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'Satisfactory'PSA result?!

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User
Posted 27 Apr 2019 at 23:16

Hi, Hubby just had his latest PSA results and they came back 'satisfactory'. We don't really know what that means? no note to say to see the Dr about them. Is that a good thing, or does satisfactory mean the PSA may have risen but not to a concerning level I wonder? Until now , post treatment PSA has always been untraceable?

Sorry if I sound neurotic!

Bless you all x

 

'Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up'
User
Posted 28 Apr 2019 at 10:19

Your guess is as good as ours!

If the profile info is up to date, I'd guess - but only a guess - that PSA remains <0.1

But has the GP ever suggested what he (/she) would be 'happy' with?

If in doubt, ask ... and maybe agree a definition of 'satisfactory' for future reference!

User
Posted 28 Apr 2019 at 10:52
Phone or call in to the GP practice and ask for the actual result. GPs sometimes review the PSA result and mark it for the administrators to indicate whether or not a follow up appointment is needed, without checking the person’s history. We have had situations where the GP receptionist has said “it’s fine” and John has had to explain that the result is not fine if you don’t have a prostate :-(
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 28 Apr 2019 at 11:21

hi alice.

welcome.  I would ask and keep note of exact psa value.  I 'assume' Peter is having 6 monthly tests.  although I can't see on bio 2017. 2018  values.

see my profile.  I'm on PSA tracker and everyone parameters.. etc  and test results pre or post will have been populated.  . my consultant would have set a trigger value for me.   in my case he set at 0.06. as needing  review.  however I would want to take control before this .  as unless it was a rogue reading.  I would want to see the trend.  ie currently  mine at 0.02 .

I did query at our GP practice. terminology.   As they used the term satisfactory when I had <0.01.    when I rang in for blood results.    The GP was more concerned my cholesterol was slightly raised at 5.5 ..    and wanted to chat about that.  beggars belief in many ways how some GPs don't appreciate the enormity and impact  of those PSA results.

They  were quite helpful in it seems their system flags all bloods as 'binary' . ie  satisfactory or needing investigation/action. 

Does your GP practice not offer you  online access to summary records ?   

 I know their  are disparate medical databases .  all correspondence from hospital  .  etc  should be sent hardcopy.  email . digital to your GP practice.  Please don't assume anything  and keep on top of everything.   

all the very best

 

PS.

 

posted before reading Lynn. 

agree.  key point  is PSA actual value and that impact to you and your family.   PSA post treatment  has a totally different 'weight' .  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by member 28 Apr 2019 at 11:29  | Reason: typo. added ps

User
Posted 28 Apr 2019 at 13:59
When my PSA result come through there is a note beside it which shows the normal PSA range of a man of my age (but who has not had treatment). On more than one occasion the receptionist has told me in answer to my question that the result was satisfactory having seen I am within the range but not appreciating this range is for a man who has had no treatment. I therefore ask what the actual figure was and for a print out . Suggest you always ask for the precise figure, it also enables you to monitor progress and raise a query where the medics might have failed to note a possible cause for concern
Barry
User
Posted 28 Apr 2019 at 18:59

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Sorry if I sound neurotic!

Bless you all x

You don't sound neurotic.  And, don't apologise.  

 

Whenever you get a result ask for a print out.  Consider this.  The receptionist or secretary has no interest in your result or what it may mean or imply to you.   YOU, are just another irritating call to get rid of, a pain in the earse.

Look at it like that and get your result in black and white, in a print out.  ONLY THEN , will you know for sure.

 

atb

 

dave

 

 

All we can do - is do all that we can.

So, do all you can to help yourself, then make the best of your time. :-)

I am the statistic.

User
Posted 29 Apr 2019 at 05:42
Your surgery may or may not be part of the NHS EMIS Patient Access scheme, whereby either on-line or via the app, you can view all your medical records. In my case, all PSA results are shown, both in figures and on a graph.

If your doctor is not part of that programme, ask the practice manager why not and when will they be signing up for it.

Cheers, John.

Show Most Thanked Posts
User
Posted 28 Apr 2019 at 10:19

Your guess is as good as ours!

If the profile info is up to date, I'd guess - but only a guess - that PSA remains <0.1

But has the GP ever suggested what he (/she) would be 'happy' with?

If in doubt, ask ... and maybe agree a definition of 'satisfactory' for future reference!

User
Posted 28 Apr 2019 at 10:52
Phone or call in to the GP practice and ask for the actual result. GPs sometimes review the PSA result and mark it for the administrators to indicate whether or not a follow up appointment is needed, without checking the person’s history. We have had situations where the GP receptionist has said “it’s fine” and John has had to explain that the result is not fine if you don’t have a prostate :-(
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 28 Apr 2019 at 11:21

hi alice.

welcome.  I would ask and keep note of exact psa value.  I 'assume' Peter is having 6 monthly tests.  although I can't see on bio 2017. 2018  values.

see my profile.  I'm on PSA tracker and everyone parameters.. etc  and test results pre or post will have been populated.  . my consultant would have set a trigger value for me.   in my case he set at 0.06. as needing  review.  however I would want to take control before this .  as unless it was a rogue reading.  I would want to see the trend.  ie currently  mine at 0.02 .

I did query at our GP practice. terminology.   As they used the term satisfactory when I had <0.01.    when I rang in for blood results.    The GP was more concerned my cholesterol was slightly raised at 5.5 ..    and wanted to chat about that.  beggars belief in many ways how some GPs don't appreciate the enormity and impact  of those PSA results.

They  were quite helpful in it seems their system flags all bloods as 'binary' . ie  satisfactory or needing investigation/action. 

Does your GP practice not offer you  online access to summary records ?   

 I know their  are disparate medical databases .  all correspondence from hospital  .  etc  should be sent hardcopy.  email . digital to your GP practice.  Please don't assume anything  and keep on top of everything.   

all the very best

 

PS.

 

posted before reading Lynn. 

agree.  key point  is PSA actual value and that impact to you and your family.   PSA post treatment  has a totally different 'weight' .  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by member 28 Apr 2019 at 11:29  | Reason: typo. added ps

User
Posted 28 Apr 2019 at 13:59
When my PSA result come through there is a note beside it which shows the normal PSA range of a man of my age (but who has not had treatment). On more than one occasion the receptionist has told me in answer to my question that the result was satisfactory having seen I am within the range but not appreciating this range is for a man who has had no treatment. I therefore ask what the actual figure was and for a print out . Suggest you always ask for the precise figure, it also enables you to monitor progress and raise a query where the medics might have failed to note a possible cause for concern
Barry
User
Posted 28 Apr 2019 at 18:59

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Sorry if I sound neurotic!

Bless you all x

You don't sound neurotic.  And, don't apologise.  

 

Whenever you get a result ask for a print out.  Consider this.  The receptionist or secretary has no interest in your result or what it may mean or imply to you.   YOU, are just another irritating call to get rid of, a pain in the earse.

Look at it like that and get your result in black and white, in a print out.  ONLY THEN , will you know for sure.

 

atb

 

dave

 

 

All we can do - is do all that we can.

So, do all you can to help yourself, then make the best of your time. :-)

I am the statistic.

User
Posted 29 Apr 2019 at 05:42
Your surgery may or may not be part of the NHS EMIS Patient Access scheme, whereby either on-line or via the app, you can view all your medical records. In my case, all PSA results are shown, both in figures and on a graph.

If your doctor is not part of that programme, ask the practice manager why not and when will they be signing up for it.

Cheers, John.

User
Posted 29 Apr 2019 at 22:42

In my one experience of a psa test at my GP I discovered 2 foibles.  Although if you read on here you'll find lots more.

One is the result is read by someone who just has a screen which says under psa = 4 is normal. They'll say it's normal if the doctor has said nothing else. If my psa was 4 it would be far from normal.

Number 2 is that their system doesn't have a less than sign which is <.  This means they say it's 0.05 and not <0.05.  The less than sign indicates the machine can't read any lower so it's undetectable which is usually good news.  Whereas 0.05 might not be good news as the machine has detected something this time.

On top of that some places might say it's satisfactory below 0.1 even if the machine has detected 0.09.   0.1 is the level their ears prick up. Although that's an area of discussion.

For those reasons I always ask for the exact reading including 'less than'. 

I was told I could use the GP and although it would be far more convenient and cheaper I decided to carry on at the hospital.  The reason being partly as above but in my case my GP is electronically linked to a different hospital than the one I was operated at.  I have to ring the hospital with my result.   It's even more complicated than that but I won't go on about it.

 
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