Well, In just over 3 months it will be 2 years since I last posted an update. It’s been quite the roller coaster, as you can see from the graph below.
In Dec 2018, my PSA was again undetectable, by March 2019 it reared its ugly head again, nudging onto the graph @ 0.08ng/ml. Now, as I’ve mentioned before, once the prostate has been removed there should never be a positive PSA reading again. If there is, it means the bugger wasn’t all caught with the removal. And here’s the next indicator – how fast that number doubles. It doesn’t matter what the number is, it can be 0.08 or 8.0, it’s how long it take to double in size that’s the warning sign. If it doubles in less than 10 months, that’s considered to be about as bad as it gets. If you look at the pink shaded area on the graph, you’ll see mine doubled between March & the end of May!
So, early June 2019 in I go for a PET/CT scan to see what’s going on. Result, it’s now in my ribs and pelvis too! The doctor informs me that I now have a 50/50 chance of being alive by May 2020, and a 98% chance I won’t be here in 3 years!! So, treatment began THAT DAY, and will now continue indefinitely. Fast forward to Christmas and I’m not feeling too good. I can’t put my finger on what’s wrong, I’m just not feeling 100%. I had a full body PET & CT scan set for January 3rd, and I went into that feeling bad news was coming out the other side. Our son is in the US Army 82nd Airborne, Combat Aviation division and we flew him home for 2 weeks for the holidays. I didn’t tell him I was feeling this way but maybe he sensed something, as he didn’t go out every night to see his buddies, he spent every single day with the family, watching holiday movies and enjoying quality family time. It was without doubt one of the best Christmas breaks I think we’ve ever had.
January 3rd, comes and goes, and on the 7th I sit down with the doctor for the results. In he comes with a BIG smile – I’m confused! He tells me that the tumors in my ribs and pelvis are shrinking, and that my PSA reading hasn’t shown itself again since July 2019. I said “but what about the 50/50 chance you gave me?” he replied “You came in on the RIGHT side of the 50!”
Jump forward to mid-June and it’s time for another PET/CT scan. These scans will now be every 6 months. We meet with the doctor 4 days after the scans and in he comes again with another big smile!!! He then proudly announces that the tumor in my spine is 100% dead, and the vertebra is growing over it, AND the tumors in my ribs and pelvis have shrunk again, plus the PSA has now been undetectable for a year. I ask him what about the 98% chance for making 3 years. He replies most matter-of-factly, that I should forget about that clock completely, as I am totally breaking all the rules and getting stronger every month. He said “to be honest, you are doing so well, I can’t put a timescale on you, just keep doing what you are doing.”
There is only one thing I did differently from last July to today and that is the introduction of CBD oil to my regime, cue Bob Marley song… Praise the Lord!
Phill's Journey 