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Am I better??

User
Posted 08 Jan 2018 at 21:21
Hallo all, sometime since I posted anything on here,but wondered, finished RT aug 2016,and hormone treatment Oct 2016,3 PSA tests since,first 0.03(hormones still in system),followed by 0.34,then 0.67, another test due march this year,been on PSA tracker since early 2017, oncologist letter state's he is happy with outcome of treatment and says he would not consider further treatment unless PSA were to go above 5,which he thinks unlikely,.

My dilemma is nobody is prepared to tell me when I can consider myself "cured",so even after the good results,and the positive feedback from my medical team, there's still not a day goes by that I don't think,has it definitely worked,.

Is this a normal feeling,if so,is it something we just learn to live with,or should I try to eliminate such thoughts entirely,any comments would be very much appreciated.

User
Posted 08 Jan 2018 at 22:26

The general rule is that if you get to 5 years with a PSA which is lower than 2 and stable, you can start to relax and if you get to 10 years and it is still under 2 you should consider yourself in remission. Not much different for the guys that have surgery except their number is smaller - 5 years at or under 0.2 and 10 years at or under 0.2

My dad got an official letter from the hospital 10 years after his treatment, formally telling him he was in remission. The cancer came back 3 years after that!

Basically, it is something that you learn to live with - some find that easier than others. You will never really know for certain but having been given a chance, why waste the gift of life worrying about what might happen?

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

 
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