9 month PSA bounce x2

Just got off phone with Dr King. Had my first bounce(s) that HE didn't seem too worried about. Meanwhile I'm hearing that little voice that says this is the big one honey. Anyway, I did my out of pocket test which came back at 2.0 which was up from 1.6. THEN, out of curiosity I decided to just "retest" a week later instead of submitting the previous test to my insurance. Well the retest came back at 2.8 which is now higher than my very first test as well! I fully expected to have some bounces along the way but apparently there is no way to really prepare or "be okay" with watching the numbers go back up. It's Freaking me out. Should I even raise my eyebrow - at that big of a jump? Doc says he is fine with waiting 4-6 months for next test. Not sure if I can hold out.

At least my T level bounced over 300. Small victory but I'll take it!!!
(All tests done at same LabCorp)

Thanks for listening.

Frosty

Frosty

I have been thinking about those scenarios myself when I start PSA testing in another month. You still have a prostate, and therefore could still be susceptible to BPH and prostatitis, regardless of the cancer. I am speculating here, but do plan to ask my RO about this when the time comes. My MRI prior to SBRT indicated some BPH and previous biopsy indicated prostatitis. I am assuming that I might still be susceptible to these problems. Perhaps others here know.

What you’re experiencing has been the worst part of my radiation treatment. I empathize with you. I’ve already had two bounces and am going for another PSA on July 9. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit to be up again. It’s nerve racking and I hate it.
The fact that your increase comes early is in your favor. The first PSA bounce after radiation therapy most often occurs within the first two years after radiation. This is in contrast to patients who experienced biochemical failure; for them, the median time to a first PSA bounce was 41 months.
It’s my understanding that BPH isn’t a factor anymore in PSA after radiation. Protatitis is and will continue to be a factor indefinitely. My doctor has warned me to expect it.
It’s important to understand that PSA fluctuates from day to day and even hour to hour. The director of the Wake Forest Hospital lab told me recently that he had his blood drawn 3 times in the same day and had his PSA checked at the lab there and it varied by as much as 20%.
No one can tell you your increase is a bounce at this point. It’s not a bounce by definition until it falls at or below the previous nadir. But the odds are very much in your favor that history will record your increase as a bounce.