What to expect during prostate cancer monitoring after recurrence?

The monitoring phase after prostate cancer recurrence can feel emotionally challenging with the regular testing cycles and waiting periods between appointments. Many community members have found that staying connected with others who understand this journey, maintaining open communication with their care team about concerns, and developing personal coping strategies for managing test anxiety can make this phase more manageable.

I'm just starting radiation. How long after did yours reoccur?

I was originally diagnosed with stage 4 advanced prostate cancer with a PSA of 78 August 20,2020. Hormone therapy was my first treatment plan. After the 2nd injection I had a bad reaction to it and I lost all my strength and stamina. I started radiation therapy approx 3/2020. Monday -Friday with morning appt. My PSA was 2.9 After radiation I had to wait 3 months while my healed from the radiation. I went in for labs 3 days before my appointment August 18, 2021. My PSA was 0.30 and I was in remission. Talk about amazed. From advanced stage 4 to remission only 2 days short of 1 year. From then I would go for labs then office appointment. Then Labs in 3 months with a phone appt. It stayed that way until around April of 2025 when labs showed My PSA jumped up to 18 then 40. I had a CT scan done and it showed the cancer had come back and was in my pelvis. I did 3 weeks of radiation therapy And my appointment was for August 15,2025 my labs showed my PSA at 68.8 I was devastated. It's talked about how prostate cancer is in 5 year increments. You look at where you started then at where you are 5 years later. For myself it was PSA of 78 then 5 years later my PSA is now 68.8 I freaked out at first and told myself my only option now was to work on my bucket 🪣 list. There's much more to this and I've already written a good start for a book so I'm stopping. I don't do very well with this typing texting stuff. I don't know if it's a proper thing to do , but I would like to share the rest of what's happened by phone. I think you would benefit from what I have to say. It's actually very positive. I will leave you with some food for thought. My PSA had gone all the way up to 157 a couple months ago. My last appointment with labs my PSA was 2.45 My next appointment is for April 15th with labs. If you want to hear more find out if it's ok to speak by phone bcuz I can't do it like this any longer. This has been 3 hours to write this. I'll look for your response.