TIGER or pussycat? That is how I have seen PCa described. When my PSA was doubling every 5 weeks (see graph) I was sure I had a tiger, and I wondered how high it would get before the 'inevitable'.
I started a new course of Zoladex (10.8 mg every three months). After 3 months PSA is almost undetectable at 1.0!!! I wanted to go off Zoladex due to side effects, hot flashes, night sweats, but my uro has convinced me to go with his plan. That is stay on Zoladex for 12 months- if PSA still below 1, have a break and wait for any rise. He also said that some men conntinue to have low testosterone even when hormone therapy ceases. We wait and see. Isn't that what prostate cancer is about?

Life is meant to be lived!!

Best wishes to all.

I am very pleased with the steady drop in my PSA. Apart from no interest in sex at all (surprisingly I don't mind... but it makes my good wife irritable at times- Used to be the other way round!! Call it Karma!!).

The only disturbing side effects from Zoladex was a rising sense of doom as the hot flashes began- kept me awake at nights. Urologist prescribed Androcur- but the side effects seemed worse than the complaint so did not use them. My wife said my symptoms sounded like anxiety so I tried Dothep 25mg at night. It works really well and no bad side effects. I stopped for a few days and the bad hot flashes returned. Therefore will continue while on Zoladex. Next injection due in a week or so.

I hope my story is helping some of you fellow sufferers. Hope is always on the horizon, so don't give up!

Very little has changed in recent months. I did not have the usual Zoladex injection in April as my specialist agreed it was a good idea to have a break from ADT and see what happens. After 4 months I am still having hot flashes and have not noticed any improvement in my non existent erectile function. On the plus side, I have lost all interest in sex. (Wife not happy-wasn't happy before either!!) However we get on OK- she is a good support when I am down. I will be seeing my specialist in a few days- lets see what he says this time. Best wishes to all fellow sufferers.

Despite my urologist suggesting effects from zoladex may be permanent, I am a little disappointed to find my psa rising again by some 11 times in 3 months. Hope this trend doesn't continue. On the good side, I am noticing some improvement in erectile function. Dr says it is not due to testosterone rise so it must be that nerves are regenerating- we will see. I have discovered a substance called Black Salve and plan to see if I can use this to control or change psa. More later. I have tried to change my email address on this site with no apparent success. I plan to monitor psa at 6 week intervals and see if rate of increase improves. Best wishes to all fellow sufferers.

Monitoring psa every 6 weeks for a while. PSA result today was 1.74 so almost double in 6 weeks. I still plan to try 'black salve' internally starting with a very small dose daily. Looking for a drop or at least no rise in psa. More news about this later. No other symptoms- no hot flashes. All pretty good really.

Just had latest psa - expected between 3 & 4- came in 2.34 so pleased with that. Doubling time seems to be lengthening as against previous rises that were quite dramatic. I have been more active sexually since going off zoladex. Viagra not working. Pump therapy is helping a lot and occasional injections (caverject). Getting some fluid on orgasm, Cowper's glands must be starting to work. Quite a surprise though! There is hope yet! Good luck to all.

After nearly 2 years my psa began to rise again with a vengeance. After seeing my urologist I decided to wait until it reached around 20 and again had a Zoladex 10.8 ug implant. This seems to be working as my psa fell to 1.53 and I expect it will continue to fall. I am once again taking Dothep 25mg to counteract side effects associated with hot flashes. Seems to be working.

My urologist prescribed Androcur 200mg for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after Zoladex implant. After 1 week on 100mg (I thought 200 too much). I began to get severe cramping in one leg. The list of side effects of Androcur suggests the possibility of paralysis of the legs- so stopped taking it altogether.

The Zoladex appears to be doing the job so I consider the Androcur unnecessary and not worth the risk. At least for me. I do not recommend going against medical advice unless you have very good reason to do so. I did discuss this with my GP.

Well, as always, best of health to all my fellow sufferers and your families.

I had a zoladex implant a month ago. Different doctor, injected into the side of my abdomen and caused a large bruise. I thought I could feel the pellet under my skin. Psa has risen more than I expected in 3 months. Wondering if the implant injected in the wrong place??
Will see radiation oncologist tomorrow for yearly appointment.

My psa rose despite being on zoladex. 0.31 up to 1.79. Saw radiation oncologist who started me on Casodex 28mg daily. Psa has dropped to 1.34 so going in the right direction. No symptoms of pc yet. Hot flashes also seem to have decreased.

My psa began to rise despite adt. My onco referred mee for a psma scan that showed a metastatic tumour in my left hip. No other tumours seen. Psa rose to 29.2 just prior to radiotherapy. I had 30 greys over 6 sessions. As of today psa has dropped to 8. Dr believes adt is still effective against some cells so will continue for now.

I have left Australia and moved to Canada where my treatment options are somewhat limited due to finances. No govt health cover. Makes me realise just how good Australians have it when it comes to medical costs. My PSA today has fallen to 3.4 and it appears it will continue to fall. I have one 3 month Zoladex depot that i brought to Canada with me and I will save it until such time as psa may begin to rise again. In the meantime I am going to continue with taking Maple Syrup and baking powder and I will try some other alternative treatments.

In late November 2016, I completed taking black salve internally. For details please visit my blog at psatozero.com
I took the salve over a period of 50 days. About a week after that I began to experience hundreds of small eruptions on my back and upper arms. These have continued until the present. I have never had anything like it before. They are not itchy or sore. I discontinued Zoladex, my last injection was June 2016, so I expect that now it is out of my system. My testosterone was recently assessed at undetectable, so I doubt the rise in psa is due to not having Zoladex. My conclusion is that the black salve has stirred up dormant cancer cells, hence a rise in psa. I believe the eruptions are caused by dead cancer cells leaving my body. At least I hope so! Time will tell. Next psa in March 2017

The psa monster raises its ugly head. It appears I have no choice but to return to Australia for analysis and treatment.
I am very disappointed. I will have a Zoladex injection tonight and hope for a reduction in psa in 3 weeks. Meanwhile, it is time to start thinking about my next move. I feel fit and healthy and I am very active. Apart from these numbers I would not know I had a problem. Strange!!

I am happy to see my psa falling still. 2160 was a bit scary. Long story short, I was admitted to hospital in January. Fortunately I had just qualified for Canadian medical benefits. I had severe pain in my pelvic region. It was not cancer. It was caused by ruptures in my large and small bowel. When I woke from surgery I was dismayed to find a colostomy bag on my abdomen. As a result of my hospitalization I was referred to an oncology team. My acetabulum was very thin so I was given cementoplasty and it now feels much more secure. I have been taking Zytiga with Prednisone for 4 months now and psa has reduced from an estimated high of 3000 to only 39.8. I avoided chemotherapy as I was too ill. Now feeling fit and active, hoping for many years of good health yet.

On the last day of 2018 we saw Dr Tyldesley. Psa is up to 46 which means it is back to doubling every five weeks. He showed us the recent bone scan and an x ray. The cancer has spread to some more ribs and also my spine. The main concern however is that now my right femur and right side of the pelvis have significant cancer and there is an increased risk of fracturing my legs. He even mentioned the possibility of inserting rods as a preventative measure, however he thinks the radium therapy might be enough at this stage.
On the second day of 2019 it was back to the Vancouver General Hospital for the radium injection. First we saw a second radiation oncologist who is also a nuclear medicine specialist. He trained in Philadelphia, lectures at the University of British Columbia and also spent 2 years in Brisbane. He explained the process in detail and answered all of our questions. We both feel very confident with this man even though we don't recall his name. He did mention that the treatment could be continued beyond 6 months if it is beneficial.
Next was the injection. First they inserted a canular into my arm and connected it to a saline drip. Then comes the radium solution in a syringe which is carried inside a lead container. The solution is then injected slowly into the IV line. I felt no immediate effects. So now I am radioactive. The half life is 10 days. The radioactivity is highest for the first week and any excess is excreted through feces and other body fluids. I miss the French kisses!
Next week it is back to the cancer clinic for a CT scan and more radiation.
After that, who knows? Today I have had a couple of dizzy spells. Is it the radium? Is it due to changes in medications, or none of the above? Time will tell. For now it is fingers crossed and hope for the best.