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More depressed than ever!!

Posted , 10 users are following.

bobbyk
bobbyk

I have 4+3 prostate cancer....

Had a radical prostectimy a few weeks ago....

Unfortunately my PSA reading was 0.16 straight after on the first PSA test after surgery. ..

I have been advised radiotherapy and hormone treatment. ...

I feel like this is the beginning of the end... I was hoping for undetectable for a few years.

How rare is it for surgery not to work like it hasn't for me?

2 likes, 23 replies

23 Replies

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  • winn16126
    winn16126 bobbyk

    Posted

    Most urologist use 8 weeks as a marker for psa baseline after surgery.
    • bobbyk
      bobbyk winn16126

      Posted

      Thanks. It has been 8 weeks.

      I'm very confused now as I had been led to believe that liklihood was that PSA would be undetectable

    • winn16126
      winn16126 bobbyk

      Posted

      Okay... your initial post says a few weeks.
  • Whiteplume
    Whiteplume bobbyk

    Posted

    Don't get ahead of your self, 1.0 is normally the cut off mark I believe therapies to mop up anything that may have got out are common hope you have a speedy recovery

    Hang in there and do what the Doctors say and don't listen to All the crap well some anyway.

    I trust my Doctor with my life and he is German so yu think yu got problems!!!

    He is Great actually

    Get well and don't worry so much. BE POSITIVE ITS IMPORTANT for your recovery.

    TK

    • bobbyk
      bobbyk Whiteplume

      Posted

      It's so hard to be positive when you keep getting bad news. ...
  • supercargo
    supercargo bobbyk

    Posted

    Hi Bobby

    When I was diagnosed with PC, I had staging T3b. MDT recommended RT/Hormone Treatment. Their thinking was that as PC had spread to Contractine Vacuole, there was a chance of some cancer remaining after Surgery - so would require follow up Radio Therapy / Hormone Treatment.

    I went the RT/Hormone route.

    Two years later my PCA remains <0.1

    you will see several positive posts here.

    only negatives i had was the hot flushes / night sweats due hormone treatment, and radiation proctopothy due rt.

    completed 2 year of hormone injections las september, next orgologist review april 2016.

    it is not the begining of the end, just another step in your treatment. you="" will="" see="" several="" positive="" posts="" here.="" only="" negatives="" i="" had="" was="" the="" hot="" flushes="" night="" sweats="" due="" hormone="" treatment,="" and="" radiation="" proctopothy="" due="" rt.="" completed="" 2="" year="" of="" hormone="" injections="" las="" september,="" next="" orgologist="" review="" april="" 2016.="" it="" is="" not="" the="" begining="" of="" the="" end,="" just="" another="" step="" in="" your="">

    you will see several positive posts here.

    only negatives i had was the hot flushes / night sweats due hormone treatment, and radiation proctopothy due rt.

    completed 2 year of hormone injections las september, next orgologist review april 2016.

    it is not the begining of the end, just another step in your treatment.>

  • ken47739
    ken47739 bobbyk

    Posted

    Hi

    Following radical surgery in Dec 2010 on a Gleason 9 tumour downgraded to 8 after biopsy I also had low readings of PSA I started two years of Zoladex hormone treatment and had Radiotherapy in Dec 2011,  Since then PSA has been undetectable from Jan 2012.

    So there really is hope.  Trust your doctors and follow their recommendations.

    Best wishes

    KenW

    • Whiteplume
      Whiteplume ken47739

      Posted

      Well done thats what we all want to hear POSITIVE Comments. Listen to your Doctor We all fight and we all wish for a good outcome Never Give up! No Negativity. IT'S the only way after all. And the technology is there let them use it.
    • bobbyk
      bobbyk ken47739

      Posted

      That's really positive. I didn't know it could stay undetectable that long. .. after secondary treatment.
  • Kombi_Cruiser
    Kombi_Cruiser bobbyk

    Posted

    bobbyk...welcome to the forum and the 3% club... Surgery is really just the start of the process with hopefully removing the Prostate Cancer... Unfortunately sometimes this cancer has other ideas and decides to go wandering around inside looking for a place to grow... I've had my share of treatments yet this cancer is still one step ahead of our efforts to contain it... Never let yourself be defeated by this mentally as keeping a good outlook is vital in you overall wellbeing... Some things in life cannot be changed as we may have hoped... Remember each of us are an individual and our cancer is also as unique as we are...how your body deals with things will be totally different from anyone else which is why you won't find to many answers to your questions from others...

    I wish you them best of luck in your struggle and hope you can get on top of the situation... Remember to live life as you want and do all those things you've ever wanted to do...

    • bobbyk
      bobbyk Kombi_Cruiser

      Posted

      Thanks KC.

      The uncertainty over the impact on life expectancy is the hardest thing. I keep hearing stats about of number years etc but given the latest news I have no idea.

    • Kombi_Cruiser
      Kombi_Cruiser bobbyk

      Posted

      bobbyk...I understand your situation as I've got to go there every now and then... Uncertainty only robs you of time, time you will regret having wasted later but that's a while off... Please only think about the things that you can change and never dwell in the murky waters of the unknown...you may get lost in there...:-)

      Keep a good outlook on life and smile always...

      Life expectancy is a normal concern...been there also...now I just do what I want to do every day...

    • carl05115
      carl05115 bobbyk

      Posted

      Hi BobbyK

      Something to keep in mind is that the median age of death from prostate cancer is 82 years.  While it remains true that 50% of the people who die of prostate cancer die before 82 years, it is important to remember that 50% die after age 82 years.  And age of death graphs show us that it is not a bell shaped curve, but rather is skewed strongly toward very old age.  In my country the average remaining life expectancy of a white male who currently is 65 years old is 18 years. Prostate cancer, in general is a very old man's disease.  My father died when he was 52.  I never thought I'd live to be an old man.  I'm now 70, I've had prostate cancer for 20 years based on PSA and ten years diagnosed with biopsy, I have no symptoms other than getting up one or two times at night to urinate and I've had no treatment.  But that has been my choice and my thinking, it might not work for you.                               My Best To You,  Carl  

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