Marty take a copy of those PSA results and head over to your friendly
radiologist or radiation-oncologist. Why wait? You aren't 92 with one foot
on the banana peel. Hopefully they can nail it now while it is still in the
pelvic floor.  You could have one or two renegade cells that have slipped
beyond the pelvic floor or they might all still be contained therein. Why
give those darn things the opportunity to go someplace else? Kill them now
while you can.
Bev

hi marty - don't go making any reservations with the undertaker yet.  he
may die long before hand waiting for you.  
i'm serious.  you've got a long, long way to go before it gets that bad.
i know what you have said in your post doesn't look good, but you're
getting to the point you need to take a trip to see the radiation boys.
there, they will zap the bad germs and off you go again.  

this is what is nice about having the RP.  the radiation card can be
played without much fear on radiation damage.  then your psa will go
back to undetectable and hopefully stay there for a long, long, long
time.  

to which, the undertaker isn't getting your business because you are
having too much fun enjoying life.  :)

knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional

Geez, Marty!  Tell him to do the math!  I've got more to say about this, but
I'm rushed for time.  I'll be back this afternoon.

Patrcik Walsh, in guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer, has some
information about this.   The Gleason score, which you didn't mention,
and other factors affect the likelihood that the recurrence is local, in
which case radiation may still be able to cure it.  He also says that
one study showed that delaying radiation in such cases didn't affect the
outcome much.  One thing you do have going for you is that your PSA
increase took more than two years to occur.   So even if the cancer has
spread to distant sites, it is likely that you have a long period ahead
without symptoms of metastasis even without treatment.   Right now your
doctor is trying to determine the doubling time.   From the figures you
give, it seems to be around 10 months, but more another test might pin
it down.   The doubling time is sometimes helpful in deciding what to do
next.

You should study everything that Walsh says, but also remember that as a
layman, you may not be able to interpret it as it applies to your case.
 Also, some of these things change with new research.   In the end you
have to rely on professional advice.  If you aren't satisfied with what
your doctor tells you, you should seek second opinions from qualified
professionals.

I also suggest a visit to a radiation oncologist.  Ask about how they
can tell if radiation will likely work.  Ask about hormones or other
therapies given along with radiation.

I also suggest to everyone that they investigate clinical trials.
I entered a trial at the National Cancer Institute.  Apart from the
excellent treatment I got, I also got excellent diagnostic work.
They did many more tests than my HMO did and were able to
tell me more about my cancer than the HMO urologist.  For
example, they did a bone scan, CT scan, and some very high
resolution MRI scans in which they were able to show me the
actual tumor and pinpoint spots outside the tumor that might
show metastasis on the MRI image.  In my case they were
clear.  But had there been significant tumors there, they might
have shown up on the scans and perhaps been able to
pinpoint the radiation to those areas.

You may not qualify for any clinical trials near you, but I think
it's worth inquiring.

  Alan