I've got a BAD feeling about this new combination aches and pains...

Does your Doc know about the lump near your breastbone?

I am confused and concerned. Your initial treatment was limited to external beam radiation and brachytherapy, correct? And in a very short time your PSA is up to 9.9 which is higher than it was at dx. And the urologist isn't concerned? I am. My urologist always asks if I have any boney pain even though my PSA has been undetectable. The lump on the breastbone needs to be checked. The PSA increase could have something to do with the prostatitis, but you shouldn't have much functioning prostate left after all the radiation. From your thoroughly radiated prostate you should be putting off just traces of PSA. It sounds like the PSA has gone up in spite of the treatment with Cipro. You need to confirm what is driving the PSA.

Have you had any other scans recently, like a bone scan ot CT for the lymph nodes? Have you discussed hormone therapy? At your PSA, mets can start showing on scans so they can be treated. Please don't panic, but proceed with urgency. It may be that the primary radiation wasn't curative and may indicate that PCa was outside the radiation area. If so, it needs to be found and treated. If scans are clear, then it could be that you are experiencing some significant prostatitis, but it needs to be confirmed.

If your urologist isn't concerned enough for you, seek a second opinion. Look for a PCa specialist that is real good with high risk and advanced cases. Where are you located? Members on the board can provide some guidance.

I have not had ADT. No other recent scans other than the hip mri.

Haven't mentioned the bump on bottom of breastbone...

vaportrail,
Don't jump to the worst-case, maybe explore a possible second worst-case. Like you, I have had the exact symptoms you describe, along with a lot of similar symptoms for a long time. After complaining for years to my primary care doc, I finally got a referral to a rheumatologist. Turns out that I have exactly what I suspected from my independent internet research: Ankylosing Spondylitis, a form of arthritis that uniquely affects the spine but also shows up in a multitude of other places as you describe. I have the HLA B27 gene for it but some people get it even without the gene. Incurable, but manageable, and one of those diseases like prostate cancer that gets you little sympathy.

Do an internet search and rule it out or in. If you DO have it, it might affect how they treat your PCa.

Holy cow-


I think your right White Bird, I have all the symptoms, and the more severe pain I've dealt with over the years, does come and go.

My current flare up is causing the rib pain, and pain bending over with lungs full of air-

Either way, I see the clouds parting a little, and want to thank you!

As I mentioned, Ankylosing Spondylitis (the other AS) could affect how PCa is treated, specifically with radiation. Seems that back in the '40s and '50s they found that radiation treatments for AS appeared to be effective at relieving pain. However, an increased incidence of Leukemia was discovered in the treated population, similar to the A-bomb survivors and test subjects (my father-in-law was present at some of the early bomb tests and got Leukemia later in life). They quickly stopped doing radiation treatments for AS when the correlation was discovered.

I discovered this shortly after completing my own RT, and my diagnosis of AS. The horse is out of the barn, so all I can do is wait and watch. My RO says that with current treatment methods, leukemia is unlikely...

Post Edited (White Bird) : 9/6/2016 10:44:02 AM (GMT-6)

I tried to get some obamacare, along with my family, but I wasn't able to since the VA is responsible for my healthcare.

The insurance was a joke, they went out of business anyway.


I've got a little nest egg saved, but would rather try to leave it in the bank to help my son go to college in 10 short years.

I really can't complain about the VA over all. They did send me to outside specialists for the treatment of my choice. But it was a demeaning, telephone hell trying to get it all organized.

But they have improved in respect to doctor communication with the secure email system, when it's working... Of course you still can not email the man behind the curtain-

I really hope you can get some one to get on this and find out what is happening. A PSA of 9.9 which is higher than before your treatment says that something stinks.

The pains could all be unrelated. I had a scare 5 months after my surgery where pre-existing pain in my left hip(most of my tumor was left side FWIW) started getting much worse. When I told my URO, en though my PSA was <.01 just a coupe of months previous, he immediately ordered a new PSA and scan. Found nothing except degenerative disease(arthritis) in my lt. hip. Two years later still have hip pain though not as much. Then again, the pains might be a sign and some one needs to be finding out.