Friday, February 23, 2018

Seven Months After Treatment

As I reported before, my PSA upon finishing treatment at PTI was 0.05. Three months later it was 0.2, and three months after that, it was still 0.2. The number is expected to fluctuate for awhile, and it's the long-term trend that's important. My doctor thinks as long as it stays below 2.0 it will be fine, and the current trend certainly bodes well for that.

The usual procedure is to return to Jacksonville for a six-month follow-up visit with the doctor. He was booked up for January, so Ursula and I returned Monday, after seven months. The doctor reviewed my PSA results and the online forms I submitted a week earlier. He saw nothing that indicated any issues with damage to my internal plumbing. Some damage is common with surgery and traditional radiation, but not with proton beam therapy, so neither of us was surprised. He also gave me a DRE (digital rectal exam of the prostate) and felt nothing out of the ordinary. All in all he was quite pleased but, again, not surprised.

We have been very busy at home working on getting our house fixed up and ready to sell, so we didn't stay in Jacksonville for the Wednesday Lunch Bunch. Maybe next time.

Next: I will get PSA tests in April and July, and go back to PTI in late July for my one-year follow-up. The future continues to look bright.