Full disclosure:  I'm a now-former VIP who has let his membership expire.  I promise to fix this when I get back to the U.S..

I recently had my annual physical.  I'm an almost-60 guy who has never had major health problems, is fit, runs marathons, etc, etc.  At the end of the physical, the doc says they will take a blood draw.  I have not fasted, or anything else because I didn't know they were going to take a blood sample.

Well, everything comes back fine except the PSA.  It had jumped from 2.7 -- 3.8 in one year.  I have had no symptoms of an enlarged prostate nor any symptoms (as I would perceive them) of cancer.  I've never had a problem urinating or performing the other male plumbing functions.  At my age, unaided by chemicals, I am only good for one round.

The punchline is that I read that abnormally high PSA readings can result from recent ejaculations.  Since I didn't know that this was part of the "fasting" procedure, (you guessed it) I "ejaculated" the night before my physical.

I have since been to see a urologist.  They took another blood sample and a urine sample.  (No, I abstained the night before).  She, yes, "she -- nurse practitioner", did a pretty thorough prostate exam and didn't feel anything abnormally large.

I haven't gotten the test results back yet and am still just a little in fear of the unknown.  I guess my message is to all the guys out there is to make sure you are celibate the night before a blood draw for a PSA test.  The ultimate question is:  Has this happened to anyone else???

I will be so bold as to ask for prayers and/or other positive vibes.

I've recently been through a successful Proton Radiation treatment for Prostate Cancer. For follow up PSA testing, they recommend 3 days between ejaculation and PSA testing. Your one day abstinence may not even be enough for an accurate reading.

Get re-tested after an appropriate delay. Even if your numbers are still climbing, don't freak out. Prostate Cancer, specially when found early, is very treatable, and without the horrific side effects of surgery. There are numerous other treatment modalities that offer excellent cure rates with minimal, if any side effects. It takes quite awhile for the PSA to bottom out after radiation and I have many months to go before that, but it's already down to a third of what it was pre-treatment, and I have never had any significant symptoms or side-effects. My life style and sex life is unchanged from years ago.

If you do find yourself looking at treatment options down the road, I recommend you read "You Can Beat Prostate Cancer - and you don't need surgery to do it" by Robert J. Marckini.

I feel for you because I've been there recently.  About a year ago I had the same experience, although I'm just a few years older than you, still fit but with BPH.  I had another test done and then opted for a biopsy because it's the only way to know for sure.  This is not a very pleasant experience unless, maybe, if you're a strap on afficionado, which I am NOT.  So many of the prostate cancers are really slow growing and require no treatment.  Mine was not and I made sure by seeking more medical advice from the best cancer center in the US.  I eventually opted for surgery but you really need to get the very best advice that is possible.  No real need to worry, although I did plenty myself.  There is almsot no chance that this will spread but you do need to be sure, I had a friend who had an agressive prostate cancer that killed him.  So proceed with all the tests, get really, really good advice, Dana farber in Boston has great docs with tons of experience.  But don't fret if you opt for either surgery or radiation.  All the possible side effects are treatable.  

A lot of MDs are discouraging PSAs because they are not that accurate & lots of things can make it high.  However, now that you have, you'll want to have a follow up or 2.  
On the other hand a friend recently had the biopsies & only one came back positive.  Treating with chemicals & radiation currantly.  
It's a early...  hard to stay calm but stressing is no help.  
Best Wishes,
H

My PSA once went from 1.5 to 2.3 in the course of a year. That's not a high PSA but because of what they call PSA velocity my primary care doctor wanted me to see a urologist for evaluation. High velocity was considered anything more than a .7 increase so I was .1 over.

The result of this was that my primary care doctor fired me because I paid no attention to him. If you do some Googling on PSA tests you will discover there is now a lot of controversy about it because it has been shown in a lot of studies to do more harm than good. I don't intend to ever have another one.

my primary doctor is a Cleveland Clinic doctor and they don't even do PSA tests at the Cleveland Clinic on a routine basis like they used to

Max; you are fine.  The man who discovered the PSA test (I believe his last name is Albin) now says the test should not be used.  Four years ago at 61, my PSA was 6.8.  I had a biopsy which found no cancer.  My last PSA test was 3.4.  You need to beware of prescription medicine that they may recommend.  Finasteride (Proscar) and flomax are commonly prescribed.  Finasteride is a hormone treatment that will wreck your normal testosterone.  Many men half our age took finasteride in Propecia for premature hair loss.  You can read their stories on various internet pages to understand the serious side effects.  I stopped taking the prescriptions and actually feel better without them. If you feel that you need to take something, read a few books on natural prostate cures and diet and find something that works for you without the unfortunate side effects.

Good Luck.

How can a draw of blood be harmful.  PSA tests provide one piece of data to help make a well informed decision.   What you do with that data that could be harmful.  So, be smart.  Collect relevant data and make the best decision based on all information available.  

with all due respectd you can't beat cancer.  And dont go telling anyone that by munching abunch of sawpalmetto, vitamin E, or Lichopin they're going to be ok.  

That  said, there is alot of good information out there to help you. Start with YANA.  BTW, I am 4 years out from my radical.  I tried waiting a year doing the holistic approach.  In the meantime my PSA kept rising.  If I had waited another year I would have been toast.   A 3 is relative low but I dont know what your trend is or history.  Only a biospy will tell you the truth.   Remember Frank Zappa, Dan Fogelberg and Dennis Hopper, may they RIP!

I have a doctor of Oriental medicine which sends me these Chinese pills that totally wipes out my prostatitis.

PM me if anybody is interested.

Little late in posting. I had a PSA OF 1.2 but my doctor felt a small bump on my prostate. Well after a biopsy (NOT at all fun) I took 45 radiation treatments. That was two years ago. I had a high PSA after the radiation and the doctor told me it could be from several things, including riding bicycle, and ejaculating two to three days before the tests. My PSA is now at .7. Only problem was I already had some problems with ED which the pills seems to take care of. After the radiation the pills did not do much. Went back to the urologist and he ran a bunch of tests. The results was sent to the insurance company I had and they approved a inflation system. Works great. OH! I am 64 as of two days ago.
I am very free with information if anyone wants to know the details I kept a log for 6 months after the surgery. Yes there is some pain but I did not take the pain pills.

9 times out of 10, a high PSA is something benign, an infection, a transient high reading that disappears on re-test, etc.  Too early to diagnose yourself!  Just do what the Doc tells you.

Do you have a doctor who allows you to make well-informed decisions? I don't and never have. The last time I tried to make my own well-informed decision my doctor fired me as a patient.

The assertion that PSA tests do more harm than good is not mine but it is well documented in recent studies. I provided a link several subjects above this one.

First of all, thank you to everyone who has shared their thoughts and prayers.  To those folks who PMd me, I am in the process of restoring my VIP membership, so rest assured I will read them and reply within the next week.  (I've been in Europe for about 1 1/2 weeks.)

Here's the update.  The urologist's blood test came back with a reading of 3.1 (versus 3.8 from my PCP).  That's more in line with my 2.7 about 18 months ago.  They also tested for free protein.  They said that a lot of free protein may indicate cancer.  My result was 12.8.  when I asked the doc what that meant, he said it was "inconclusive."  The free protein scale goes from 0 (good) --> 25 (bad).   My reading was right smack in the middle, and, with no previous free protein testing history, told him nothing either way.  I left a "special" urine sample this time.  The "special" was that the nurse practitioner massaged my prostate for about 30 seconds right before I urinated.  The goal was to capture some prostate cells in the very first part of the urine flow.  They will analyze the cells to figure out if a biopsy might be needed.  

Will keep everyone posted.  Thanks again.

I'm please to report that my special urine test with the loosened prostate cells came back with absolutely no indication that a biopsy would be required.  The doc, who called me himself at 9:30 pm, said that he just wants to see me in 6 months for another round of blood and urine tests.  

Lessons learned are that I'm glad I listened to my PCP who was initially concerned about my initial test, that I found a urologist who took a very practical and logical approach to additional testing, and, that I will plan ahead and abstain for about a week before my next test.

A piece of practical advice came from the nurse practitioner herself.  When it came time for the prostate massages and physical exams, she said either she could do it or the doc could do it.  Her rationale was, "My finger is smaller than his!"  I took her advice.

Thanks again, everybody.