Rising PSA after Prostatectomy & Radiation

Hello

I am new to HW and need some insight on rising PSA. After having a prostatectomy in 2004 (gleason 7 (3+4) PSA 9), my PSA became detectable at 0.1 in 2006 and rose to .056 by mid 2009.

Had radiation and PSA dropped below .05 until 6/11 which it was .08.

It continued to rise as follows: 9/11=0.09, 5/12=0.11, 8/12=0.11 and 1/13=0.16.

I think the last reading proves reoccurrence which means the next step is hormone treatment.

Can any share at what point these treatments should start and if the side effects are a horrible as advertised?

I think the best I can hope is to get as many years possible before starting treatment and pray that I can have an active lifestyle during treatment.

LRX

There is alot of controversy here, but after I failed surgery, then radiation ....my regular oncologist @ UCSF and Dr. Myers ( who I was using as a consultant) both agreed that as long as my PSA was moving up slowly they were both ok with delaying hormone therapy until I approached 5.  I got about 3 years doing this.....your PSA is trending up very slowly you might have many years before you need to start.ADT is not that bad...while I would prefer to not be on it I'm not too thrilled about the alternative...many of the side effects can be mitigated with lots of exercise and a good diet.

LRX

I was in the same boat as you, failed surgery, recurrence after IMRT
and I just completed two years of HT, while it was no picnic, I got through it and am still here, as my wife says, to sit and have dinner with her. The side effect will vary for everyone but the typical one are the : Hot Flashes, weight gain, fatigue and joint pain (at least for me). You will adjust your life style to mitigate these side effects, for instance, during the summer, I bought an oscillating floor fan to blow on me at night while sleeping, a steady workout plan will assist with the fatigue, and watch your diet because for me, even eating the same amount of calories as you normally did before the HT, you will gain some weight, and that is because your metabolism drops down. Last but not least for me was having a wonderful wife who put up with the mood swings. HT is a pain, but what are the alternatives, wait until it gets worse? That is a personal decision that one you can make. Good lunch.

LRX:

First of all relax. Going on HT is not the end of the world, it is just another course of treatment. Even though the side effects can be difficult at time, what helps in dealing with them is a good understanding of what they are so you can recognize them when they happen. The mood swings, as my wife told me, I didn't even know when I was "short-fused", they just happened. Just be aware that they can happen and adjust yourself to them. As far as playing Tennis and doing other things please don't stop doing the things you love, they are actually good for you. You may start to feel the fatigue, but staying active helps to fight that off. When I get stressed I go to the gym and work out harder breaking a good sweat which really helps. By the way I am from South NJ outside of Philadelphia. Hope this helps.

Joe