PSA rising and an update on Pca

[Philly13]

Thursday is Firmagon injection day for June, which brings me to the floor below my oncologist. I get a monthly in-person visit because of that.

The following is an update for Pca activity.

I pressured the Dr. at Jefferson for my 3rd annual Auximen PET scan in April. There was no news from the scan, which is good news. Still, I was uncomfortable because the comparison in writing the reports between Jefferson and Penn was like looking at a high school biology student’s term paper vs. a Ph.D. thesis in radiology. I asked the Dr. at Jeff to send it to Penn to review. After far too long, I received this report from the Radiology Oncologist at Penn. She is my favorite Doctor during this journey.

“First, sorry this took so long, but it was not easy getting the images from Jefferson, and the pandemic did not help. Secondly and bottom-line - things look good. Even though some of the lesions appear bigger, that alone doesn't make them cancerous. What is reassuring is that the PET scan radiotracer that typically lights up cancerous areas is NOT lighting up in these areas, which is great and suggests continued response to past and ongoing treatment. The 2 areas where you were radiated do not appear to be "active," either.”

Despite my son reminding me to “celebrate the wins,” I remain uncomfortable with the idea that the lesions are growing. Maybe I should get a new DEXA scan. The last one I had was 9 months ago.

My PSA has been steady for 8 months. It was hovering between 4 and 4.7 consistently. In May, PSA spiked to 7.3. I had blood drawn a week later, and it was 6.0. June labs reported 6.4 PSA.

I don’t know what to make of a 50% rise in the plateau of PSA. The rest of the labs look fine.

The good news is I feel great and have plenty of energy. My strength is improving. I am up to 10 push-ups. I began a dumbbell routine at home and have been building the amount of weight I use for repetitive exercises from to 20 lbs. Progressing to multiple sets of 15 reps or more for some of the exercises I do. The spasms, I experienced throughout April and May have gone away. I recently ordered more equipment for home. I am not going back to the gym I belonged to.

I am playing golf at least once a week.

If there are thoughts on growing lesions on bones with no evidence of metabolic activity, and the increase in PSA that has no corroborating negative indications, I would love to hear them.

Denial is not a river in Egypt. I suspect the data is like pre-diabetes. Not much to worry about today, but the trouble is on the way.

Philly

[j-o-h-n]

To me, and I'm not a doctor but do look handsome in a white coat... I think you're doing just fine. When the 19 is over take that smart son out for a large bowl of ice cream. Normally I would pick up the tab but I'm not a rich man but do look handsome in a Brooks brothers suit.

I hate Philly............ 👀

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Thursday 06/25/2020 7:34 PM DST

[Philly13 in reply to j-o-h-n]

Haha. Sorry for the late replies, but I have been busy. I am involved in the men's apparel business. Brooks Bros will probably file a bankruptcy petition early next week. Crazy times. One problem among many is no 30 year old will wear anyting from Brooks.

I am doing fine, and facing some decisions. The site is enormously helpful evaluating decision making time. I will answer others tomorrow.

[j-o-h-n in reply to Philly13]

It's good that you replied,,, we were just about to send out the "do not reply police" to your men's haberdashery. "HEY SAM YOU MADE THE PANTS TOO LONG!!!"

Stay well.... (you're in hell -Philly PA).....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Saturday 06/27/2020 7:10 PM DST

[JTrack]

I was diagnosed last year 4+3 and was on Firmagon for 3-months. I heard so many bad stories on Lupron I was scared to death. The only side effect I had from Firmagon was hot flashes, sometimes 12+ times a day, 5-minutes per flash and most people couldn't notice although the flashes did effect my sleep (blanket on, blanket off etc.). One tip I got from some other PCA locals was to get a monthly shot vs. a 3-month shot.

I had internal and external radiation after that and amazingly everything still works. Everything. It took about 6-months for the hot flashes to stop and now it's like nothing ever happened. Weird and concerning that my treatment was effective. I'm getting my PSA checked every few months and so far so good. If the cancer comes back - I wouldn't hesitate to go back on Firmagon. Really don't want to do that and I'm enjoying the honeymoon but it was way better than what I expected so far.