Hello all.
The people in this forum were incredibly supportive and helpful to me when I was first advised that it seemed that I had prostate cancer. I wanted to give a little update and share some tidbits that may be of benefit to you.
Because my PSA was about 5.62 in May 2022, I was advised to have a prostate biopsy. In July 2022 I had samples of my prostate taken and, yes, there was an indication of cancer, although not high (but high enough to concern me).
After the biopsy, the PSA fell to 4.45 by November 2022. My doctor said that the biopsy itself may have created a situation where the body was attacking the cancer cells in an attempt to heal the biopsy site. This seemed miraculous to me, but I wasn't going to argue.
After that I have been tested every 3 months or so by the top urologist at one of the major hospitals in Tokyo (where I live; yes, I know this community is mainly for the UK, but the people here were warm and welcoming, unlike other sites I had visited). It has been a year now, and as of yesterday, my PSA has dropped to 4.01, which is lower than it was 3 years ago. This is astonishing to me, and my urologist was quite happy. He said it was like "magic."
He had advised me (as perhaps your doctors have advised you) not to ride a bike or ejaculate for two weeks prior to our visit (blood sample/urine sample/test results). He had also advised me not to take antihistamines, which I had been taking regularly for a skin condition. I had actually forgotten that advice, but in fact I had stopped taking them on a regular basis.
The urologist seemed to think that that may have helped somewhat, and he also seemed to think that the tumor (which was as small as pencil's eraser) had hardly grown at all, but we agreed that we would do an ultrasound next year.
I am, of course, happy that the PSA dropped over a full point, and I'm also not entirely clear how very important this PSA reading is. In other words: does the score really dictate a life or death situation? I guess so. My doctor was happy, so, obviously, I was, too.
I will be 70 next February. I hope I can maintain good health and a lowish PSA score until the day I die, but at this point, each day is a surprise.
Just wanted to share the bike/ejaculation/antihistamine notes, as I did follow them and... well, perhaps it made a difference?
I wish all of you good health and support all of you on this journey. Thank you.
Hello Tatami53
Well Tokyo is far more exotic than Oldham but it just shows wherever in the world you are this cancer can find you!
Thank you very much for your most enlightening and informative post. I am so pleased you are doing well and everything is fine - it's great to share our own personal experiences as we are all on a different journey trying to reach the same destination (Cured!).
The PSA is a great indicator of how things are doing but just sometimes I wish consultants would, where circumstances permit undertake a scan just to be "belt and braces" and ensure there is no spread.
Thank you for your post and please keep us updated with your journey - you are an inspiration.
Best wishes - Brian.
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