I’m sorry.
Fwiw, fasting has a small effect on PSA, with the highest values seen at 4 hours of fasting. The free abstract doesn’t say how large the effect is, but says it’s small enough that it should be ignored for screening purposes.
Best wishes with whatever comes next.
Sadly I knew that about the PSA. I have to hope the next reading is better.
I think I did the prior PSA at2pm and I wasn’t fasting for sure.
The A1c might be affected and I know the Glucose is.
I left a message to get a retest done for the 4 tests that were high.
Glucose is certainly affected, but the whole point of A1c is that it’s not very sensitive to your blood glucose in the past few hours, it’s mostly an average over the past month or so.
But you should certainly retest. They might have mislabeled your tube and swapped it with someone else’s.
Good luck.
In my follow-up appointment, next step is PSA screening in 3 months, but the NP said specifically no fasting needed. I would definitely discus with your doctor and see if there may be some reason for it to spike like that.
In two months I will no longer be taking the meds. (Abirateone, Orgovix and Prednisone)
It has been a long two years dealing with side effects and I am hoping for a return to normal soon
I hear you, I was on hormone blockers for 2 years also. It will get better, but it took me about 6 months after the last hormone blocker shot wore off before things really normalized. So patience is key.
Thanks!
Well, now it’s the turn of those closer to me. My father (87, so NOT fun) last had a prostate test 10 years ago that was borderline, but they told him he was more likely to die from his other health issues first. Since it’s been 10 years, they did it again, and he’s scheduled to start a semi-aggressive treatment in about 3 weeks (mapping first, then treatment). Daily radiation for 28 visits (skipping weekends).
I’m of course, quite worried, because his other issues are noticeable, and I know his energy is already far lower than he ever wants to admit. I did make sure to tell him and my step-mother to call me if they find they need some in-home help, so charging/cleaning/updating my various travel gear and electronics if I have to head out suddenly.
Thankfully my other brother (the doctah!) is double checking everything (not his specialty though) to make sure any complicating issues are taken into account. His words were “no fun, but not that uncommon”. He’ll help with any poor assumptions on that side, and I’ll be the gopher as needed.
Damn, that sounds rough.
I talk to my GP Tuesday, might be back to the Urologist or Oncologist after. I hope this is not a failure and just a setback.
Yeah, I hope you’re right on that @What_Exit! No fun for all who are suffering.
@What_Exit was your GP able to provide any answers?
Not really, I’ve come up with a vague plan though to put this off 3 more weeks and get a retest. I was have some odd urinary issues that seemed to now be cleared up. So I’m hoping that a test in three weeks will give me a better result. If not, back to MSK I will go.
In the meantime I should be starting on Mounjaro soon for weight loss and I want to get that going with more exercise. Both walking and resistance.
Mentally this feels like the best move right now. MSK is somewhat stressful. It makes it feel too real.
What is MSK?
My husband’s PSA is high, and they want him to do an ultrasound. He had a negative biopsy a few years ago.
I mean it’s your health. Not my choice to make, but I’m okay with you wanting to wait 3 weeks to finish eliminating other variables, but I trust to your good sense and strong willpower to make sure 3 doesn’t become 6, and then 12 and then…
Speaking as an inveterate procrastinator myself.
MSK is Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Mentioned often throughout this thread.
Ah. (I’m bad with names in general, and terrible with acronyms.) Some people are army brats. I’m a hospital brat. My father worked for a hospital, and used to take me there most Saturdays to give my mom a break. I looked at slides of liver biopsies and played with the lab animals. Or just read a book. The gastroenterology department used to picnic in our back yard every summer. A surprising number of doctors (especially gastroenterologists) still working remember my father, and introduce themselves to me as knowing my father through…
So, while I’m not a fan of hospital visits, of course, i don’t have the same emotional baggage that i suspect most people have. I don’t know hour to share that with you, but I’m thinking “it’s just a helpful place” thoughts in your direction. Hospitals still have lots of quiet nooks where you can read. 
Meanwhile, my husband is looking forward to being able to decrease his hospital visits from weekly to biweekly! I think he’s on his last weekly cycle of treatment. (A cycle is four weeks, or about a month.) He drops to biweekly, and if things go well, to monthly. I think he will be dropping by the local hospital at least monthly for the foreseeable future. But while he’s doing that, he’s getting stronger. He was able to bicycle 15 miles Tuesday. Up from 10 last week. (Up from being exhausted by walking half a block when he was diagnosed.)
I completely understand not having the emotional energy to deal with more than one health issue at a time. But please don’t put it off too long. Even if it’s a relapse, there are a ton of effective new treatments in cancer. Most of the research into mRNA is for cancer treatment (it was just a happy accident that it could also be used to quickly manufacturer vaccines) and there is a lot of actionable new understanding of how cancers work. I’m obviously more on top of myeloma treatments than prostate cancer treatments, but I’m amazed at how much is in the pipeline, and a lot of it is doing really well in clinical trials. My husband’s treatment only became the first line standard of care in the last couple of years, for that matter.
Best wishes.
I posted this in the MMP thread and then realized that it also belongs here:
I had my semi annual visit with my oncologist this morning. We discussed my case. My prostate cancer was diagnosed 02.20.2024. I had 44 radiation treatments and started on a hormone treatment protocol. I have been faithfully following all instructions. I have a visit coming with my urologist on 06.22.2026. This visit will be the last of the hormone meds and the beginning of just monitoring.
Today, my oncologist said the I am in REMISSION!!!
It is hard to describe how I felt with that word.
Congrats! Remission is wonderful, I remember getting my report of remission, what a weight off me!
Next month I get my every 6 month remission check, after 3 years in remission. Here’s to hoping I’m still in remission. The odds of continued remission look pretty good.
I get another PSA test Tuesday, so hopefully I will have better news by Friday.
Hooray to @LH75 & a hearty Good Luck to @What_Exit.
My own turn is yet to come, but I can feel it out there in the future, waiting & watching. Bastard.