HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Bi-Annual Test Results Blues

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 2/3/2020 11:21 PM (GMT 0)
Just had a nice long overseas vacation trying to pretend everything is normal. Back on the homefront now and test time has come for me once again. I have come to absolutely hate the week or two before the psa test. Can't escape the anxiety blues. And of course when you force yourself to open the results and dont see the result that you want, it only adds to the blues for the coming weeks/months. I know I've been bouncing around rather hard but I really wanted to see something low this time. Instead I got the dreaded hold at the same +1 bounce after another 5 months. Wondering if this is/will become a serious problem. Wondering will I ever get down to a nice little nadir and be happy ever after? Holding my breath on that. Waiting on call from doc probably again saying he "isnt too worried". (Shrugs)
Posted 2/3/2020 11:45 PM (GMT 0)
I was a good 5-6 years before I hit a stable nadir.

You're doing fine.

Hang in there.
Andrew
Posted 2/4/2020 12:11 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you Andrew. Just needed to vent I guess and someone else to tell me I'm still doing fine with this. Apparently self reassurance isnt my thing. This seems to be a trend at psa time with me. lol
Posted 2/4/2020 12:18 AM (GMT 0)
Alexis will tell you you are fine if you ask the right question...dang grab some faith...its all about life...LIVE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! gosh its so sad to see this angst eating the bar stools having said this...I kinda wish Prato...had not put me in a box...and put me on a shelf of special ness...that's logoslidat...he just has an ability to live in the now,,,no one else can ever expect to do that here on HW..so when we talk about that need ...feggid about it...aint gonna happen..logoslidat is special...isn't that special...barferino… cant wait to here his response...it will either be long and winded..or short and well ya know...excuse/reason razor thin I really wish I was not so good at this...NOT!!
Posted 2/4/2020 1:00 AM (GMT 0)
Frosty Pro...the part about
our favorite mod Prato( no lie)...is totaly not about you ,,,but ...anyone can do it...but they have to ban any thought of perfection...and just gap the lapse...even if it could mean death (do not shark me oh wise ones you get what Im saying so no ack as we say in de Islands)...we all die...move...move...be prudent...not obsessive
Posted 2/4/2020 1:57 AM (GMT 0)
Frosty pro, I’m no expert on the details of PSA after radiation. But it seems like you ARE stable at 1.9 and that’s not a bad thing.
It’s pretty normal for us all distressing in a week or two leading up to PSA results. It’s OK to vent don’t sweat it we’ve all been there and most of us will be there again. Try to focus on the fact that you don’t have to worry about this for another few months
Posted 2/4/2020 2:06 AM (GMT 0)

Frostypro said...
Just had a nice long overseas vacation trying to pretend everything is normal. Back on the homefront now and test time has come for me once again. I have come to absolutely hate the week or two before the psa test. Can't escape the anxiety blues. And of course when you force yourself to open the results and dont see the result that you want, it only adds to the blues for the coming weeks/months. I know I've been bouncing around rather hard but I really wanted to see something low this time. Instead I got the dreaded hold at the same +1 bounce after another 5 months. Wondering if this is/will become a serious problem. Wondering will I ever get down to a nice little nadir and be happy ever after? Holding my breath on that. Waiting on call from doc probably again saying he "isnt too worried". (Shrugs)

I feel you man. my PSA jumped around too and there were a couple of times that I convinced myself the cancer was back. this is not a wimp's journey smile
Posted 2/4/2020 2:24 AM (GMT 0)
Frosty - I think our cases are following similar playbooks. I am now 3 1/4 years out from SBRT, and my PSA nadir to date is 1.45, which was about 9 months ago. My most recent test, 3 months ago, was 1.5 -- so a plateau. Yes, I am down from pre-treatment PSA of 5.69, but not the banner results attained by some others.

When I met with my RO to discuss my two most recent results (the 1.45 and 1.5), my RO reminded me that as long as we don't see an upward trend that gets to nadir +2, it is just noise. She said that she still follows some of her very first SBRT patients, treated over 8 years ago, and some are still slowly drifting toward their individual nadirs.

So, the plateau is not bad. It does shake one's confidence, but like she said, as long as PSA doesn't turn around and start upward, just keep an eye on it and enjoy the ride.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply