employee he was not eligible for the company's medical insurance. However, after several months on the "temporary job" the company asked him if he would become a "regular employee." This made made him eligible for their HMO insurance (at no cost to him), and the compamy allowed him to work less than a full 40 hour work week so that he could continue getting medical care. He work there up to just a few week before he died in October of 2000. The company's HMO, then medicare and the HMO supplement paid for all of his medical care.
  • 2ndBase
    2ndBase Member Posts: 220
    #8
    omarisan said:

    Mark, my PSA was 31 with Gleason of 9. Negative bone scan but during prostatectomy they found spread to one lymph node. What I am curious about is your lower back and hip pain. Did you have a bone scan? Although mine was negative, the scan did confirm what I already knew that I had a bad dose of osteoarthritis in my lower back and left hip that gives me more grief than my cancer and 4X bypass does. I was told that the scan can tell the difference between metastasis to the bone or arthritis. So, is your bone back and hip pain due to your PC spread or arthritis? Good luck!

    I am not sure what the cause of the pain is but it never goes away. I had a bone scan 2.5 years ago when I had insurance and it did show any noticeable tumors but was told they had to be about the size of a nickel to show up. The pain has become just part of my life and reminds me how precious life is. Thank you for your concern and all the best!!
  • Willx
    Willx Member Posts: 41
    #9
    I had RP in August 1998. Ask your doctor about daily, single-dose Casodex (50 mg). I started it May 1, 2004 when my PSA had risen to 0.3 and the PSA immediately got back down. I had a PSA September 15, 2005 and it is still at less than 0.10. My doc told me to stop the Casodex when my current supply is out - about one month. At least for me, it seems to have worked for the time being. I'll be seeing my doc in 6 months for a repeat PSA.

Discussion Boards