10 years post SRT my PSA went..

G that's a great report, confabulation son being 10myears cancer free.

Hey, Congrats!!

Thanks for sharing... for people that are at the cusp of going to salvage radiation, it's a good story to read... thank you.

Thanks for sharing G. I just learned last week that my PCa was upgraded to 4+3 with Positive Margins post surgery. I understand that PSA anxiety will be my new normal and its always good to hear about successful treatments.

YAY!

zzarth,
thanks!
Towards the end of my salvage radiation I developed a side effect--acute radiation proctitis. Basically bowel movements became painful due to inflammation. I researched things and went on a low-residue diet. It wouldn't normally be considered healthy, since it's low-fiber. But it helped in the short run. I also got a prescription for a topical foam (kind of like shooting whipped cream up the wazoo) that acted like a tiny fire extinguisher. A few weeks later I was fine and went back to eating normally. Whipped cream never seemed the same, though.

Over time I've tried to modify my diet. I got a little heavy (overweight and tracking towards obese) around 2010 and went on Weight Watchers. I lost the pounds and started watching what I eat a little more. But it's been for general health and not so much for prostate cancer. Oh--wait--I did try pomegranate juice during a time where my PSA was rising but I hadn't been diagnosed. I gave that up because of the cost and all the sugar.

These days I try to avoid red meat, but I have it about once a week. I try to eat fish a few times a week, and I avoid fried food as much as possible. I watch out for sugary stuff. I should probably drink less beer, but find unmitigated reality a little intimidating. Any efforts I make on diet are for general health, and especially cardiac health.

As I'm sure a lot of you have experienced or will experience once you get into your 50's and beyond, the heart can be a funny thing. I have never smoked, and I've been pretty much normal in weight for the majority of my life. I get plenty of exercise. But still, I'm on two medications to quiet preventricular contractions, and recently found out my mitral valve leakiness had progressed from trivial to moderate in a 12 month span. If it goes to the next level, it will likely be open heart surgery. So that is what I obsess about these days.

Anyhow, thanks for the congratulations, everyone.

Galileo said...
..poking right along at less than 0.1.
I saw BillyMac's 10 year post (congrats, btw!) and couldn't resist my own.
I had a prostatectomy in 2006. My PSA initially fell to less than 0.1, but soon started climbing. I finished salvage radiation in early 2007. In September of that year, my PSA dropped below the magic line and has stayed there ever since.
I'm pretty much through worrying about prostate cancer getting me. I'm grateful to my doctors and therapists and to the geniuses who come up with things like linear accelerators and Da Vinci machines. And of course, I'm glad I found this board during a time of high anxiety.
Wishing all of you the best of health--
G

VERY good news