My prostate cancer is undetectable six months after radiation

I finished my radiation treatments six months ago. The blood test results showed that the prostate cancer is undetectable. Great news. But what does it really mean?

• My prostate cancer is undetectable six months after radiation – This is my personal experience of dealing with prostate cancer and the good news of having no detectable cancer cells in the blood test six months after radiation treatment completed.
• Who do you trust?³ – Reflects on the importance of trusting God, my doctor, and friends for my physical and spiritual health. I look at some of the misconceptions and false hopes that people may have when they hand over their problems to God.
• What does spiritual health have to do with my cancer status? – Explores the connection between my spiritual health and cancer status. I submit that the only real guaranteed miracle that God offers us is inner peace, the peace of Christ, which transcends our circumstances and helps us to accept God’s will and comfort.
• References – The web page contains many references to other articles and Bible passages that further explain points.

Apparently “remission” and “no evidence of disease” can mean different things to different people, so I chose to stick with the diagnosis I was given – undetectable.

In my case, it means that as of the day of the test, no cancer was found in the blood sample.

Let me fine-tune/correct that. Not found doesn’t mean there wasn’t any. It means none was detected.

In order to be detected, a certain amount needs to be present. So what it really means is that if there was any evidence of prostate cancer in the blood, it wasn’t enough to be detected by the equipment/test methods they used.

These results were far more accurate than what you’re likely to get from a blood lab used for an annual physical. So it really is good news.

The catch is that issue of whether or not cancer ever truly goes away. It only takes a microscopic cell to exist, and then some time to have to reproduce.

In fact, that’s how I ended up with radiation treatment. After surgery, there was no visible evidence of cancer. However, the biopsy showed microscopic cells on the edges of what was removed.

Since it was an aggressive form of prostate cancer, it didn’t take long for it to be detectable after surgery. Radiation treatment began after PSA crossed over 0.1.

Six months after radiation – my prostate cancer is undetectable

After two months of treatment and six months of waiting, it’s not undetectable. Now there’ll be at least another two years of surveillance to see what, if anything, happens.

If you’ve been following along the entire series, you know things moved along very quickly.

My PSA numbers were far below what other guys I know had. And yet, my doctor told me he’s never lost a patient to prostate cancer and I wasn’t going to be the first. “So go get a biopsy!” I did.

You have to realize, I was one of his first patients when he started up his practice. That was about 40 years ago. So we’ve known each other for a long time. He’s gotten me through some other medical emergencies, so I listen.

Who do you trust?

The first time I saw him, it’s because my blood pressure was 180/110. More than a little high. Back then, blood pressure meds weren’t what they are today. It was hard to find one that didn’t have huge side effects – for instance stopping your heart from beating. I had one that made my head feel like it was going to literally explode. Another where I felt like I drank 20 cups of coffee. And one that made me out of breath just walking across the living room at home.

So I trust him to take care of me. Physically.

But when I ask, who do you trust, I have something else in mind.

You should expect that. After all, this is a site about God, right?

I meant, of course, you do you trust spiritually?

One of the main reasons I’m still alive today is that when things weren’t going right, physically, I got them taken care of right away.

Of course, that does exclude one time. The one time I almost waited too long.

I thought I ate something bad, and would get over it in a few days, so I did nothing.

It didn’t go away, so I went to urgent care. They misdiagnosed it.

Finally, I got in to see my regular doctor. He knew within a couple minutes I was in trouble. And what was wrong.

Even better, he knew one of the doctors working the ER that morning, so he called over and got everything set up for me. After a week in the hospital and five weeks with a portable battery operated I/V going to a tube in my arm, I was able to start to get back to normal.

Trust. Urgency. Timing. Someone watching over you. It’s all important.

Physically, mentally, and spiritually.

So – who do you trust?