1. Community
  2. Men's health
  3. Prostate Problems

Psa value from 0.8 to 1.5 in a year

Posted , 8 users are following.

richard21475
richard21475

Hi.

I am 45 years old and have some problems when urinating.. It can take a while for it to begin.

I have been to the doctor and he told me I have an enlarged prostate.

I received Alufozin to make it easier. Works pretty well.

I also took PSA 2016-Jan and the value was then 0.8. 

I took it in 2017-Jan and it was 1.5. Almost doubled..

Is this normal? I am a bit worried about it being doubled.

Regards Rick

1 like, 29 replies

29 Replies

Next
  • Waffalobill
    Waffalobill richard21475

    Posted

    Will rise as prostate gets bigger.
    • richard21475
      richard21475 Waffalobill

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply.

      Does this mean it will continue to increase the psa value with the same each year? 

      Because 2 is the max value for my age and then they will investigate further.

    • Waffalobill
      Waffalobill richard21475

      Posted

      Not sure why they even bother with pas. So many things effect it's outcome. If you have sex 48 hours before the test, it effects it. Prostititis effects it. Size does. I was told it is a test for possible cancer. But if everything effects it's outcome, why run it. They run it, then order I dozen tests after it to evaluate you. If they already know by doing a digital your prostate is big, spongy , etc etc, why do a PSA they know will be wrong. It just causes you to stress out thinking you may have cancer.

    • richard21475
      richard21475 Waffalobill

      Posted

      The doctor felt on the prostate and told me it was enlarged but else fine.

      So the PSA is normal you think?

    • Waffalobill
      Waffalobill richard21475

      Posted

      He told me mine was very big for a guy my age. I was 52. My PSA was very low. He put me on flomax and finasteride. Finasteride to shrink prostate. It did nothing. When I went back his assistant said my prostate was huge. I retook the PSA. Doc said they like to keep a eye on it while on finasteride. But finasteride will cut PSA in half even if you have cancer. So it won't be accurate. They usually double the results to get true PSA. Which to me sounds like a guess.

    • Waffalobill
      Waffalobill richard21475

      Posted

      In my own opinion I feel my PSA had no bearing on the outcome of my problem. I don't think it was a factor in his diagnosis Or treatment. They seem to think it's important to keep checking it. But I am not convinced it was a determining factor in the follow up tests he did that told him more about what was going on. He still needed to do surgery and still sent samples to the lab to check for cancer. So even being low must not totally rule out cancer or he wouldn't have checked for it with tissue from surgery.

    • Waffalobill
      Waffalobill richard21475

      Posted

      Lab found nothing. I looked it up. Prostate grows larger in most men. Can be caused by testosterone levels dropping. It grows to compensate.
    • richard21475
      richard21475 Waffalobill

      Posted

      Ok. I will try to lower my worriedness. 

      PSA 1.5 isnt high but indeed double up in a year.

      I will try to get a new bloodtest in 6 months.

      Regards 

      Rick

  • caringbah
    caringbah richard21475

    Posted

    Rick, PSA is very unreliable indicator. My PSA was 10 but after a PAE it's down to 3. I'm very happy with that but I've instructed my doctor....I will not have any more PSA testing done.

    It only causes unnecessary anxiety. Next thing you know they'll want you to have a biopsy. I went down that route and turned out no cancer. Very good...but then my troubles began. After biopsy I couldn't pee properly. Urologist said it would bet back to normal....it didn't and he didn't seem to care ( I hate urologists btw) 

    i would be very wary of jumping onto the prostate industry conveyor belt. 

    • craig84609
      craig84609 caringbah

      Posted

      I agree, my urologist is gung ho about doing a biopsy on me and I just told the nurse that I don't want to have a biopsy soley based on the PSA test and she said I can't blame you for that. I am going to tell my doctor that this is the last PSA test for me and if they push it again I will find a new doctor. I will not let them punch holes in my Prostate unless an MRI shows there is a need to . F them, I would like to see the doctor have a biopsy.

  • geoff90305
    geoff90305 richard21475

    Posted

    Richard, If you had a history of many PSA readings and your average of 0.8 of several years over a 12 month period doubled, then it should set off the warning bells. To have a raised PSA double from your average over a 12 month period means the prostate aint happy. This could be caused by many reasons, including cancer. As caringbah said, he was on the PSA wagon for a bit, but common sense prevailed and reasons other than cancer mostly cause the PSA to rise.

    At 45, you are a little on the young side for prostate cancer, though, it is still possible. Having a low PSA does not mean you cannot have prostate cancer. 

    If your prostate it is also enlarged, the BPH would be an issue that gets worse over time, further increasing the PSA.

    I would put a reminder somewhere to have another PSA test in 6 months time. Make sure it is carried out at the same lab, and that you do not have a UTI, as this pushes up PSA readings for several months.

    • richard21475
      richard21475 geoff90305

      Posted

      Hi Geoff

      I did my first PSA reading ever last year at 0.8

      So this year its my second at 1.5.

      Can it be that the PSA varies a bit from time to time?

    • geoff90305
      geoff90305 richard21475

      Posted

      Yes, the PSA moves about all the time. A lot depends on the health of the prostate, and if any UTI evident. PSA movements that double and basically form a hockey stick curve over time are classical prostate cancer graphs. But, if your PSA suddenly climbs in a few months from 0.8 to 1.5 to 5 to 9 etc, this velocity is way too quick.

       My brothers PSA in 4 months rose from 3 to 19. It has taken almost 2.5 years for it to return near to his average of 3. He contracted a UTI. His 3TmpMRI indicated no PCa. Last year in April my PSA rose from long time average of 2.4 to 13 over 4 months. Basically, a vertical spike. Urologist asked me if I wanted a biopsy?? I had a 3TmpMRI that said I was clear and my retreating PSA convinced him not to...so far..and that my PSA movement is not PCa related. I will have a PSA test done in April to confirm the retreat.

      Because you are having prostate health issues, your PSA is not going to be a good guide for PCa. But that said, do not ignore the PSA too long. If in 3-6 moths you have a steadily rising PSA, and your prostate is recovered, I would get a 3TmpMRI to sort out what is going on with the prostate.

    • Greg123
      Greg123 geoff90305

      Posted

      In my case, I had a PAE but now after 5 months my PSA has gone up a lot since before the procedure, and my Free PSA level has gone down significantly. I'm wondering if I have Prostatitis.  I don't have any symptoms though.  I do have a milky white discharge out of the tip of my penis, It's very small. UTI Test strips show positive Leukesytes and positive nitrites, and although these show up on a urine culture, the report comes back negative for a UTI. Very confusing.

      Has anybody monitored their free psa? Is that more reliable? I've scheduled for a 3TmpMRI next week. I had a nightmare Urologist I saw last week. That will be a ONE TIME appointment!!!

    • geoff90305
      geoff90305 Greg123

      Posted

      Hi Greg, I had both the PSA Free and PHI test and both said I had a high chance of PCa. But, the MRI said no suspicious lesions, and it advised I had an enlarged prostate (37cc) and lots of BPH as well as prostatitus (following a UTI).  My PSA was apparently a typical UTI/Prostatitus spike. And because my PSA was above 10, the PSA Free and PHI are not accurate.

      Geoff

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.