Seidman Cancer Center University Hospitals Beachwood, OH |
I
got a scare last week. On Wednesday I had my quarterly blood test to check the
level of my PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen), a number which should be
undetectable because of the surgery to
remove my cancerous prostate gland almost exactly ten years ago (June 9, 2005)
at the Cleveland Clinic.
But
that surgery, which we all hoped would terminate the cancer—remove it!—instead commenced a decade of
procedures and tests and trips to clinics and worries and diminishments of the
life I'd known.
As
followers of these posts know, the cancer returned to such a level that I
underwent seven weeks of daily radiation treatments down at the Clinic in 2009.
And
things calmed for a bit.
Then,
about two and half years ago, my PSA started rising again, and by July 2013 my oncologist
at University Hospitals (I'd switched from the Clinic) told me it was time for
hormone-deprivation therapy. Quarterly injections of Lupron, a drug that zaps
testosterone, the “food” of prostate cancer.
With
the usual consequences. Significant loss of energy. Emotional fragility. Depression. Weight
gain and redistribution. Hourly sweating—sometimes in drenching fashion. Loss of libido.
But
it worked. In just three months my PSA dropped from 22.9 to nearly zero, where
it has stayed for two full years, a situation that has surprised my oncologist
because the intensity of my cancer was a Gleason 9 (there ain't a number much
worse on this scale that runs from 2 to 10).
In
any case, Lupron is not a cure. It
temporarily blocks the cancer cells, but inevitably they figure out a
workaround; then other therapies and drugs commence. But nothing will cure me.
I'm hoping to hang on until researchers make that great breakthrough.
Anyway
… last Wednesday was my quarterly PSA test. I was a tiny bit hopeful. Although
I know that at some point my score
will begin to rise again, I was grasping at a flimsy straw my oncologist had
offered me back in March: If I stay “undetectable,” well, maybe we can go off Lupron for some months. Maybe—one
last time—I'll get to be Who I Was.
I
waited a day after the test, then emailed my oncologist about the result. It
came back almost immediately (he's wonderful about that—and about so many other
things).
And
I was shocked. Here's what it said: <.10.
I was detectable.
I had a weekend full of worry.
Then
yesterday morning at our appointment at Seidman Cancer Center he reminded me
that <.10 is undetectable. The
number is just the cutoff line. At .10 I have a reading; at less than .10 I do not.
My
relief was more than palpable; it was alpine.
And then my oncologist reminded me of my choice--off Lupron for a while?
Joyce and I were both torn. Lupron has been working--though, of course, it will not work much longer. Two years out--especially for someone with a Gleason 9--is a long, long time. (He'd originally told me it might be effective for only six months or so.)
But what if ...? What if there's a chance I could be Me again? Even if just for a while?
Before I left the office, I told him: "Let's go off it."
He agreed--though I will be getting PSA tests every month now instead of quarterly. Which, of course, heightens the anxiety by making it more frequent.
But on the way home--and throughout the rest of the day and evening--Joyce and I have continued to discuss the pros and cons. I vacillate like a politician uncertain of his audience. Yes. No. Yes. No.
Fear struggles with Hope.
Hi Dan-
ReplyDeleteWhile working in a Cancer Center (as a lab tech) I spent time with cancer patients and came to admire so many for the choices they made about their future. Having the "cancer experience" is a unique way to become self aware and the innate strengths you acquired along your life journey will serve you well.
I left that job after about 6 years carrying the memories of many patient friends and am grateful for the experience.
Just know that your blog will help others deal with the tough stuff.
Hug for you-
Carol Strickland Storm