PSA Depression???

I've read so many posts on HW PCa about PSA anxiety, and YES, I do get PSA anxiety every 3 months. BUT, I noticed I get something else, too. I get what I am going to call, PSA Depression.

I define that as the state I am in after a good PSA test result and the realization that it may just be temporary. That is, I feel like I dodged 'this' bullet, but is the next one going to get me? Does anyone else go thru this 'depression' also? It doesn't last long, but definitely hangs around for a while. Maybe it's just because I am still under 1 year post treatment.

J

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Age at Dx: 54
08/31/15 PSA 2.5
01/01/16 Urinary Frequency
02/05/16 DRE +
02/22/16 Biopsy
02/26/16 Dx 7-12 positive; (5) 3+3=6; (1) 3+4=7; (1) 4+3=7; T2B
03/11/16 Bone Scan -
03/23/16 CT Scan -
03/31/16 Surgery Consult UPENN
04/08/16 RT Consult/2nd Op Fox Chase CC upgrade to 4+4
04/14/16 3TMRI "organ confined", EPE-, SV-, LN-
06/01/16 DaVinci @ UPENN (Dr. D. Lee)
06/08/16 Path EPE+, Marg +, SV-, LN-, G7(4+3), T3a
07/01/16 Start 5mg Daily Cialis, 20mg once a week on Friday's
07/06/16 Decipher 0.56
08/31/16 uPSA <.006
12/01/16 uPSA <.014
01/30/17 PORTOS Lower RT Response
03/01/17 uPSA <.006

I just lost my "<" and my last, 2 year post RALP PSA is .02, retesting in May. I'm with Greytech. I'm a little anxious about it, but somehow, cant say how, i've managed to take the "is what it is" approach, and not drive myself nuts until May. Zoloft may be helping in this regard. Frankly, i dont care if its Zoloft, or me just accepting what is, and that I'm old and sh!t happens. As long as I'm not panicked.

The Cancer Center business office called me to let me know they got insurance preapproval for both shots I'm to get Monday at my onologist visit. Lupron and Prolia.

I broke out in a sweat. Nothing has been said about that. I've been off therapy for a year. The doc must be anticipating something. This PSA check has me worried a bit already, and this didn't help!

So yeah, the whole thing winds me up. But man, we have to try not doing this! Don't lose today by fearing tomorrow!

Read all these posts so far. Why would anyone be anxious with a PSA well below the old standard of .10? I can't comprehend this at all. See people talking about .02, .03, even .014. If you have had treatment, and you are staying below .10. thank the heavens and be happy. If you need to worry, wait till the number is something to worry about. Life is too short to expend the energy on needless worry and concern.

Redwing57 said...
Don't lose today by fearing tomorrow!

Redwing, very well said

Depression is a common issue for us cancer patients. We have a potentially fatal disease that can give us a painful, protracted death while the treatments give us more nasty side effects than we can shake a stick at.

.....then there are the idiots who tell us that we are somehow "lucky" to have prostate cancer.

Depression is a separate issue that is just waiting for an excuse to show its ugly head. I have dealt with that sukka my entire life. The standard coping strategies are effective, however. Get lots of exercise, eat right, get plenty of rest and try mindfulness meditation as described on the first page of Healing Well. I find that it is much harder to get depressed if I have done all of that stuff.

hey redwing57 just a question how are your teeth? Reason I ask, I had prolia two years ago aka xgevia and my teeth are not the greatest. Well had a ct and bone scan three months later when I was going to cancer treatment centers of america in Zion, IL. The Ct came back with the left side of my face full of something and the onc said you better get that checked out. I went to an ENT bottom line had 2 1/2 surgery for a major sinus infection and it never went away. Went to my dentist and he pulled three good molars last april because the infection broke off bone in my face above the teeth and loosened the three good teeth. Still have the sinus infection the ENT could never figure out. Always sniff like I have a head cold. When they say side effects guarantee someone gets that effect and I got it.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a truly standard, agreed upon, meaningful, measure of "this is good" vs "this is bad"? Unfortunately, there isn't. With my recent move, my previous <0.04 has suddenly been superseded by <0.006. Now, 6 months from now if I get a 0.007 will I go into panic mode? I'd like to think not...but who knows?

I think a couple of you guys have missed the point.

JayMot's test was "good." That's positive. Happy dance!

Rejoice.

Bololidat said...
Any time you go thru something stressful and then get good results..it s the old Patty Page song "Is That All There Is" Ironically bad news is less stressful...closure...screw closure...give me stress...
From years of distance running...its always there...elation...down...up ...down...up ...down...You like it when you see it on the heart monitor...right...don't mess with mother nature...maintain good posture...like the wicked teacher in the second grade said...SEE...its all there...I can see it...whats wrong with your{rhetorically}eyes???

I agree with you purgatory. My PSA has been going from .3, 3 years post RP down to .06 which MD Anderson considers undetectable, now it's at .10. More to discuss on another thread.

Depression and anxiety valid or not can be devastating. For me it took having beers at the local tavern where it just so happened the owner's wife was a RT tech in her past life. I spoke with her between the planning SRT CT and beginning treatment. I was out of my mind fearful, anxious, depressed and OK maybe a little drunk. She said knock it off, you are just fearing the "unknown", you are going down the what-if rabbit hole. Turns out she was right. HT/SRT has been really no big deal. I did just finish SRT but very few SE's thus far. Did it work? Who knows? I won't know for another 6 months or even a year+ because of the Lupron.

I believe I fully understand where Jay is coming from, I wallowed in it, and see now the hours I spent agonizing over a rise in my PSA to .05 and fearing SRT were wasted. I will not make that mistake again. It is what is, if and until when it is.

Jon

sorry. some people just don't have a happy switch they can flip. and some people just pretend like they do until they are in the barrel. to the OP, it gets better. you may only see it in hindsight but it does get better.

ed

I can empathize with 'J'. I was recently delighted when the nurse called and said my PSA had fallen to .075. I almost fainted 6 months prior when it rose from 1.28 to 2.56, so her call confirmed a "bounce". Yet a few days later I found myself beginning to anticipate the next test in July and the worry that comes with that. What if it bounces again, I asked myself.

After a few days it passed and I was sitting on the porch one beautiful day and it occurred to me how much time I had wasted in the past 3 years worrying and fretting about my cancer. Not one bit of that worry has helped me in any way. If I could say it spurred me to action or focused my mind in a way that allowed me to get better treatment then at least some of it would not have been a waste. Unfortunately I cant say that. All a big waste. The worry may have shortened my life more than the cancer.

I wish I could say that day on the porch helped me. A couple of weeks ago I was in my urologist's office waiting for him to come in and do a DRE. Now, I know logically I should not be worrying about a DRE at this point. My PSA is low, all my DRE's since treatment have been good, so why worry? I dont have to have any reasons apparently. By the time he came in an hour later I was a wreck. I had worked myself into a frenzy with one negative thought after another.