PSA undetectable for years, now 0.11

[DLnyc]

My PSA had been in detectable since my RP, but results of my 5 year test showed it to be .11. I was surprised and a bit disappointed. I am going back for a follow up PSA in two weeks. I will know more about my situation and my options then. I realize I may need radiation or other treatment . . . just starting to think about how to get through that . . . can one continue to work? How bad is the fatigue? Is it painful?

[MacInCT]

Hi DLnyc, I just completed my course of radiation this past Wednesday. It was completely painless, in fact there is no sensation whatsoever.

When I starter radiation, I was out of work on FMLA for an unrelated issue. About two months ago I actually retired. I suppose you could continue to work, depending on what field you're in, but I found after radiation, I would come home and lay down (nap) for an hour or two. You may not feel the need for that, especially in the beginning, but I found the last week or two I was the most tired, and this gave me an excuse to take it easy on myself.

Hope this helps, and remember, with the radiation, you're not going to feel anything, except maybe bored, and oh yeah, apparently the prostate is much higher up in the body than I expected, so during treatment, I remained clothed with my pants and underwear lowered to just about the top of the public hair area, so you're not "exposed"

[DLnyc in reply to MacInCT]

Thanks very much MacinCT. Very helpful. Congrats on getting through your treatment.

[JLINSCHEID in reply to MacInCT]

I can't speak to radiation treatment for prostate cancer since my doctors have determined that, due to other medical issues, radiation is too risky for me. However, I did have a full course of radiation treatment when I had testicular cancer in my 30s and I did find that it did leave me quite fatigued. Fortunately, mywork was very understanding and they let me take breaks and nap in the lounge when I got particularly tired. My experience was much like that of MacinCT in that the last weeks were more tiring than the first. But the napping did help me to keep productive throughout the treatment.

[DLnyc in reply to JLINSCHEID]

Thanks so much! Yes, I bet I could do the same at work, or work from home some days.

[BerkshireBear in reply to MacInCT]

If I'd not been retired I'd have had no trouble working. Like MacInCT I had fatigue set in after about half the treatments. A short nap took the edge off. If you have a supportive employer who can allow you some flexibility it should be easy to work out an accommodation.

[JoelT]

Today's technology has improved salvage radiation. In the past salvage radiation was done with a shot gun approach, radiating the entire prostate bed which means that a lot of healthy tissue is damage. Some of the new contrasts in trials are much more accurate and are able to offer specific targets for either surgical or radiation intervention. Using this type of intervention is superior.

Joel

[DLnyc in reply to JoelT]

thanks Joel! Very helpful!

[DLnyc in reply to DLnyc]

And very encouraging!

[cfrees1]

I finished 39 radiation treatments at the end of August. I worked all the way through, leaving work at 3pm to go for treatment. The radiation really didn't affect me too much. If you are getting basic pelvic bed radiation like I did, it was a breeze. Maybe a little fatigue but it's not like I had to nap or anything. If that is your next step, I wouldn't worry too much. Not painful at all either. 10 minutes and you are done.

[DLnyc in reply to cfrees1]

Thank you. Good to know. Congrats on finishing. That is quite a lot of visits. How many per week? How many weeks?!

[cfrees1]

5 days a week for 8 weeks. For some reason, I have heard of lots of people who have had 39 treatments. It seems like an unusual number...why not 40? Not sure.

[DLnyc]

Wow. Did you ever miss a session?

[John-carp]

Hi

I am on ADT for 4 months now. Still working a high powered job. Exercise a lot. Sleep well and eat well. It will be ok. Hot flashes suck but lessen over time especially if you eat right. Biggest drag is sex drive.

[westseraph in reply to John-carp]

I've retired (couldn't work anymore) but I worked for a couple of years after diagnosis and resulting ADT. I was seriously fatigued, but my boss, my office manager, and lead staff were people I'd known for years, and they helped me continue to be productive. This year my condition worsened and I had to retire, but I couldn't have worked as long as I did without support from staff and upper management.

[Howard53545]

Not too bad. I continued to work. Very tired however and urinated a lot but it’s doable.

[wallygator]

Radiation side effects vary greatly from person to person. I was warned about bleeding, burning, and fatigue. I was working at a hospital at the time, so I would work from 7 to 10, take my radiation from 10 to 10:40, have lunch, and then work until 4. I did that every weekday for 8 weeks. Aside from slight fatigue, I had very few side effects. The ADT, on the other hand, kicked my butt.

Wally

[daveh121]

I did SBRT. Only five radiation doses. It was last winter which was pretty rainy in Nor Cal. I laid low inside for a few weeks, stayed by the fire and read, but was able to continue running and working out with no problem during the treatment.