HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

SBRT 6mo PSA and T results

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 3/21/2018 8:43 PM (GMT 0)
My PSA continued downward to 1.6 from 2.5. I'm okay with that but my T came in low again despite my efforts to make it rise.

T was at 245 three months ago at mid day. For the last three months I've increased to daily heavier weight training, more sprinting, much better diet including zinc supp, and swithed the blood draw time of day to 9am.

All that effort got me up to a whopping 288. It's no wonder im having a harder time than usual building muscle and shedding fat while forcing myself into the gym every day. Should I voice this concern to doc yet or wait it out another three mos? If so, should I talk to my SBRT doc, primary care, or another specialist?

Frosty
Posted 3/21/2018 9:10 PM (GMT 0)
Mine was depressed for a year. It's a common effect.
Posted 3/21/2018 9:25 PM (GMT 0)
Great news on the PSA!!!

I'm tempted to say wait on talking about the T count. As TA said, it's common. Give it a few more months then I'd ask all the docs about it. RO first then your PCP and get their opinions. It's possible it will come back on it's own. I know it's not much of a rise so far, but it is a rise - see where it levels off.

My doc demands that T blood draws be between 7:50 and 8:00 am. She said she'd reject a result from any other time.

Andrew
Posted 3/21/2018 9:43 PM (GMT 0)
I assume the lengthy T return is a symptom of all RT, not just SBRT, correct??
Posted 3/21/2018 9:57 PM (GMT 0)
My doc said, any RT in prostate area could reduce T. I don't understand all the biology behind that, but it seems common.
Posted 3/21/2018 10:10 PM (GMT 0)
Waking up in the morning just isn't as much fun as it used to be. shakehead
Posted 3/21/2018 11:54 PM (GMT 0)
Yes - it's true of all primary RT, but not SRT as far as I know. My guess is it has something to do with intraprostatic T synthesis.
Posted 3/22/2018 1:08 AM (GMT 0)
Well I gotta say I'm not a fan, lol. I know it could be worse but still, I feel like 90 days working my tail off in the gym was sort of wasted. I've made a little progress but not much. Whereas a previous 90 day program a year ago had me looking pretty jacked. Its going to be difficult to maintain my already false motivation now. Maybe girls like the skinny-fat look... idk.
Posted 3/22/2018 2:11 AM (GMT 0)
My T was 331 before TX and 282 10 weeks after. I am having no trouble at all. Morning wood equal to pre TX and am steady on the weight loss when I stick to my diet. No extra exercise but I do a lot of heavy work around the place. Quite frankly I don't notice ANY diff from pre tx to post tx.

Roger
Posted 3/22/2018 3:08 AM (GMT 0)
Andrew, 9am was earliest available I could get in at labcorp last week. I'll see if I can get in somewhere earlier next go around.

Roger, I dont seem to have any issues with libido or mornin wood either at this time. I'm just discouraged about not being able to (fully) build muscle/recover when I put in the time and effort. I don't want to rush into TRT or whatever if it's gonna come back on its own. But I cant help being impatient in the meantime.

Though I'm very thankful it seems the SBRT has properly waged war on my pca/psa.

Back to the grind.
Posted 3/22/2018 12:56 PM (GMT 0)
Frosty - we're all different in how our bodies perform with various T levels. Some men will do fine with their T at 250, while others feel lousy unless they are over 600. In some respects the T level readings seem to be relative, yet patient specific. What I mean is that if you are one who ordinarily "needs" T at 500 to feel normal, if your T drops to 350 you will probably feel badly. If your T then reverts to 550, you'll feel fine. Another man who was always OK with his T at 350 might not even feel the difference from 300 to 500 or 550. That's why docs who treat testosterone deficiency look more at the symptoms than at the numbers.

That said, my own experience has been that my uro manages my T levels and TRT. My RO is kept in the loop regarding our treatment plan but only offers advice, not direction. My PCP is nowhere in this particular loop. Just my situation -- yours may need to be different.
Posted 3/22/2018 2:20 PM (GMT 0)
Frosty - I don't think the exact time matters as much as doing it the same time for each blood draw.
Posted 3/22/2018 2:31 PM (GMT 0)
FRosty: Out of curiosity how are you measuring whether you are gaining muscle or not? I have been a "lifter" in the past so am in tune with your desire to build muscle. I haven't noticed any "loss" of muscle mass on my part but I continue on my weight loss program that I started last July. Down from 283# then to 207# now.

Do you have someone knowledgeable helping you with your workouts?

Hoping the best for you

Roger
Posted 3/22/2018 5:27 PM (GMT 0)
Im going off measurements and feel. What I notice most is the usual hardness is missing. I've made some small size gains while keeping bodyweight about the same. But the muscle quality feels way too... "mushy" I guess compared to normal results I get with 90 days straight. Also, moving up in weights for my lifts week to week seems much more difficult than usual. I've been an athlete most of my life and pretty much make my own program/goals. Never had issues meeting my expectations though until now. I just don't feel 100 pecent.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply