Originally Posted by: Online Community MemberJust entered “cured” in search bar as that is what I was told today. First may I thank everyone who has.....entered this site. Your messages, conversations and general guidance has been invaluable. And I a bit more advice needed here. My search was to find out what I do next? 3 month PSA I know ...which I have asked to follow up with phone call rather than sit in hospital for 2 hrs 30 mins for 5 min chat with someone I have never met before (as was today). Sounds ungrateful but I had expected to see my surgeon and care nurse but that now must be out of bounds.
That's shocking - who told you you were cured???? If you didn't see the surgeon or the nurse specialist, who did you see?
What was your actual PSA result today?
It will be worth making an appointment to sit down with your GP for a chat. Ask him / her how it works in your area .... in some areas, you carry on having your 3 monthly PSA test at the hospital (in which case it was a good idea to ask for telephone consultations rather than clinic appointments but you really want them to also put it in writing to your GP each time) while in other areas, you have your PSA test done at the GP practice and the result is sent to the surgeon / nurse specialist if there is a problem.
In some areas, the surgeon makes the referral to the ED clinic but elsewhere it is the GP who makes the referral. Your first task is to ask the GP whether there actually is an ED service or andrology clinic in your region - not all CCGs fund these.
Looking forward, if your PSA stays nice and low for the next few years, the timing of your tests should be something like:
6 weeks post-op
3 months later
3 monthly until 1 year post op
6 monthly for 2 years
annually for the rest of your life
However, some CCGs / surgeons prefer to keep patients on 3 monthly for 2 years and then 6 monthly until the 5 year mark.