HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

another little rise ...

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
12
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 4/11/2013 9:05 PM (GMT 0)
Just a quick hello - trying not to focus on this too much - got my latest PSA - up a little bit more ... to 0.18 ....( in 3 months) ...
my GP Doctor is sending my path report and PSA readings to a buddy oncologist of his at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto to see if he thinks there should be any worry... and what to do if anything...
- I still think it is some regenerated prostate cells saying "hello" ( gleaned from video topic by Dr. Snuffy Meyers)
-will see my Urologist/Surgeon next week - to get his take on the matter....
-will keep you posted,
hugs,
Bronson
Posted 4/11/2013 9:12 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry to hear that Bronson. Hoping it's just a blip and that it'll go back down on next one.
Posted 4/11/2013 9:28 PM (GMT 0)
Steady as she goes tatt2man, steady as she goes…...
Posted 4/11/2013 9:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hangi in there, Bronson. What goes up can come down, and I hope it does.
Posted 4/11/2013 9:45 PM (GMT 0)
All I have to say Bronson, that, knowing what I know, that is exactly what I would do :) Great attitude!!!
Posted 4/12/2013 12:02 AM (GMT 0)
No worries my brother......Keeping you and Steve in my thoughts and prayers.... You should write another song..... We should write one together. One of these days I will put the last one to music and you tube it for you..... No laughing. Hugs your friend Todd
Posted 4/12/2013 1:05 AM (GMT 0)
Crap, lets hope it is just some of those regenerating prostate cells and nothing more serious. But if the rise continues it looks like you may have a PSA doubling time of 5 months. Some SRT in the prostate bed may make those cells say goodbye instead of hello.  You and Steve are in our positive thoughts.

Hugs )))((((

Terry

Posted 4/12/2013 1:10 AM (GMT 0)
Hoping for the best for you Bronson.
Posted 4/12/2013 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
Bronson, could also be early signs of recurrence, you are starting to have a trend above .10. I agree about holding steady, but would probably at least be in the talking stage with a good radiation oncologist. hoping you can dodge the RT bullet for as long as you can.

david
Posted 4/12/2013 2:02 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry to hear Bronson, Your stats are a lot like mine. I just visited my surgeon, Dr. Patel, yesterday. He said, even thought I have had my first 3 post-op PSA test comeback Zeros, he said with what he saw, I have a 1 in 5 chance of the cancer coming back within 10 years.

I hope for your sake, that isn't happening to you.
Good luck battling the beast.

Hugs,
Bill
Posted 4/12/2013 9:51 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Bronson,
Do you know if they are going to switch you from a 3 month PSA test to a monthly test? My uro did that when my PSA began to climb. At hat time, I started drinking Pom, taking green tea capsules, resveratrol, and whatever else was rumored to fight PC. I don't know if it helped or not, but it leveled off for a couple months before the rise began again and I decided on SRT. I hope yours is benign prostate tissue. I'm sure that the next tattoos you want aren't the three hat hey give you prior to radiation therapy.
Good luck, and here's to level or a drop next time,
Paul
Posted 4/12/2013 9:53 AM (GMT 0)
Bronson,

There is a survival advantage to having salvage therapy now, and certainly before your PSA reaches .2. Perineural invasion and extraprostatic extension are both adverse signals, as is your steadily rising PSA. I hope you will be seeing a radiation oncologist. Steady rises of PSA are not just something innocuous saying hello -- they need to be dealt with before it gets away from you. I hate to be blunt, but denial is not a good strategy for your long-term survival.

Here's a recent study on the importance of treating early:

The timing of salvage radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy: a systematic review.
Posted 4/12/2013 10:16 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry to hear this Bronson. Wait see what your urologist says next week.
Until then..... ‘don’t worry, be happy’
Enjoy your weekend and sending you both a hug.
Susan
x
Posted 4/12/2013 11:24 AM (GMT 0)
thanks for all your support - and sorry, I ain't in denial - am responding to the knowledge of expertise of Dr. Myers.
-will be chatting with an oncologist, if deemed necessary, and do feel there is a lot of overtreatment after the fact.
-in a private chat with (the late) Doug Gosling at the Prostate Cancer Pathway conference ( helping patients and doctors design a better health care set up for PCa patients in Ontario - Cancer Care Ontario) he said that "SRT was a waste of time" ... at that stage of his life, he was on daily morphine to survive the pain and lived 2 more years....
( sorry if I sound too blunt - but that is what he said... and also the fact that my Mom and Uncle being severely burned by their radiation treatments for cancer ...)

-thanks again - will update you with my urologist visit next week.
hugs,
Bronson

p.s. dealing with any changes in diet from remission time and now - cholesterol was the same, weight was the same, but added lemon juice to combat the kidney stones - my ph is 65 , so maybe I was more alkaline before.. (thinking of the baking soda thread)....
........ .. .

p.p.s.
here is the link to the video by Dr. Myers re: when recurrent PCa isn't cancer - scroll down page to find it...
/askdrmyers.wordpress.com/page/2/
...

p.p.p.s.
got a call from my GP Doc - have an appointment at Princess Margaret Hospital with an oncologist/urologist (as per message on phone) on April 29 - to have a chat about my numbers...
.... .. .
Posted 4/19/2013 2:20 AM (GMT 0)
hiya - sorry if I sounded cranky in the last message - I was - just got the numbers out of the blue from my doc BEFORE I was told them by my Uro/Surgeon.
-actually saw my Urologist/Surgeon today - spoke about the rise and the need to talk to an oncologist - I told him about Dr. Robert Bristow at Princess Margaret Hospital ( my appt later this month) - he seems to be a top dog surgeon / prof/ lecturer and "thinks outside the box"
- my uro/surgeon's take on my rising numbers was - "it looks like you have to get zapped and then that will take care of it.."
-kinda casual approach to radiation therapy.. and I will see him in 6 months ( after seeing the other doctor and working out a strategy to get rid of the cancer).
-looking into getting bloodwork done for gene marker for BCRA1 - BCRA-2 which is the gene marker for aggressive BCa and PCa.

- keeping hopeful ( supplement 5-HTP is helping with depression) and plan on getting a lot more paintings done ( and writing too!)
hugs to one and all,
( I am so glad I found this place)
Bronson
Posted 4/19/2013 2:34 AM (GMT 0)
Sending you warm healing hugs, and wishing you God's peace as you make your decisions.
Diana :)
Posted 4/19/2013 2:48 AM (GMT 0)
Hugs.
Not the news you wanted I am sure but you have to play the cards you're dealt. I am very interested to hear what you can find out with the BCRA tests. That's the real question that it would be nice to have an answer to - is this aggressive and how aggressive should I be in treatment?

There's always hope and sounds like you've got good bunch of doctors on your side.

and given the news you got, a little cranky is normal - don't worry about it.

All the best,
Andrew
Posted 4/19/2013 7:17 AM (GMT 0)
Tatt2man-

I'm really interested in your decision to find out about your BRCA1&2 genes. I've had a lot of cancer in my family and have thought about it. I keep asking myself what would I do differently if I knew? And do I want to live the rest of my life with the knowledge always on my mind? I think that knowledge is not always a blessing. I go back and forth about it. What do you think?
Posted 4/19/2013 11:09 AM (GMT 0)
the purpose of finding out about the gene marker is to add more cards to the deck ( thanks Andrew) - if it is run of the mill PCa treat it one way - if it is aggressive PCa then give it a double barrel approach and blast/nuke/shots/whatever it ...
-a little bit of knowledge can be bad - but the knowledge to help make a decision clearly can be very helpful...

hugs,
Bronson
Posted 4/19/2013 12:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hang in there Bronson, you're taking the right approach and you know we're all here for you. . . .
Posted 4/19/2013 12:32 PM (GMT 0)
Bronson, good luck with the gene marker test.
Keep us updated. I've thought about it, but I'm not sure I'd want the answer at this point in my journey.
All the best.
Posted 4/19/2013 1:18 PM (GMT 0)
Bronson, I am with you on this. Get as much info as you can, so you can make a decision you are comfortable with. I think I already emailed you my backup plan if and when I have a rise. Basically if a berry or supplement is even thought to combat Ca, then I am going to eat it. It can't hurt.

We are missing you down here in Baton Rouge and hope you can feel our combined comforting strength coming your way. Keep it together, this is just a bump in the road as many have successfully gone back to zero with the proper plan.
Posted 4/19/2013 1:23 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the update Bronson. By the way, cranky is allowed. Keep us posted.

Michael

Posted 4/19/2013 1:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Bronson, I suppose you want to look at genes to see if you should treat your cancer agressively. Dr.Bonkhoff in Berlin, as you may know, tests samples for some markers to determine the agressiveness and potential medication. There is Dr.Botswick in US, but not sure what type testing he does. It cost 600 euros to get some basic markers tested (about 5-6). There are many more, he has them all described in a handbook, if you are interested, I can send it to you. However it is somewhat difficult to know what to do with the information, but if you have an "open-minded" oncologist, it may provide him with more info to complete the picture about your case.

Good luck, Bronson, you are on the right track.
Drawing more pictures sounds very relaxing to counter the busy schedule. Hugs.
Posted 4/19/2013 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
The clinic where I do my regular bloodwork will do it for me ( in Lindsay Ontario)
- to test for BCRA1 / 2 gene - Fetal Markers is the category - just need the doc to fill out the form ( this is paid for my provincial and federal taxes - nothing is free)
- will wait until checking with the oncologist - and have him write up the lab requests -> cholesterol - ph - PSA - gene markers ...
- not doing the pom or soy thing right now - trying to put a focus on what my body is doing ... or not doing ...
- if one thing does not change - then on to another - not grasping at straws yet ... just putting my ducks in a row ( love the hotel ads on TV)

holistic hugs,
Bronson
:-)
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
12