Or maybe it just
seems that way
Is it better to know or not to know? That, of course, is
part of the great PSA debate I’ve talked about before, but also a question for
those of us who are five or 10 years down the prostate cancer pike.
For the past nine years I have had a PSA exam at least once
every three months. After surgery it told me that they didn’t get it all. My
PSA doubled every three months for the year after surgery. Then there was
radiation therapy and the same thing happened. Two possible cures that weren’t...It
happened and I adjusted.
Since then I have tried experimental drugs (Clinical Trial)
and a bunch of hormone therapy drugs—pills and injections. My PSA has slowly
gone up and slowly gone down—generally within the rather small range of 2.5 to
4.8. Not bad as far as I’m concerned. So when there was a bigger increase over
a short period of time it was a bit unusual.
My last PSA jumped (almost doubled over six weeks) a bunch. It
was already on the rise so I shouldn’t have been surprised (but of course I
was). I know some meds work for years, some for months, and some not at all. I
really did know that. I also know that there are more meds to try and surely
one will bring my PSA back down and my comfort level back up.
Would I have been better off had I not known all those
numbers? Would I have been more comfortable just assuming all was well? Not a
chance. Ignorance is not bliss. What do you think?
axman
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