July 2010 update

Its time for a new update. After all it has been over one year and a number of blood test and an MRI. So where do I stand as a result of treatment. As of the last blood test in July ‘10 I’m at my lowest point in PSA 0.5. That is great news and puts me on track for success. Any tests which indicate a nadir of <0.5 ng/ml has low likelihood of returning.

The path to this point was a little nerve racking. I hit the knee in the downward curve of PSA. It went up to 2.0 down to 1.1 up to 1.7 and now down to 1.0. This up and down is quite common for radiation patients. I have to tell you anytime the PSA goes up it makes you think. It made me think enough to go ahead and have an MRI. As it turned out the MRI schedule was just a week after I had the PSA result of 1.0. So going into the MRI I had high confidence nothing would be found. Nothing was.

As I write this it is two months beyond two years since treatment has ended. In those two years I have experienced some changes and all for the better. These came not so much as gradual improvements but in steps. For instance sometimes in January I noticed if I got up at night to urinate it was only once. For a while before that I was starting to get up more frequently at night to the point I was going to say something to my urologist. The peak of that experience coincided with the last rise in PSA. Other changes include higher level of stamina, strength, I feel mentally sharper. I have no answer for the improvements. Other than two guesses.

The first guess is there must be some residual affect of having your body under treatment from radiation. Maybe that is now cleared out of my system.

The second guess is probably more relevant to my feeling of well being. The urologist I have been going is a strong believer in not only managing the disease but also treating the underlying body chemistry which may have promoted the disease in the first place. Every time I get a PSA test I get a pretty good blood work up. The idea is to bring back the blood chemistry to a more normal level. Vitamin D3 was at a very low level, free testosterone was to low, DHEA was too low. All were brought up to more normal levels with just over the counter supplements.  And most likely why I feel so vibrant. I actually have the testosterone levels of a 30 year old. I’m 60.

As part of their treatment for many years Testosterone levels of prostate cancer patients have been reduced to unnatural levels. The thought being testosterone would feed cancerous tumors. In medicine there is a growing level of evidence the old thoughts on testosterone may not be correct. After all a young man has the highest level of testosterone in his life. At the highest level of testosterone the incidence of prostate cancer is almost unheard of. For those who are interested in the state of medical thought an easy book to read is Testosterone for Life, by Abraham Morgentaler MD. It’s available through Amazon and most of the main book chains. It discusses the role of testosterone in men through their lives, its affect on energy vitality, sexual function and the possible relationship low levels of testosterone to diabetes and depression. The portion on PCA is only one aspect of the discussion.

In two years concern with prostate cancer has gone from a 100% in your face type of focus to now where I have to struggle to remember by initial diagnostic PSA numbers. It is no longer of prime importance. Life is more normal with everyday issues being more dominant and a disease becoming a thought of the past. It’s a healthier way to live.