Running with Crohn’s: It’s a Guy Thing III

My August follow-up

I just got the results of the PSA screen mentioned above and found that my PSA had risen to 2.9.  I can’t lie, this has me very concerned, far more concerned that is probably appropriate.  The urology nurse called me and scheduled an appointment for “as soon as possible”.  Due to my and my doctor’s travel schedules, it will be on October 3^rd.  Until then, I just have to deal with my mind running through “worst case scenarios.”

However, I will share what I’ve learned about my particular circumstances and how they relate to my PSA reading:

Warning: I am not a doctor, if you experience issues related to your prostate (detect a lump, problems with urination, problems with ejaculation) then speak to a urologist!

Reasons for concern:

• The absolute value of 2.9 is high for my age.
• The direction of change (increasing) is worrisome indicates more involvement of the prostate.
• The rate of change has increased, indicating that involvement the issue is worsening.

There are multiple non-cancer reasons to not be too concerned about above normal PSA readings:

• Infections and inflammation in and around the prostate (hello fistula & fistula abscess!) increase PSA readings
• Trauma to the prostate and the area around the prostate (like surgical fistula repair) increase PSA readings
• The last relevant issue is that sex immediately prior to the screen can increase PSA readings (and, lucky but dumb me, I had sex the day of each of my PSA draws)

Read more about non-cancerous causes for a high PSA reading.

I’ll write my fourth entry in this series after I speak to the doctor on 10/3.