PSA Worry...

[caston41]

Hello, I posted this on FB, Nelson asked me to post here, so here's what I posted:

Hey guys! I a little paranoid about my PSA. They check it almost every time they check my T levels. It's been rising each time since '11. Started out at 1.6, then 1.9, the about three months ago, 2.1. Is that unusual? I just had another blood draw again, I'm hoping it has leveled off. I'm 57, I take inject T every 10 days, used to be 14. This is the first draw I've had since increasing the frequency 90 days ago. My dose are the small vials. 200mg or ml? Can't remember. I got a new endo 90 days ago, she's the one who finally was ok with the increase. She's gone now, so all bets are off. I appreciate any thoughts or encouragement!

My newest reading was 2.7, and Nelson suggested I look at the part on velocity. http://www.ucsfhealth.org/education...state_cancer/how_is_prostate_cancer_detected/ Ok, this worried me. I'm going to follow up with my primary. Someone told me to make sure I had no sexual activity before 48 hours of the test. No jostling activities of the prostate either. Since seeing that, I read numerous accounts of test scores dropping after a re-test. I'm pretty sure I had activity.

So I made an appointment with my PC doc this week to discuss that and a couple of other items. I'm going to ask him what he thinks about a re-test.

Any thoughts would be great, kind of nervous here.

 

[Excel Male]

Unless your next PSA is higher than the last one, I would not worry. TRT can increase PSA.

"Averaging several investigations of the effect of TRT on PSA, men receiving testosterone will have an associated increase of 0.30 ng/mL/y in serum PSA, with older men experiencing a greater increase of 0.43 ng/mL/y.5"

From: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1472885/

Do you pee frequently or cannot void completely when you pee? Do you get up to pee at night? Has your doctor done a digital rectal exam on you? These questions will help address if you have a prostatic inflammation issue.

You can calculate your risks here: http://deb.uthscsa.edu/URORiskCalc/Pages/uroriskcalc.jsp

Please read : Does testosterone cause prostate cancer?

Also, keep in mind that certain things can increase PSA, so avoid these before a PSA test:

Participate in vigorous exercise and activities that stimulate or “jostle” the prostate, such as bike riding, motorcycling, and riding a horse, ATV, or tractor, or getting a prostatic massage for 48 hours before your test.

Participate in sexual activity that involves ejaculation for 48 hours before your test. Ejaculation within this time frame may affect PSA results, especially in younger men.

Schedule a PSA test if you have a urinary tract infection. A bacterial infection in the urinary tract can cause PSA levels to rise temporarily. If you are not sure if you have a urinary tract infection, have a urine test before your PSA test to make sure. If you do have a urinary tract infection, you should wait at least six weeks after you have completed your antibiotic treatment before you have your PSA test.

Schedule a digital rectal examination (DRE) before your PSA test. Although a DRE should not have an impact on PSA levels, having the PSA test first is a precaution.