We went to the KU Cancer Center this morning for my monthly visit with Dr. V and to receive my monthly Lupron shot. We left with one of those good news/bad news stories.
Good news is they took all the correct samples etc. and we were in and out in just over two hours! No missing vials, missed tests or long waits for the pharmacy. It was efficiency at it's finest!
On the other hand, my PSA was up, way up. It now stands at 97.04 up from 66.14 last month.
While we did agree to pay less attention to my PSA when we left MD Anderson in April, this climb has me a bit concerned. This is my highest level since September 2006.I did leave with two new prescriptions for Ketoconozale and Hydrocortizone (HDK). This combination is what I took in 2006 when my initial treatment stopped working. It worked for 16 months, then I tried Nilandron, then I did chemo. Going back to Keto + HDK is somewhat of a risk. There is a chance that it might not work at all. We decided to give it one more try before moving on to something more serious and more toxic. We can try DES (very low amounts of estrogen) but want to keep that in reserve and may end up trying that next. Until some of the newer drugs (Provenge and Abiraterone) are either approved or open new trials, my next choice is another round of chemo in combination with some sort of clinical trial.I knew my PSA was going to be higher, I just did not expect it to be such a dramatic increase.
Last month when we met with Dr. V we discussed the option of starting Keto again, as we were aware my PSA level was steadily trending upwards. I'm not sure about all this yet. Mary and I had lunch and I came back to work. My head is swimming right now with many thoughts.
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On another note, the World Disc Golf Championships are being held in Kansas City next week. Nearly 1,000 disc golfers from around the world will be competing in various age groups and divisions. I signed up to play in the 'Advanced Masters" division. This is for non-professional men over the age of 40. We play one round on Tuesday, two on Wednesday and Thursday and one more on Friday (the leaders play again Saturday).
Several of the guys I play with (who are better than me!) are in the same division and over all about seven of use that play on Saturday's have entered in various divisions. Here is the website: http://kcworlds.com/
Starting on Tuesday the 28th you can see how I'm doing here: http://pdga.org/tournament-results?TournID=8105 Scroll down to "Advanced Masters" and look for my name, I signed up late so I'm not showing up as registered yet.
I really have no expectations but have set a few goals for myself; I want to post no score higher than the 60's and finish in the 75th percentile or my division. Us local guys should have a slight advantage playing these courses all the time, but we'll see if that helps at all! Overall, I just want to have fun, meet some new people and play respectable over the four days.
6 comments:
Sorry the news is not what you would have liked to see. I certainly understand the concern, even though the agreement was to pay less attention to the numbers. We are very conditioned and tied to these numbers. The nervous anticipation waiting for the results, the quick scan of the results page looking for those numbers and then the sigh of relief or resignation. It just seems to repeat way too often. Although our situations are certainly not the same, I can try to understand your thoughts and feelings. You remain in my prayers, David.
Good luck in the tournament. Banish all thoughts of tests, results, treatments and the "C" while on the course and have a great time!
My Brother, I'm both inspired by your ongoing commitment to your health, your family, your life, and those of us sharing the cancer journey AND...
I'm saddened to hear that despite your excellent work, you got a little smack-down with the PSA story. LiveSTRONG as our little bicycling buddy says and if you're reading this, you didn't just die of a heart attack or auto wreck!
We run THIS leg of the relay as well as we can--the next leg may not be invented yet. Stay strong, Brother David. Keep the good groove going. I love how you embrace LIFE (oh yah, and disc golf!)
BroE
I am sorry to hear about the PSA rise. You had such a good prior response to Keto that it is certainly worth trying again.
On a lighter note, good luck at the disc golf tournament!
Will send prayers for success with the Keto.
Your friend,
Sharon
Let's hope the FDA moves along with approval on the newer drugs and the Keto + HDK does it's job.
The championships will be a welcome diversion for you - we wish you well!
Your Florida Friends,
Don & Susan
You may want to look into MDV3100. Phase I/II clinical trails have completed and look quite promising. With FDA approval, Phase III should start this year.
I hope this help. Fellow PCa in N.H.
Hi David,
I am sorry for falling off a bit in monitoring your page. I was not too happy to read about the climb in PSA. I will always love you and pray for you and your family. May the Lord keep you in his arms.
Tony
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