Another two months, another rise in PSA, this time to 11.6. Basically the PSA number has been doubling every two months since ending hormone therapy in July 2012. In a meeting yesterday, we decided to resume hormone therapy in October if there is not a break in the pattern. By then the number would be in the low 20 range, a far cry from the original 266 but well above the alert threshold of 4. I will use these two months to continue to experiment with additional and different strategies, in hope of finding a “key” specific to the prostate and PSA, which is a measure of inflammation and in my case, according to the doctor, a reliable indicator of cancer action. This is all happening against the backdrop of the June pelvic MRI which was pretty re-assuring, so I feel that I am not at any high short-range risk, but rather still creating an overall background condition that is inhospitable to cancer. I still need something quite specific to the prostate.
New on the strategies list is resuming the naturopathic poultice that I used in the first 4 months, then discontinued because it is difficult in terms of logistics. I have also re-added Essiac, and gave a trial run to the Budwig protocol (cottage cheese and flax oil) which is delicious whether or not it actually is effective. The doctor says she has not seen it be effective for prostate. I have also tweaked the supplements list a bit. The doctor suggested that variations in the supplements are a good idea, to keep the system responding to variations, not just steady-state.
Meanwhile I feel well, with normal energy and minimal if any symptoms. One of the strangest aspects of the whole journey is that one does not get to really “relax” in that there is an autonomic response to any unusual sensation. In that sense pretty much any itch, sneeze or midnight urination could be interpreted as a symptom, triggering a non-cognitive “Is this normal?” wave of concern. But generally I am buoyed by various test results and feeling optimistic.
Thanks very much to all who have supported me in this process!