Hello,
My husband (47yo) had routine blood work done on 12/31, and we received the results via mail yesterday. His PSA was 9.52. Tomorrow we will call his practitioner to make a decision on the next move, but in the letter his PA sent him, the PA stated that sexual activity in the 2-3 days prior could have affected the PSA and that if this were the case, he should have a re-test. Honestly, neither of us can remember if we had intercourse in that time period (having just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary, it all runs together!). Although I am a nurse, I have never worked in urology and therefore had to research online to even refresh my memory on what normal PSA levels are. In my search, I have found little information on just how much sexual activity can raise PSA, but the few references I have discovered seem to suggest that at most, it would only raise the level by a point or two. Does anybody have any experience or anecdotal evidence in this regard?
I dug through medical records and found a PSA level from 2005 (husband was 41). It was .09. To my knowledge, that is the only other PSA test he has had. His DRE's have been normal. He has experienced some very mild urinary frequency/urgency on occasion, but nothing that he even felt warranted a mention to his PA; I simply teased him about encroaching old age when it happened, but now that we have a PSA of 9.52, I am afraid it may indicate something more serious.......
No family hx of PCa that we are aware of, but he does have a strong family hx of cancer in general. Mother had non-hodgkins lymphoma in her early 40s, was treated at MD Anderson and went into complete remission but died of stomach Ca at age 70. Father died of colon Ca at 71. Sister just dx'd with breast cancer at 53. Another sister with some suspicious colon polyps in her early 50s.
My husband had a case of strep throat last month and was treated with a 10 day course of amoxicillin. Have done a little googling on use of amoxicillin to treat prostatitis but didn't find a whole lot on initial search. But I can't help but think it probably isn't a promising sign that his elevated PSA could be due to prostatitis if after a course of abx, it is 9.52.
Our plan is to call his PA tomorrow and get a referral to the urologist. No doubt a re-test of the PSA is in order, and I was hoping to get it done this week, but now that I have read through these forums a bit, it does seem that a re-test this soon would only result in a significantly lower PSA if there was a lab problem, which is probably not all that likely.
I guess my biggest concern is the worry that if it is PCa at age 47, it is fast-growing, and my overwhelming urge is to be very aggressive. The idea of waiting to see what a month-long course of Cipro BID might do doesn't sit well. If he were 20 years older, I'd feel much more comfortable with waiting a few months. In the end, it will be my husband's decision along with his MD, but wives who are nurses are really big pains in the neck and do have a lot of input in these kinds of things
Thanks for listening, and I appreciate any and all anecdotes from those who have been in a similar situation.
Wishes for good health for all,
6xblessd