Post op PSA test anxiety

Hello all,

Paul's PSA test is next week with results coming the week after.

For the first time for nearly a year, there have been many days in the last month in which I have not thought of prostate cancer - busy days at work and with our personal lives managed to drive it from our minds. But then on Friday I remembered that the next PSA test was coming and that horrible feeling at the bottom of my gut and the fear of the unknown came flooding back.

Paul is usually does his tests with Lab 1 and Lab2 which come up with different results - This month he will just be doing Lab 2. I worry because Paul's right back into his busy life and I done want all that busyness to somehow lower his immune system and change his PSA numbers. I so want the results to stay the same or decrease. I will be so happy if this is the case.

Even though I had a stressful month at work working weekends and late into the night, it was a pleasure to stress about things that were ultimately inconsequential .... people commented on how well I was coping with the stress and I thought to myself that it was a zillion times easier than what we went throught with the PCa and what most people go through on this website on a daily basis.

Regards,

An

 

An,

Good luck on Paul's upcoming test, hopefully another "0"

Look's like you need to correct some of his PSA dates, I think you meant year 2011 in a couple of cases, not 2011

David

Good luck. Sadly, this is now the new normal!

Mel

Dear An,

Hang in there - hoping for the very best for you and Paul. For us, the anxiety lasted well into the later stages of the second year. It took a few years of consistency for us to find relief, and like Paul, CJ's PSA fluctuated in the first 2 years between .01 and .03. I think it takes time - in between we actually saw Specialisist,  and insisted on annual reviews (which he agreed to at the time,  but we have not actually felt the need to see him since). It is easy to think that getting back to normal is somehow damaging or risky, but we do not need to keep a constant vigil now either, and it is actually a very good sign that Paul is healthy and getting back to his normal self. His immune system must be OK if he has the strength and determination to resume his busy life. Busy is good for both of you - and yes, stress of minor inconsequential matters ceases to matter now. Let us know,  so we can share the good and the worrying times with you - It helps we found, as we did not share this anxiety with anyone else personally apart from our immediate family and parents. Good luck with that test!

Kind regards, Lana (PS. Written at 4.23am this morning our time as I can't sleep!).

Good Luck An. I too gave blood for my next test Weds. This will be 12 weeks for me.

An, I'd missed seeing this post first time around last month.

You said, "I worry because Paul's right back into his busy life and I don't want all that busyness to somehow lower his immune system and change his PSA numbers."

I don't think a busy life is anything to worry about. If that translates into stress, excessive stress, then that's a different matter. But, I'd be far more worried about the effect of that on his cardiovascular system than I would about any impact on a bio chemical recurrence.

And, I'm more concerned about you and the stress you've been carrying than I am about Paul's.

You and I have been around HW long enough for you to know that when it comes to things medical, I'd have had my license revoked long ago --- if I'd had one in the first place. Still, I wanted to share my perspective on this with you. It's easy and facile to say, 'don't worry,' but I think the latest results posted in another thread show you and Paul have every reasonable expectation of continued good news.

Sheldon AKA Sleepless