Hi,
Went last week to see the consultant after eight months (10 cycles) of gruelliing Doxetaxel. I posted on here earlier that everyone was jumping through hoops as the half way stage showed the mets to my lungs showed shrinkage of more than 50%.
However I was told that the latest scans showed little difference from the last one so the treatment was not successful. During the chemo my PSA was always in the 20's but told not to worry about it. My latest PSA test last week showed it had jumped from 21 to 44 in three weeks.
The consultant has started me on Enzalutamide straight away. Red Rum would struggle swallowing these capsules! Back to extreme tiredness and hot flushes! However compared to Docetaxel, these are truly minor side effects to cope with. In the early days after diagnosis I was on Bicalutimide and he says Enzalutimide is 40 times more powerful than that. Fingers crossed that it will have the desired effect.
I was quite taken aback at the verdict, as actually, I feel quite well considering. I have lost the three stone that I put on due to the Dexamethasone I took for 18 months prior to the chemo and walk a minimum of 5 miles every single day. Since the first chemo cycle I have been pain free so it has all come as a bit of a shock.
Thinking over the weekend, I remember panicking just before my previous consultation at the half way stage. I even contacted an online nurse on this website and asked the question "My hair has started to grow back, does that mean the treatment has stopped working" I was not given any satisfactory answer, and of course when I did get the half way results, the question was forgotten. The last 5 cycles were tough, with the last two being horrendous. Was my hair growth an indicator? I think it was but that is only my opinion.
So the journey continues......
Best regards
Norman