Rising PSA after RP Doctor's Call

Got the call from the doctor today after the doctor  spoke with a prostrate research doctor and they said we should wait until June 5th and have another psa level done before pulling the trigger to do radiation.  My husband's current doctor is very concerned about the side effects of radiation. We are worried that we have missed the window of opportunity to get this ugly thing while it is still in the prostrate bed so they think.  But the doctor said that even doing radiation now vs 6 weeks from now still can't confirm that has not gone outside.  If you choose to have radiation how long does it take to know if you got it all?   I still remember the doctors words after Bob's surgery "We got it all it was contained in the prostrate" and so for the first 9 months we were dealing with things, then everything changed when his level doubled.  How do you deal with the unknown with each passing day as you wait.  We were both stressed out today and we are both very level headed people but this has really rocked our world. I love this man very much!!!!!! and it breaks my heart to see him this way, I feel like I can't do anything to help him.  Are we making the right choice?????  

I agree whole heartedly that the hardest thing is waiting and the NOT knowing.  Is this thing going to take my hubby in a year, 15 years?  what?

Our first visit to the dr' post RP was to find that my hubbie's PSA was already 2.3.  Radiation was no longer an option.  We were shocked.  WHAT!  Worse case scenario he was going to need radiation.  Now we find out they are treating it palliatively with hormone therapy as it can never really be cured.  We were shocked.  One thing  this journey has done is taken us by surprise time after time after time as my hubby feels fine!  How can he have something so sinister happening in his body when he's feeling so good.

Well he has started hormone therapy and the side effects have been fairly minimal.  Fatigue is the worse side effect.  We have adjusted to the news and are CHOOSING to live each day with joy.  It tends to make things a little sweeter for sure.  He figures he is doing everything he can to fight this thing but he is not going to allow his days to be consumed by this disease. 

If laughter and loves cures or creates remission, we are well on our way.  Oh, there are moments when I get anxious and scared and I notice he will get moody, but for the most part, enjoy life and live what we have!

Best wishes.  I am a person that has always wanted to know and control my future, I have no choice but to roll with this!  Another life lesson.

SeekingBliss

Bob's Wife

I was and am pretty much in your exact situation, my first two post surgery PSA tests were <.1 and based on the post surgery pathology report looking good but they warned me of the one area where it was in the margin but nowhere else. Well this past November it came back at .2 and just like you had to wait until the end of January for another test. This one came back at .3 and while it was becoming apparent I would need follow-up treatment I again had to wait until the end of March and it now was .4. Since then I had three or four appointments at two different sites and this past Monday started radiation treatments and have 5 down and only 31 to go. I do know what you mean however not knowing if this will work this time, there is nothing for sure about this and then what is the radiation doing to me on the inside. I may have some side effects but I hope they will be nothing to terrible and in deed the left over cells are in the prostate bed. He did tell me it could be 6 months or maybe up to a year for the PSA to totally go down to 0 again, if it doesn't that means it must have went somewhere else and then we will start some other treatments. Like Tony I too choose to be a Tigger and will get through this bump in the journey of life, there are many more folks in worse shape then I and that includes those with problems other then cancer.
As for my first week of radiation now complete there is not much to report, the people are nice, you meet some interesting people in the waiting room for thier scheduled daily treatments and you feel nothing. The only thing I may be seeing a little bit of right now is a return in the feeling that I need to go to the bathroom more often again and some buring when I urinate. This seems early for side effects according to what they told me but I will discuss it with my doctor on Monday.
Hang in there, stay positive and we will get through this together.

Norskie