Concerned that I have hit BCR

Bike riding before the test can definitely cause the PSA to rise.

One of the things recommended against before a test.

Jeff -- Just a request for clarification: can bike riding affect his PSA since he's had a RARP and his prostate is gone? I'm just curious if you've heard of that happening or if you just missed that he already had a RARP. Thanks.

I encourage you to look into this yourself

I used this search

Can riding a bike before a PSA test cause a higher rating after a prostatectomy

Result

Yes, riding a bike before a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test can potentially lead to a higher PSA reading, even after a prostatectomy. While the prostatectomy removes the prostate gland, any residual prostate tissue or inflammation can still be affected by physical activity, including cycling.

This is not news to me. After attending advanced prostate cancer online meetings for years, I have heard this story over and over. Some prostate cancer patients love to ride their bikes, They have been warned that doing it before a PSA test can cause higher results.

Actually, I was interested in your experience with other prostate patients, which is why I asked. I did ask Perplexity before asking you, but I received a pretty much opposite answer: "For men who have undergone a prostatectomy (removal of the prostate), riding a bike is generally not expected to cause an elevated PSA level because the prostate—the source of PSA—is no longer present. PSA is a protein produced by prostate cells, so without the prostate gland, PSA should be undetectable or very low.". But I suspected there'd be some feedback in the meetings you attend. Sorry if my question seemed trite; I won't make that mistake again.

Two different AI’s two opposite answers, maybe.

Perplexity does add this near the end to, however

While cycling can affect PSA levels before a prostatectomy, it's unlikely to be a significant factor after the procedure.

I would consider a .01 rise as “not a significant factor”

It didn’t say “would not be a factor.”

Right now I am crippled with anxiety and panic attacks. I couldn’t function at work properly on Friday and have had to take Monday and Tuesday off. I asked my Drs office if I should retake and they said I can discuss with my surgeon incologist on Thursday. When I was diagnosed in April 2023 I suffered serious mental health issues that took me more than one year to dig out of. If I have PCa again I am not sure that life will be worth it if I have to live with the anxiety of cancer continually. I am so upset right now.

Hey Bud, I was the same way - although sometimes we think that WE ALONE have these intense feelings of anxiety, dread and almost incapacitation.
Trust me - and others! - we’ve all felt like crawling into a hole and never coming out…but that’s not gonna help anything, right?
I got so damned tired of being afraid that one day, I just…stopped. I said f**k it, if it’s gonna try and kill me, it better try hard cause I’m gonna do anything and everything I can to fight back. Only one of us can win and that’s all there is to it.
So I took the ADT, I got blasted with radiation and now I’m waiting - not hysterically- for Round 3 if luck is against me. Plenty before me have gone MANY rounds with this parasite and they’re still here, traveling, loving their grandchildren, and enjoying their lives. YOU ARE NOT DIFFERENT OR SPECIAL and I don’t mean that as a criticism or a put down.
You are facing what tens of thousands have faced before you and the vast majority - probably over 85% - are still here, OK? Just breathe, try to clear your mind and put yourself in the hands of the VERY VERY BEST people you can find.
And please accept the fact that this prostate cancer crap is a lifetime gig which you will never be able to turn your back on - ever! But If you happened to see the chart of mortality rates that @brianjarvis posted recently, you’d be overjoyed that you didn’t have many of the other cancers that have a much worse prognosis. What we have sucks, but it’s very treatable; what others have can practically be a death sentence in some cases, so please, PLEASE! put it in perspective, get your game face on and go do what has to be done. Best,
Phil

Hi Phil, this is a very helpful and supportive response. I hope it will help @cmoto as well. I start ADT on August 6, I am not looking forward to it at all, but knowing others have been through it all does give me comfort. It’s been a tough year, but I hope things will get better. I will also be going through radiation in September/ October.
Thanks !! -John

I was strong through a delayed diagnosis by my uro, and then I did all the things to get the ralp done and get my life back together and go back to work, and try to enjoy life again with terrible fear of recurrence. And now it’s back and the likely advice from my onc will be wait 3 months while it gets worse so we can see it. It’s just a shit sandwich. There goes any dream I had left of any normal kind of retirement, I have watched my own DAd do RALP, recurrence 7 years later, lymph removal, radio, hormones, chemo that took away the use of his hands, and now still get shots every months for hormones.

Hey John, if a scared rabbit like ME can get thru it - anybody can. You will be FINE!!
Phil