Help with PSA

Hi hudsofhenley, first of all welcome to this site, you will find that it is the best one to have come to and you really should not trawl Dr Google, there is so much information that might be wrong for you.

My stats are as follows: PSA 63, followed by MRI and bone scan then had a targeted bi-opsy. Feb 2015 I was diagnosed aggressive PCa with a Gleason score 3+4=7 and a T2 staging confined to my prostate. I was told that my prostate was too close to my rectum wall and could not have a prostectomy so the only treatment offered was Hormone therapy(HT) for two years and Radio therapy(RT) 37 sessions, before starting RT my PSA had dropped to 0.5 and since completing is now 0.01 (undetectable).

I believe that I am in the curable camp and my stats are similar to yours. When you see the consultants they will explain the results that they have and although it is hard not to worry do try and stay calm.

Whenever you see anyone at the hospital it is advisable to take someone with you and take a notebook to write information down, jot questions to ask so that you understand what is being told to you. If you are informed that you have PCa they will suggest what treatment path they can offer you and it is best that you take your time to digest what that means.

You can download the "toolkit" from this site or telephone the number provided to get one sent to you, it is very useful and has all the information that you will need to explain about Prostate Cancer. You can also call the number on this site to speak with a specialist nurse and again they are very helpful and knowledgable and will help you through with things that are troubling you.

PCa is normally a slow form of cancer and you need not worry too much about spending time thinking which way to go with your treatment.

There are sure to be others on here with helpful words, we are all in the same boat one way or another, either as a PCa patient, Carer, spouse or family member. Ask anything you want on here as nothing is taboo.

I hope your results are not too bad, please keep us updated with as much information as possible so that others can help with their advice.

Regards Chris/Woody

Life seems different upside down, take another viewpoint

I was diagnosed in June 2104 and was told that my Psa levels were 335 but the doctor misread the score and the decimal point , it was actually 33.5! My immediate reaction was that I was in heaven looking down on an awful consultation , sitting there in shock. But here I am almost 2 years on having had radiotherapy and still on hormone therapy. I had no obvious symptoms at all, which made it all the more annoying. I simply asked for a Psa rest to rule out cancer! My doctor was reluctant but I insisted and I am glad that I did.

I was seen by a urologist the following week and then had 2 MRI scans , a nuclear medical scan and biopsy. As the cancer had started to spread I was not eligible for surgery.

Lyn is right , do not look anything up on the Internet. It will only confuse you and as yet you may not understand all the terminology and could only scare yourself further. This was also advice from a medical friend of mine. He said wait until you are under way with what is suggested to you, you will only become confused. I heeded that advice was grateful that I did so. As time went on and I became immersed in the treatments and plans for me ,all fell into place regarding understanding my own situation and I became more comfortable with it all. I carried on working and was still working ( mornings only) even when I had radiotherapy for the first 7 of the 9 week period it covered. I have though subsequently retired but am very busy and enjoying life.

I hope that all goes well for you and as Chris has suggested take someone along with you for any appointments. You are obviously active which is great and will help you keep positive. I saw this as an opportunity to have a complete health check via the scans and have been as positive as I could be throughout my travels.

Hopefully your results will be fine.

We are all here to help you. So please keep in contact as and when you wish.

Regards,

John

Many thanks for this. When I heard the score 140 i almost fainted thinking it was way high. I will wait till all the test are done and a course of action planned. I am so glad i found this site.

Hello Huds and belated welcome from me too.

Fingers crossed for your results

Thanks to all who replied to my post. Sorry its been so long just finding it hard to come to terms with it all. Anyway I had a bone scan the result was clear. The MRI scan showed no detectable spread. The biopsy confirmed I had Prostate Cancer and I have just been told my Gleason score is 4+5=9

They have put me on Cyproterone Acetate 100mgs 3 times a day for 28days. Today is my 14th day and i have just had (in the arm) 11.25mg of Leuprorelin Acetate in the form of Prostap3DCS.

In 12 weeks i go back for the same injection again and a blood test. 12 weeks after that they are saying 39 doses of radio therapy. The consultant said we can cure this. His words not mine. I hope he's right.

Huds, your consultant is the expert. He sees hundreds of men with PC in all its forms and gradings.

If he says it's curable, then believe him.

What's the alternative. Continual doubt gnawing at you until you make yourself ill with something else.

Act with him not against him. Investigate diet, and keep up with the exercise and walking so that you are as strong physically as you can be.

There may well be blips along the way but hey ! that's what we're here for.

You can do this, you know you can