HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Ultrasensitive PSA results

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 12/31/2009 1:04 PM (GMT 0)

Not exactly the results we were hoping to see, 0.13. Next step PET/CT scan, 1/7/2010.  Happy New Year to all of you.

Rick

Texas

Posted 12/31/2009 1:14 PM (GMT 0)
Rick, sorry to hear that your PSA is not where you and your doctor would like it to be. While disappointing, the chances of RT knocking out the rest of those pesky cancer cells is excellent so please don't give up hope.
Posted 12/31/2009 1:55 PM (GMT 0)
Rick,

Well the results are not what you wanted, but don't throw in the towel yet. If you have seen any of my posts, you know that you and I are just about in the same place. Except maybe for the fact that I am about 25 treatments ahead of you on the Radiation.

There have been plenty of studies and research articles lately about the advantages of following surgery with radiation even when not called for immediately by rising PSA results. In fact they have a fancy medical name for it, Adjuvant Therapy. I like that a lot better that Salvage Therapy anyway.

I did not approach the rad with doom and gloom, but rather with the positive outlook that I am being a little more pro-active rather than waiting down the road, in killing this crap off so I can get on with enjoying my "EVERY DAY IS A BONUS" philosophy.

I know it's tough to take right now, but try to put the positive spin on it. Find the silver lining in the cloud. Trust in your faith and your medical team. 2010 is going to be the year of wonderful things, I just know it.

Sonny
Posted 12/31/2009 2:30 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Sephie and Sonny. No towel thrown in here. Sonny are you doing IMRT?
Posted 12/31/2009 3:06 PM (GMT 0)
Rick,

Yep!! IG/IMRT for me. Using a machine and method called TOMO (tomography). Does the CT scan, alignment and rad treatment all at the same time. Two passes through the machine, 1 for aligning and 1 for the rad. Takes about 14 minutes.

So far so good. No real side effects. A little more frequency in going to the john, but I don't think it's the rad. We bought a new coffee making system (Oh! it's sooo good) and I have been enjoying a few more cups than usual.

If you want to talk in a little more detail, shoot me and email. Mine is active on the side bar.

Good luck with it all,

Sonny
Posted 1/1/2010 3:14 PM (GMT 0)
Rick:  Most of us who have done SRT, IMRT haven't had TOMO therapy like Sonny.  There aren't that many TOMO machines around.  I just finished SRT and basically you'll be on a table with the machine rotating from one side to the other stopping ususally in 7dfferent locations for a 15-30 second burst when delivering the radiation.  A CT will be done before hand to make sure you are properly aligned.  I believe most of us had a cast made of the lower body and it is slipped into place before the treatment begins.  All in all it took about 10-12 minutes from start to finish.  I had to drink 8 oz. of water every day 1 hour before the treatment to have the bladder at the same level each treatment.  The amount of water that you drink seems to be a little different from establishment to establishment.  I believe Sonny wasn't told to drink any, that may be because it was a TOMO machine.

David 

 

Posted 1/1/2010 3:22 PM (GMT 0)

Rick:  One other thing, the people who are dissing the PET scan are probably wrong about you having it done.  I read where they have said it won't be of any help.  That is probably incorrect if the scan is a PET/ Bone scan which it probably is.  That is one of the newer techniques and machines out there, it combines PET scans with full body CT scans to give you a much better evaluation than just the bone scan.  I had a PET/Bone scan and then went down to MD Anderson for a second opinion and the prostate onc. actually told me that he wished that is what they had at M.D.Anderson and when they changed machines it would probably be to a PET/Bone machine.

You can Google it andyou'll find plenty of info. on them.

David

Posted 1/1/2010 3:23 PM (GMT 0)
Hello there,

I just completed 39 sessions of IMRT for SRT myself. My experience was documented here in a day by day log if you are interested. I had a lot of side effect problems and pain, but that is not the normal. I had experienced radiation problems 10 years ago in another cancer event in my life. I had this done on a Novalis machine, as described above, it indexed into 7 posiition with each session. Due to either operator problems and/or alignment problems, each session for me ranged from 20 minutes to 55 minutes. I don't think that was normal either. I did not have to drink water, because I was wearing a catheter the entire time going through radiation, in fact, still on a catheter a month after ending radiation. But that's another story.

I started my SRT with a PSA a little higher than yours, but mine was the 3rd increase in a row, comfirming recurrance.

Please keep us posted.

David in SC
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply