Wondering when it's done...

The past few days I've had some reminders that I'm still working my way through this process still. Some intestinal reminders, a whole lotta sleeping going on, and still a fair amount of fatigue. I suppose some of what I'm feeling is residue from the radiation treatments, and another level of it may be more related to my reaction to the hormone treatments that are still ongoing.

There's another nagging question that comes up - from others as well as myself: How do you know it's been successful?  And really, from what I've been told, that's hard to tell. I can read the data charts on success of radiation treatments + seed implants along with hormone therapy, but how can I know that it all worked?

The radiation oncologist said we'd start monitoring PSA levels at some point (I don't recall exactly when) after the hormone treatments end.  And we'd be monitoring those for 5 years, with the expectation that the level should be somewhere between 0 and 2.  And he said they wouldn't run any additional tests unless the PSA level popped over 2.  So, OK... that tells me the plan... but it doesn't tell me that it's all good.  Until we've been through the next 5 years, I guess. I see the radiation oncologist soon (follow-up) so I'll get a better idea then.  I hope.

Somehow, that doesn't give me the solid yes (or no) I was looking for.  It gives me a "wait and see".  Get back Loretta!  It's not any different (really) than it would have been if I'd done surgery. It's just that I keep getting asked "was it successful?" and well, if we'd cut something out, I'd know - maybe - that the procedure was either a success or not.  But I have the sneaking suspicion that thinking is fallacious.