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My wonderful Dad and my love for him

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User

Posted 23 Mar 2016 at 20:19

I'm feeling very sad right at this moment. I have my own health issues in which I think my family struggle to support me but last month my dad found out he had PC. I don't know too.many details as I feel he and my mum are struggling to take it all in. I do know he had a blood test and the count was high. I do know he had a bone scan and yes it has spread. I do know that two people we know died of this but don't know the details but it worries me about what is to come. I just hoped I maybe able to get some support and knowledge from this site

User

Posted 23 Mar 2016 at 22:33

You've come to the right place as you'll get a lot of help and support here. If you know some of the results your father has - PSA, Gleason score etc. people here will be able to help you more.

Look for the "toolkit" under publications, either download a copy or phone for a copy to be sent to you. You can always phone the nurses here for advice as well, I haven't phoned them myself but I've often seen very good reports about them on here.

Best wishes

Arthur

User

Posted 23 Mar 2016 at 22:59

Thankyou for your reply Arthur.

I don't know what a Gleason score is but I think his psa was just under 500. I have been looking at the info on here so that's explained a little bit more about it as I had been afraid of looking online for fear of frightening myself. This has changed our lives completely within in weeks however we don't know what is next.

Jules

User

Posted 23 Mar 2016 at 23:05

Well I imagine that he started taking hormones straight away? The hormones stop testosterone production so the cancer starves, for some men this treatment keeps them well for many, many years. Depending on his oncologist and any other medical conditions he might also be given chemo.

I am not sure about your comment 'until he was diagnosed he was very active' Being diagnosed doesn't usually affect someone's ability to do things so did something happen to stop him from doing stuff?

Edited by member 23 Mar 2016 at 23:07 | Reason: Not specified

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 23 Mar 2016 at 23:26

Hello LynEyre

Thankyou for your reply.

Yes they gave him hormone tablets but the nurse changed this to injections now. They told him it was aggressive so chemo would be necessary.

I think the tablets made him extremely tired and along with the shock of just finding out and taking it in made him lose interest in everything. Hopefully some of my old dad will resurface because he's never a defeatist

User

Posted 24 Mar 2016 at 01:55

Hello Ju les
I was diagnosed with a psa of 235 and spread to pelvis in Jan 2015 and have been on HT injections ever since (every 12 weeks) plus Enzalutamide (the latter on a special Stampede Trial) with few side effects and I am living normally.

Just recently in the news it was reported that health professionals can now prescribe the drugs Enzalutamide and abiraterone before chemo. Previously they were only used after chemo and radiotherapy. The reports state that they work much better before chemo.
You might wish to have your mum or Dad raise this with his oncologist.

Have faith, there are so many options on this journey.

Paul

User

Posted 24 Mar 2016 at 05:31

I was also diagnosed a year ago with spread to bones and classed aggresive

Am on zoladex every months had a course of chemo PSA now 0.002

I too lost a lot of energy was a marathon runner but now my targets are 10k runs

Once dad gets past the initial shock am sure he start to do things he enjoyed before but sometimes we have to alter our goals

Regards

Nidge

run long and prosper

'pooh how do you spell love'

'piglet you dont spell love -you just feel it'

User

Posted 24 Mar 2016 at 09:15

Hello Ju les and welcome to the site.

What you are all feeling now is usual to all of us.

Cancer always happens to other people so the shock of diagnosis can be overwhelming.

Get hold of that Toolkit for your dad.

Try and see if he will let you as well as your mum attend consultations with him as there is always so much information to take in that it is difficult to remember all that is said.

Take a notebook and pen too and make a list before you go of questions you need answers to. It is perfectly normal so don't worry they'll think you strange.

Paul has already pointed out that there was a recent change regarding the drug abiraterone and its combined use with other treatments.

Using the Toolkit will help you ask relevant questions on the day.

One thing not to do is to Google PC. Some of the information it totally not relevant to this country and it can all prove very confusing.

We will all support you as best we can, you and your family. If there is something you want to know then please ask us before you go searching anywhere else.

The people on here are living with Prostate Cancer and its effects and its treatments so they know what they are talking about

All the best to you

Sandra

Edited by member 24 Mar 2016 at 09:16 | Reason: Not specified

We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails

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