Hi Marcellus. The silence is a bit disconcerting, but what can you do... My oncologist mentioned something about treating people with PSA up to 10,000 ! (seriously), so maybe there are those who's PSA varies but stays within double figures, and then there are those of us who's PSA varies wildly - going completely off the chart at times, before falling just as spectacularly in response to treatment. As everyone says - it's not the number, but the rate of change that really matters. Elsewhere I see people concerned about a rise of 1 or 2 in PSA, whereas we see rises of 1 or 2 hundred - its bound to make you concerned about what's happening and the long-term outlook.
I'd kinda got my hopes up after the first round of treatment that it would be a couple of years before I needed to move on to the next stage - it was quite a blow to find I only got a couple of months. Along with increasing discomfort caused by the cancer spreading to one of the pelvic bones and pressing against a nerve - it was definately not a good end to the year.
I don't think there is any answer to all this. It is what it is, and you've got to keep on dealing with whatever's happening. I've no idea what fresh hell may be around the corner, but thinking about the possibilities certainly doesn't help, so I stick to the three things I can do: eating healthily, exercising regularly and staying positive - all easier said than done, but they certainly make for a better quality of life despite what the cancer may be doing.
I understand completly your comment about the first line of treatment failing so soon, but on the positive side it did buy you some time, just not as much as you'd hoped for. Same here.
I here talk all over the place about what an awful year 2020 was with COVID, but to me it was quite a good year - every day was a bonus, and during the summer at least I got out and about as much as possible whilst staying COVID safe. I'm approaching 2021 with a similar view - I've no way of knowing what's coming, but from the start I determined to fight like hell to keep going, and I intend to be here in a years time, looking back on 2021 with good memories of the best bits, of which I'm confident there will be a few.
Hope this helps in some way, and that things work out well for you over the coming weeks.