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Really worried PSA high

User
Posted 16 Dec 2024 at 13:28

Hi, new member here, I went to see my GP last week with some typical symptoms and was immediately sent for a blood test.

My PSA has shown as 97.4, I'm 55 and all the data I've seen tells me this is really quite high.  I've been referred as urgent to see a urologist at the hospital, I called them this morning as I hadn't heard anything and was told I'd have to wait until they've arranged some extra clinics.

Is it normal to have to wait with such a high PSA or am I ok to wait until they call me back, it's been a week since my original referral and continually worried sick. Thanks in advance for any advice.

User
Posted 16 Dec 2024 at 14:21
You should have been referred on a 2 week target but Xmas will probably get in the way of that. All you can do is chase your GP and the hospital.

If you have the cash you can try private but I suspect Xmas will get in the way of that too...

Your urologist will need to send for scans and possibly biopsies, again these all take time to arrange.

Sorry if none of this helps but you are probably at the worst time in your treatment cycle ie You know something is wrong but at this point in time you don't know what.

User
Posted 16 Dec 2024 at 23:57

Franci is right, the waiting is horrible. 

I thought my investigations went pretty quick with a psa of only 4.8 I had an mri that showed two suspicious areas and a biopsy was called for.

That all happened relatively fast, but the waiting for results felt eternal. It was just over two weeks after the biopsy that I was told there was no sign of cancer in the biopsy samples and discharged.  But it felt like a lifetime, especially if you let negative thoughts intrude which is so easy given the tons of information available about the condition. 

My only advice would be to try not to get too ahead of yourself. Yes your psa is high but it's only an indicator. There are stories on here of guys with lower psa levels than me that came back positive for cancer and ones with higher levels than you that came back negative.

I was told to take things one test at a time, don't rush into reading things into the little information you have, or you'll scare yourself witless. 

Nothing happens quickly and you just have to get used to that, let the doctors do their thing and get back to you. You won't speed the process up and it's doubtful that a few weeks will make a huge difference to your prognosis. 

Worrying will not alter what is happening but it can make you ill, please try to stay positive and not look into the future before anything is clear.  You may be just like me and get the all clear which is wonderful and it made me thankful I didn't waste time and energy on torturing myself about something that might never happen.

Good luck and I hope your journey is as short as mine was. 

User
Posted 17 Dec 2024 at 00:46

Prostate cancer is much slower growing than any other cancer. The two week referral was put in place because the more severe cancers like pancreatic cancers progress fast. Governments love targets and it sounds good to say cancer has a two week referral target; it would be even better if they could meet the target. If governments were rational rather than looking for sound bites prostate cancer would probably have a six month target for referral. So do not worry if Christmas causes delays to your diagnosis. If you haven't got appointments for all the scans within the next two weeks chase them up, even if it makes no difference to the cancer, it will make a difference to your anxiety.

I was diagnosed at 53 with a PSA of 25. After treatment, six years later I am considered cured. The chances of you not having cancer with that PSA are pretty slim, but it is very treatable. Until you have a biopsy you don't know where you are. As others have said, there is no point in getting ahead of yourself.

Dave

User
Posted 20 Dec 2024 at 17:28

Thank you everyone, I'll try to take it one test at a time and see where the journey takes me. Thankyou for your reassurance it really helps to hear your experiences and thoughts.

User
Posted 21 Dec 2024 at 18:49

Humpty21,

It’s always possible that your high PSA was a  lab error. That is not saying even if it was an error you would not have a raised PSA due to your symptoms. I am surprised that just your typical symptoms resulted in such a high PSA. My GP whenever a blood test is out of whack, says we will retest in 2 weeks and often it is back to it’s normal. Certainly the Christmas/New Year Holidays is probably delaying quicker appointment times, but another week or two would not change anything but interrupt holiday plans with Doctors appointments. It’s easy to say don’t work yourself up right now, but I certainly would be anxious wanting to get some answers, but knowing that you can’t for a while longer and can’t change that, try to enjoy each day right now during the holidays for you may be starting a journey with a forum you can come to for great advice. Good luck.

 
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