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This is one of several essays from my private cancer journal. It is not intended as anything than a record of my states of mind as I struggled with the disease and the effects of the treatment.
Notes From That Wilder Shore:
I Get a New PSA Number
I posted this to several PCa lists on March 19, 2001
I met with my oncologist this morning to get the results of my PSA test
last week and it is 30.7, up from 3.6 in mid-January.
Let me start by saying that having been diagnosed 11/23/99 with a PSA they
stopped counting at 1000 (with excruciating pain) that then plunges to 1.4
under HT and then back to 88 last June and then down to point-45, one has a
different view of what is a "high PSA." It also gives me the mental freedom
to play with it for a bit.
We talked about the options. My last 3-month Zoladex shot was a year ago so
he said we could go back on Zoladex and up the Casodex from the current 50
mg to 150. I said since the Zoladex is clearly out of my system and the
half-life of a daily Casodex has to be pretty short, that this would be the
best time to try withdrawal and see what happens. If we get a bad climb,
then we can try the Zoladex + Casodex. But to try them first and get no-go,
it would be difficult to get a clean withdrawal, so it would seem better to
try it now.
He also asked and I told him that there is no pain. I didn't even have any
at 88. Too much standing or walking will make me ache and a couple of Advil
take care of that. And I do know what PAIN is, going back to what I had at
diagnosis. That has never returned.
Anyway, he thought trying withdrawal was a good idea and went and conferred
with another oncologist and then came back and said, okay, let's do it.
So no more Casodex for a month. I'll get another PSA and see him in a month
and we'll take it from there.
I'm also thinking of increasing the number of ice cubes in my scotch and
water to see if that helps. (laugh)
Robert Young
Someone on one of the lists asked why I haven't tried some other protocols. Go to the next essay to see my reply.
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