So I discussed my PSA with the NP. Takeaways:
- We can’t really infer much from the PSA number being about the same, and (emphasis) this is a very small number.
- Over time if there’s a quick rise something can be inferred re the aggressiveness of the cancer, otherwise if it rises slowly we don’t know much.
- The number may stay under .1 for quite some time for some patients. The most common thing is it will slowly rise over months or several years to .2, at which point treatment will be recommended.
- For some men in some cases if the number stays below .2 for a long time (she threw out 2 years as an example), treatment will be recommended below the .2 threshold. To my question, she agreed there was a concern at some point about metathesis if left untreated even at a low level.
- In either case I would be referred to the radiation department. She had little visibility into what would happen then (different department) except to say there were a range of imaging options that might happen to diagnose where the cancer is, examples PET and MRI, then they would decide how to treat me.
- She reassured me a second time that it’s extremely, extremely likely that the cancer is only in the pelvic area at this moment. Though she did have a list of questions at the end trying to probe for unusual health issues like bone pain, so hmm.
- I will keep testing PSA from now on every 3 months.
@ThelmaLou who had asked after me in another thread
Wow, nine years I’ve been dealing with this cancer. It never ends. Which I guess is good news! 