Hello Lucsmokey and welcome
The HT is likely to start working pretty quickly to reduce the size of Dad's prostate.
The thought of cancer, any cancer, is very scarey but caught in time Prostate Cancer can be successfully treated and although dad's is trying to break out of the capsule, the medical staff are on it. Just think where he would be in a year or twos time if it hadn't been discovered now.
He had no symptoms so would not have known there was anything wrong.
It will be quiet on the site over the Christmas/New Year period and I don't really have the knowledge you need since my husband hasn't had HT but many on here have. You just have to be a little patient until after Christmas I'm afraid.
You say your dad is positive and a fighter and I don't doubt it. Positive thought and action is half the battle. I think perhaps it's as well to be aware though, that as the HT takes control, it MIGHT have an effect on his mood. For some men they can become emotional, even the strong ones, and it isn't a sign of his weakness but the HT starting to work.
If you go to Publications on this site, you can download a copy of the site's Toolkit which is a set of helpful booklets dealing with various treatments and their side effects.
If dad is positive, then so should you be. As treatments progress he will need you there to be a support. If somebody could go along to appointments it might make it easier for him to take in all that is said. It's advice we always give, that and making a note of questions to ask and writing down the answers, even if there are two of you.
You don't indicate whether you are son or daughter and it makes no difference to us except in saying that if you are a son then at some stage in your future it might be wise to have your own PSA test done, if only to give you a baseline as you age so that changes can be noted.
It isn't a given that son follows in his father's prostate footsteps but is wise to be aware that it can happen.
Try and enjoy your Christmas and don't let this get the better of you and spoil it. Dad will be around for quite a while yet so no need for gloomy thoughts.
Best Wishes
Sandra
Edited by member 24 Dec 2016 at 06:10
| Reason: Not specified
We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails |
User
Hi lucsmokey my OH found out similar time last year ,Gleason 9 4+5 but psa was 23 unfortunately his had gone into lymph nodes so RT was not an option .he started on hormone injections and his psa came down quite quickly ,he then went onto have 6 sessions of chemo which obviously wasn't great but it went well with very few side effects and only 1 work day off sick near then end again PSA dropped to 0.01 undetectable.thats where it has stayed for about 8 months .currantly he is on the stampeded trial arm j (which has now closed) and doing fine .he still works in a manual job only 5 days instead of his usual 6/7 but that's not a bad thing as at 56 he should be slowing down .the only side effects are fatigue and muscle aches oh and ED which were working on ! Good luck with any appointments and try to have a good Xmas and new year . We're going to with our 2 new grandsons
Debby
Edited by member 24 Dec 2016 at 07:30
| Reason: Not specified
User
Hi Lisa,
Back in 2007 I was diagnosed with Gleason 9, my PSA was 30, and I had an enlarged lymph node right beside my prostate tumour.
In my case it turned out that the lymph node was benign, the doctors only noticed that after I had been on hormone therapy for a few months.
Hormone therapy actually shrinks the size of the tumour, and in the same way, it shrinks the cancer in the lymph node. So if your dad's lymph node shrinks while he is on hormone therapy that is a good indicator that it has prostate cancer within it. However if it remains the same size it indicates that the prostate cancer has not spread, and he might just have some unconnected benign growth in his lymph node.
It might be worth him raising that issue when he next sees his consultant.
:)
Dave
User
Hi sorry I didn't put iam his daughter but thank you all for your comments xx