Beware of symptons

My husband was diagnosed nov 2016 after 3 years back and forth to doctors with pain in back groin down his legs etc he had a endoscopy and removed a large polyp,we thought that was causing the pain but after he still had same pains,so back to docs again had testicle scans rectum examination nothing found,had back xray nothing,so said he could have a pain injection,while waitng for appontment for 3 months,he went to docs for blood tests and they gave hin psa test it came back at 117 more scans done find it is in bones,started zoladex implants then after xmas docetaxel chemo until june.so happy psa went to undetectable,he had a physical job and worked all through chemo.went onholiday in july apart from some pain in legs he was quite well,by october he was getting more pain and his psa had gone back up to 100 another psa before xmas 2017 it had gone to 250.oncologist said to wait till after xmas and he could go on to a new treatment hormone or chemo in the meantime he gave him casodex,he was taking this for 2 weeks when he became breathless so i phoned the helpline and was told it was one of the side effects and to carry on with them,another he was self employed and had to give up work couldn,t walk due to breathlessness and pain in legs arms back,saw a lung specialist and told it was suspected pneumonitis prob caused by casodex.so was put on 30mg predisone daily so then more side effects sugar levels hit the roof he was already diabetic just on tablets had to go on insulin when he started chemo,his stomach was bruised and swollen and painful to inject insulin,he was so depressed sitting at home all day never had a day off sick in 40 years it was so sad,he was on so many pain killers as well,yesterday morning he woke at 3 his legs had swollen and had low temp.i phoned ambulance,At the hospital he had bloods done etc,and was in so much pain,they said they wanted to do a scan,so me and my son and daughter went to cafe,when we returned half hour later he had gone,doc said he asked for cup of tea sat up then said he felt strange lay back down and passed away,we were so sad we were not there,but glad to know he went quickly and his pain was finally gone,he just couldn,t go on anymore,

We just wish he had a psa test sooner,it never even entered my mind it could be prostrate cancer at the begining until reading all about after being diagnosed,my son is 33 now and i think he should have the test now as his uncle and grandad both have the disease as well,

Sorry if i have rambled on,just need to get it off my chest,

I think your story mirrors mine in some respects. Cheerful and full of banter is exactly how my late husband dealt with family and doctors. Although I had been aware how bad things were we didn’t talk about it and I realised afterwards that Mike knew too and it was just too painful for him to discuss openly.

We were always looking for the next solution, indeed until the day he died he had hope of better times ahead. Over the years I have gained comfort from this and sincerely hope you do in addition to the comfort of him not being in pain anymore.

This new life is still very, very new for you. Take care of you, Janet, x

Oh Bluebell, I am so sad for you. All those people who say things like "it's an old man's disease" and "it's the best cancer to get" should be made to read your story. We do lightly say to people that most breeze through the chemo but as you have found, the complications can be very serious.

It may be a little bit too soon for your son to start being PSA tested but certainly from the age of 40 he should insist even if his GP isn't keen. You have a lot to do and sort out at the minute but perhaps in a few weeks or months, you could talk to your son about whether he might want to see a genetics specialist. Only a tiny number of prostate cancers are genetic (about 5% - 10%) but the fact that your husband was young and the cancer was so aggressive might make it worth doing.

You and your family are on my mind tonight.

So sorry to hear of your loss, please accept my sincere condolences.

Thanks Chris

Thankyou for sharing your story ,it must be so raw at the moment.
Thoughts are with you and your family .
Debby

I am so sorry for your loss - it must have all been such a shock for you. Be kind to yourself x