Radiation with ADT men: How long after radiation ended before you worried about your PSA increasing

I won't start worrying until after my hormone therapy ends.

PhilC said...
After finishing radiation treatment how long was it before you worried about your PSA increasing?
PhilC

about two minutes...

I was concerned from the start since the HT would mask that effectiveness of the radiation. I finished HT about 16 months after radiation. It took about a year after I stopped HT for my PSA to rise. It intially contined to decline to a nadir of .10. Total time was about 30 months. Once it began to rise it seemed quick but I think that was because the number was low.

Don

ksargent,

I should have specified that the ADT ended when the radiation was finished. My fault/omission.

PeterDisAbelard,

See above reply to ksargent... sorry

InTheShop,

Very funny reply. I do not understand how my nadir showed up just 4 1/2 months after the end of my radiation if you say your
RO says it takes between 1 to 2 years and then 3 months later
my PSA went UP instead of continuing to go down.

don826,

The effectiveness of my HT should have ended less than 3 months after my radiation ended. Yes, if your HT continued
past the ending of your radiation you would not be able to judge
its effectiveness until the HT left your system.

F8,

Appears to me like our worries never end in most cases of PCa.
Especially with radiation as we still have some of our prostate left to produce PSA and a 'bounce' is very likely to occur also.

PhilC

Yeah, this whole mind game is why I've decided "I'm ok until I'm not ok". I'm not going to look for trouble, wonder about trouble, think about when trouble might arise. if the numbers go bad, I'll deal with it then. I'm done with looking for them to go bad.

It's like the Boglodyte in MIB III. Time traveling, he confronts his younger self. The younger keeps looking obsessively at the older's shot-off arm. The older sees this and finally yells, "Arrrrrr!!!! Stop looking at it!!!!".

I think that way about the PSA level, risk of recurrence, and so on. I've decided to stop looking at it!

Having said that, I'm due for a PSA check on Feb 6. I fully expect it to remain low, and I'm just not speculating or worrying about it.

It's a shame to lose the beauty of today worrying about the horror of tomorrow.

Redwing57 said:
"It's a shame to lose the beauty of today worrying about the horror of tomorrow."

AND

Tall Allen said:
"I'm with Redwing and Alfred E. Newman - what, me worry?

I live in the present and take it as it comes. No need to worry about eventualities that may or may not come to pass, over which I have no control."

I get your message. You both are much more educated about PCa
than I ever hope to be. Thanks for instilling in me some needed advice.

However, I entered into this nightmare late in the game. Had went to the doctor to have a hernia repaired but when they found out my PSA they said to forget the hernia and that I surely must have PCa.
The biopsy proved that but they were stumped by the low Gleason
and the very high PSA (they didn't jive.) I knew nothing about PSA or the prostate gland but after a little reading it looked to me like I was a gone goose. Fortunately JohnT told me about HW and I have learned a lot and I thank all of you. When you are as naïve as I am
you are more apt to worry...but as you point out, I have over done it. Mea culpa.

PhilC