PSA Level Remains Undetectable

Well, I had my hip replacement done which was successful. After a lot of physiotherapy and a bit of pain I am now not really aware of my new hip. I have been able to play eighteen holes of golf which was my target. This rather took my mind of my prostate but it came flooding back as I approached the results of my six monthly blood test. You cannot help but worry about what the test is going to show.

Anyway, it was really positive news with my PSA still undetectable. This means that my next routine surveillance test will not be for twelve months which is a big relief. I had been holding back on making holiday arrangements but now can proceed. I know that I am not completely out of the woods but it couldn’t really have been a better result.

Talk of holidays brings me to the subject of holiday insurance. I really do find that the cost increase because you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer is exorbitant. I wonder what the insurers expect to happen on a two week holiday for someone in my position that requires such a significant surcharge. Not much I can do about this apart from shop around. I have found Stay Sure to be the best company to deal with.

Life goes on! As always I would urge men of a certain age to have a prostate check. Treatment for prostate cancer can be successful particularly if detected early.

PSA Still Low but Attention is Now Focused on Hip Replacement Operation

I have to admit I was a bit anxious about my latest blood test. I have been suffering from a very sore hip since the late summer and was worried that it was linked to my prostate cancer. I did talk to Velindre who told me not to be concerned as my latest PSA check had been clear.

In the meantime, I had gone to see a surgeon about my hip and the diagnosis was an arthritic joint. The conclusion was that I should have a hip replacement for my right hip. The X ray taken at the time showed no other abnormalities. The hip replacement is in fact due later this week. My dieting has now resulted in a weight loss of over five stone which can only be beneficial the outcome of the hip replacement

Anyway the good news is that the result of the latest blood test showed my PSA level to be < 0.1 so no real concerns there. The next check will be in six months.

So now I am left thinking much more about the imminent surgery than my prostate cancer. All this has coincided with the loss of my long-term partner Isobel to bowel cancer in late August. I am certainly glad to see the back of 2024 which has not been kind to me.

PSA Still Undetectable and Diet Going Well

The latest check up was again positive with my PSA level undetectable so good news. The next appointment will be in six months so, of course, I am certainly not out of the woods yet. The news is as good as it could be at this stage however.

I do still get the occasional hot flush and of course there are still the two or three nightly trips to the toilet.

Good news on the weight front too. Thanks to Slimming World with a little help from my will power and a lot more exercise I have now shed over four stone. Still some work to do but I have gone from morbidly obese to cheerfully obese.

PSA Still Undetectable and Diet Having Positive Effect

Just had my latest check-up and I am delighted to say PSA is still undetectable. I have indeed decided to do something about the weight gain associated with the hormone treatment and have joined Slimming World. Their programme and my willpower have meant that I have managed to shed two stone since I started on January 1^st. I am pleased to say that my back is feeling a lot better due to this and visits to a chiropractor. I am left with a painful right hip which I hope will eventually ease as I shed more weight. There is still a way to go as I put on three stone in the period of the hormone treatment. I still get the occasional hot flush so I don’t think I have got my body back to normal yet. I read somewhere that it might take up to a year or even longer in some cases for the hormones to leave my body.

My next check up will be in four months and while the concern about the cancer never really leaves me I do feel in a better place than last year.

Still Having Hot Flushes

The effects of my final Prostap hormone injection in July should have started to wane but I have not really noticed any difference so far with hot flushes still quite frequent. The good news is that my PSA is still undetectable. I am, however, very concerned about really stiff and aching back and hips which are preventing me from walking any great distance. Have reported to my GP and Velindre and have had an Xray carried out and am awaiting the results. The weight gain associated with the hormone treatment is still very much in evidence and that might be a contributory factor of course. I am still managing to do a lot of swimming but a severe diet will be needed after Xmas. It is an anxious wait for the Xray results.

Hormone Treatment Over - a Nervous Wait Begins

It seems a long time since I wrote anything in this blog but then there has been nothing to report really – life goes on.

This is now, however, a momentous time for me. My final Prostap hormone injection was three months ago. The critical thing now is how my prostate reacts as the effect of the hormone treatment wears off after three years of injections.  What will happen to that PSA level which will surely climb but hopefully stabilise at a low level. I do feel more concerned than I have been for a long time.

On the plus side, I am hoping that some of those side effects of the treatment will also wear off. I can certainly do without the hot flushes and the tiredness and, yes, that weight gain. Maybe I will feel more like a man again!

PSA Still Undetectable But Last Hormone Injection in July

Another three months has passed and another telephone consultation. In the meantime I had my three-monthly Prostap injection in early April. Delighted to hear that my PSA level is still undetectable.

My Prostap injection in July will be my last but the effects are likely to linger on until November. My next consultation will coincide with this in November i.e. in six months.

When the hormone treatment finishes, the PSA level will necessarily rise. The big question is if it stablilises at an acceptable level i.e 2.0-3.0 or if it climbs higher. I will worry about that when the time comes. Until then I will manage those pesky side-effects of the hormone treatment as best I can.