Month 123 – Surprise PSA Test

On 11 February 202110 February 2021 By DanIn Prostate Cancer5 Comments

“How the hell did you have a surprise PSA test?” you ask. “Didn’t you feel the needle going into your arm?!?”

Yes, I did.

I was a bit overdue for the normal tests that you have for your annual physical, and my doctor’s office called a week ago and told me I needed to come in for some blood work and a urinalysis. So I did.

I was going through the results online today, and the very last test listed was a PSA test. I was a bit surprised that they ran it considering we just ran one in December. The result? It came out 0.16 ng/ml.

Obviously, that’s a step up from the December result of 0.13 ng/ml, but I’m not overly concerned about it because it’s relatively in line with my other recent results. The other reason is that I didn’t follow my usual routine for this PSA test.

When I know that I have a PSA test coming up, for a week before, I will abstain from activities that could cause it to read a little higher than normal. Because this was a surprise test, I didn’t do that and that may account for the bump up in the number.

Another reason not to be too overly excited is my PSA doubling time is 65.3 months.

Of course, because this was an unexpected test, I don’t have an appointment set up with the urology department, so we’ll just stick to the plan and see what happens when I retest in late June for an early July appointment.

On an unrelated note, because I work in a hospital, I was able to get both doses of the Pfizer COVID vaccine.

For the first dose, my arm was tender at the injection site for about 30 hours after the injection, but it wasn’t bad enough to warrant taking any pain medication like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. I had a mild headache late in the evening, but I may attribute that to just being up too late the night before.

The injection site for the second dose was less tender and for a shorter period, but I was pretty fatigued later in the afternoon and early evening (I received the injection around 10 a.m.). Nothing a good nap and a good night’s sleep wouldn’t cure.

It will be two weeks since the second dose this Friday, so I should have full resistance built up by then. I’ll continue to wear a mask and socially distance, as is recommended.

Stay well!

Month 121 – PSA Results

On 11 December 202010 December 2020 By DanIn Prostate Cancer9 Comments

Well, I jumped the gun by a couple of weeks and had my latest PSA test done this past Tuesday. I was originally going to wait until the week before Christmas, but with all that’s going on, I decided to go a little early.

Let’s just say I received an early Christmas gift—my PSA dropped from 0.14 ng/ml to 0.13 ng/ml. I can’t explain it, but I’ll take it. It also bumps my PSA doubling time out to 67.7 months. I’ll take that, too.

My appointment with the doctor is on 5 January 2021, and I suspect that, just like the last one, it will be a telephone call rather than an in-person visit given all that’s going on with the pandemic. That’s fine by me. I suspect the conversation will go something like, “There’s no need for action. Let’s retest in another 6 months.”

I’ll have to admit that I psychologically prepared myself for a higher number—perhaps as high as 0.2 ng/ml—and I was a bit taken aback when I saw the results. In a good way, of course. It took a few seconds to reconcile the change in thinking.

All the best to everyone through the holidays and into the New Year! Steer clear of the ‘rona and stay well!

Month 117 – Running on Pandemic Time

On 11 August 2020 By DanIn Prostate Cancer, Research4 Comments

Is it just me, or is anyone else having pandemic days all blend together and you lose track of time? Late last night (technically very early this morning as I was tossing and turning in bed around 2 a.m.), I realized, “Crap! I didn’t even think about posting on my blog, let alone write anything!”

So here I am on my advertised posting day with three hours and one minute left to get this out on the 11th, and I pretty much have nothing. Well, that’s not entirely true…

I did come across this article on The “New” Prostate Cancer Infolink that talks about PSA doubling times with respect to prostate cancer progression in men with non-metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer.

PSA doubling time and prognosis for men with nmCRPC

Unfortunately, they weren’t able to access the full study report, and the summary that’s provided is pretty high-level, restating the obvious: Shorter PSADT is associated with shorter metastasis-free survival and shorter overall survival.

One of the things that I discovered working in a hospital is that I can sometimes access research reports like this via its computer network. I’ll see if I can access this report to learn more details about the study and, if I can, I’ll share anything I learn.

Whew! Finished with time to spare. 🙂

Stay well and keep living the pandemic life as best and as safely you can wherever you happen to be.

Day 3,521 – A Chat with the Doctor

On 1 July 2020 By DanIn Prostate Cancer3 Comments

My appointment with the doctor is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, but after dinner this evening, my phone rang. It was the doctor calling about my appointment.

In a nutshell, VA Medical Center San Diego is trying to reduce the number of in-person visits during COVID-19, so he was wondering if I would be okay chatting with him about my results over the phone. Of course, I was.

He let me know that my PSA dropped from 0.16 to 0.14 ng/ml and that things were pretty “stable” and having a “low PSA” was a good thing. He mentioned that at some point in the future, we may need to discuss radiation, but that point wasn’t now. “For you, that could be years from now.” I’ll take that.

I shared with him my desire to do imaging before zapping if possible. I also brought up the trial at the VA Los Angeles, and he wasn’t aware of it. So I pulled it up and shared the trial number with him for his education / reference.

Bottom line: We agreed to retest in January and go from there.

Now all I have to do is make it through six months of COVID insanity…

On a related note, the VA healthcare system has gotten a bad rap over the years for a variety of things. It seems to be location-dependent, and some of the criticism is well-deserved.

I’ve been going to the VA Medical Center San Diego and its satellite clinics for about 8 years now, and I’ve had nothing but a positive experience, and tonight’s unsolicited call from the doctor just reinforced that for me.

As we used to say in the Navy: Bravo Zulu! (Well done!)

Stay well everyone!

#WearAMask #SocialDistancing #WashYourHands #StayHome

Day 3,508 – PSA Results

On 18 June 2020 By DanIn Prostate Cancer4 Comments

Apparently, getting my blood drawn in mid-afternoon adds one day to getting my results. Needless to say, I’m pleased with the 0.14 ng/ml reading. It’s down 0.02 from the last two times (excluding that oddball 0.08 reading in February).

This reading added 10 months to my PSA doubling time, so it’s now out to 48.9 months according to the Memorial Sloan Kettering PSA Doubling Time Calculator.

My appointment with the doctor is on 2 July and we’ll see how that goes. I suspect it will be another continue-to-monitor situation, and that’s fine by me.

Have a great weekend and happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! Stay well!

Day 3,505 – Change in PSA Test Plan

On 15 June 2020 By DanIn Prostate Cancer7 Comments

My work schedule forced a little change in plan for getting my PSA test done. I was planning on going first thing tomorrow morning, but a 9:00 a.m. scheduled meeting was a little too close for comfort, and I wasn’t sure that I could make it back to the office in time, so I left work a little early to have the blood drawn.

The clinic did do a COVID-19 screening of me before I could even enter the building, including taking my temperature. Surprisingly, there was no one in line for the lab, so I was in and out in under 10 minutes. I may make going later in the afternoon my new routine going forward. In the mornings, everyone wants to be the first one there, so you can wait for about an hour to get the test done.

If COVID isn’t affecting lab processing and reporting times, I should be able to access my results online after 10 p.m. PST Wednesday.

Month 115 – PSA Time & Imaging Trial for Veterans

On 11 June 202010 June 2020 By DanIn Prostate Cancer, Research4 Comments

Wow. I just may get this post out on time this month! I tell you, this pandemic thing has really thrown me for a loop when it comes to maintaining some sort of routine. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), I’ve returned to working from the office every day for the last three weeks, and that’s brought some structure back to my life.

PSA Time

It’s hard to believe, but four months have passed since my last PSA test, and I’ll be heading off to the clinic on Tuesday morning. I hope. I haven’t actually confirmed that they’ve reopened for routine things like blood tests. If they are open and they do take the sample, I should have the results late Thursday night or Friday. My appointment to go over the results is on 2 July.

Just as a reminder, here’s my PSA roller coaster:

I’m at the point where I don’t get too worked up about these tests anymore, even with the upward trend. It is what it is and I’ll deal with the number when I get it.

Imaging Trial for Veterans in Los Angeles

The VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System is conducting a phase II trial “to determine whether a positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) scan using 18F-DCFPyL affects the clinical management plan in Veterans.” Some are saying that 18F-DCFPyL may prove to be even better than a Ga-68 scan.

For patients with biochemical recurrence, they want your PSA to be at least 0.2 in a post-radical prostatectomy situation, so unless my PSA jumps up again next week, I’m not eligible. (No, I’m not wanting it to jump up.) The cost is free to veterans and only veterans are eligible. You can learn more about the trial here:

18F-DCFPyL PET/CT Impact on Treatment Strategies for Patients With Prostate Cancer (PROSPYL)

So that’s about it from a toasty 90° F / 32° C San Diego.

Wear a mask. Stay apart. Stay well!

Month 114 – Detectable PSA After Surgery-Treat or Watch?

On 18 May 2020 By DanIn Prostate Cancer, Recurrence, Research, TreatmentLeave a comment

Well, I missed last month’s post and this month’s is late. You would think that with all the quarantine time on my hands, I would have been a writing fool. Not so.

I did come across this study a while back that talks about PSA coming back after surgery and whether it’s wise to treat or watch.

Low Detectable Prostate Specific Antigen after Radical Prostatectomy—Treat or Watch?

My interpretation of the paper with my specific numbers kind of reinforces what the doctor told me at my last visit: that I’m okay continuing to watch my PSA for now. Others with different numbers may come to a different conclusion. We’re all unique, after all.

I’m scheduled for my next follow-up with the doctor the first week of July, so I’ll have to get my blood drawn for the PSA test in late June, assuming the COVID restrictions are lifted by then.

You may recall my last post where I talked about taking medication to lessen the nerve pain in my leg. I started the medication on 30 March 2020 and I seemed to hit the side effects jackpot. They knocked me for a loop, at least initially (hence, no writing).

Headaches, dry mouth, nausea, diarrhea, and extreme fatigue plagued me the first two weeks, but the good news was that the nerve pain was reduced a good 50% to 70%. The side effects were so troubling in the first few weeks that, by the middle of the third week, I cut the dose in half, but the nerve pain returned.

I’m back on the full dose now, and my body seems to have adapted to a degree. The fatigue is still present, the dry mouth is still there, and the nausea is very mild and only early in the morning. (No, I’m not pregnant.) The pendulum swung in the complete opposite direction on my GI system–constipation is now the norm. Sorry. I’m oversharing once again.

We did discuss physical therapy as part of my treatment plan, but that was just as COVID was rearing its head, so that’s been put on hold for now.

I had been fortunate enough to be able to work from home since 16 March because of COVID-19, but I’ve returned to work in the office at the hospital beginning last week.

On the whole, I’m pretty comfortable being in the office again. Sure, there’s a more risk than just sitting at home, but my office is well away from a high-traffic area of the hospital and I’m literally the only person here. I don’t have to go into any of the wards, and the walk from my office to the exit is relatively short. I probably feel more at risk in the grocery store.

California was one of the first states to impose a stay-at-home order and we’re being very cautious and deliberate in our re-opening. Some will say that we’re being too slow, but not me. Our efforts really did make an impact on controlling the virus. We’ve got nearly 40 million people in the state and we have just over 80,000 positive cases and 3,240 deaths. Contrast that with New York state with 19.5 million residents with over 351,000 positive cases and 28,339 deaths.

No matter how you slice it, though, it’s universally tragic. We’re all anxious to get this under control and behind us.

Stay well!

Day 3,394 – Doctor Visit

On 25 February 2020 By DanIn Prostate Cancer, Recurrence, Treatment10 Comments

Well, I didn’t expect that…

I met with the urologist this afternoon—a new one to my case—and he was personable but very direct.

We talked about the goofy PSA reading and he wasn’t all that concerned about it. It appeared to be lab error and dismissed it as pretty much meaningless. But what followed caught me a little off-guard. “The one thing you absolutely do not want to do is start treatment.” He was quite emphatic. His reasoning was several-fold.

First, he talked about over-treatment given my numbers and pathology. He was looking at how long it took for the PSA to return post-surgery (nearly five years) and how slowly it’s been increasing (PSA doubling time / velocity). Those were positive indicators to him. Treatments like radiation and hormone therapy have side effects that impact quality of life and can be avoided with minimal risk for now.

Second, he expressed concern that if we started treatment too soon, specifically hormone therapy, it would be less effective when we may need it the most.

Third, he mentioned the absolute value of my PSA and how imaging wouldn’t be able to detect where any cancer may be at that level. That’s nothing new to me. We talked about the Ga-68 PSMA trial up at UCLA, and he confirmed that at my PSA level, the chances of finding something meaningful were small (<30%).

Finally, he was very much aware that continued monitoring is needed to make sure that this doesn’t get away from us, and he was content with PSA tests every six months considering how slowly the PSA was increasing. I wasn’t quite comfortable with that, so my next PSA test will be in late June with an appointment on 2 July 2020.

I did mention to him the issues I’ve been having with my back and sciatica, and that I had an MRI last night to have that checked out. I’m 99.5% certain that the problem is related to a back injury that happened in 1986, but that other 0.5% of me was wondering if there was metastasis to the spine. He pretty much dismissed that possibility out of hand given where my PSA level is at. (Hey, my mind wanders into some pretty dark corners sometimes, but given that one of the first place prostate cancer likes to metastasize is the spine, it’s not too far-fetched an idea.)

Again, I was a little taken aback by how emphatic he was concerning not pursuing any treatment at this moment. I got the sense that he really values trying to balance avoiding over-treatment versus quality of life versus knowing when to step in and act. For now, I’m comfortable with continued monitoring with another PSA test in four months.

So, I’ll leave you with a little urology “humor” that has men cringing everywhere.

As I was sitting in the exam room waiting for the doctor, I looked over on the desk and saw the tools of the trade—some lubricating jelly and toilet tissue—at the ready for the dreaded DRE. (The rubber gloves were in dispensers hanging on the wall.)

Then I reminded myself that it was a DRE during a routine physical that discovered the mass on my prostate and started this adventure. Thirty seconds of discomfort can save a life.