Newly diagnosed yesterday

Hi Jasper,

So sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I can well remember just how shocking it is when you first hear it from your consultant.

The first piece of advice, I would give you is not to panic. There are lots of treatments available to you, which while not curing your condition, will ease it and keep it at bay for a number of years.

It will take a while to come to terms with the diagnosis, but eventually, you will realise that life does go on, for you as well as everyone around you. You will develop a new "normal" and will settle into living with the limitations imposed on you. Its not ideal, but it is living.

Keep in touch with this forum and and ask as many questions as you need to. Someone on here will be able to help you.

In the meantime, good luck with the oncologist.

Peter

Nothing we can say can will relieve your shock for a while but your on the right site for everything Q&A. Likewise I had no symptoms apart from not being able to pee during the day and having to pee more at night. My PSA was 392 and gleason 9 with mets in bones. I started the HT immediately and soon after had the chemo which went much better than expected. It does take a while to get your head round it and I found talking to OH the best way. When it comes to consultation I taped it on my phone which I found useful to playback at a later stage. Once a plan of action is in place I also found it easier. From here on in I tried to just eat, exercise and have fun in a sensible way, although sometimes you do need to break out of that!

good luck

steven

My husband felt the same eleven years ago. We’ve experienced a whole gamut of emotions since then. Just a few tips, make sure that someone is with you during consultations armed with a notepad and pen, ask for copies of the letters sent to your g.p.

whenever you think of a question, jot it down so that you bring it up at the next consultation.

above all I know it’s hard but take time out to enjoy life make every moment matter

good luck

Thanks all for the words of comfort. Feeling more positive about things now and a bit more focused.

How long should I have to wait before I see an Oncologist? I'm keen to get on the Chemotherapy treatment asap but need to see an Onco before that can start.

I've not seen an Oncologist at all yet. 

Not relevant now CC as Jasper has already started treatment  (they have given him bicalutimide) so there is no target or rule about how long it will be before he sees the oncologist. 

I was diagnosed on 14th July (in 2015) and saw the onco for the first time on the 7th August (also 2015).

Glad you are beginning to feel a bit more positive now. It does take time to get your head around it, but you eventually begin to realise that life goes on.

I hope you get the onco appointment soon.

Peter

@Kita...

The delay before chemo is to provide time for the hormone-block to impede the cancer and enable chemo to be more effective - very unlikely to cure, but slow the growth and reduce symptoms, and hence improve duration and quality of life.

@Cheshire Chris...

> Metastatic cancer can't be cured, but you can certainly live for many, many years with it given the appropriate treatments, and many men die with it, not from it.

While I don't want to get argumentative, the stats for this are not encouraging - 30-or-so percent beyond five years. 

@CheshireChris...

>every reason for optimism...

Maybe.

My view is that optimism is often based on genuinely well-intentioned hope rather than objective verifiable fact. Although a guess, I suspect there's many for whom things didn't go the way they wanted - and that rather than 'symptom-free longevity' they instead had a shorter and more troublesome time.

Although the 'many men die with rather than from' thing is true, a lot don't. And I suggest this is something which isn't given appropriate consideration.

'When it's in yer bones' is often a considerably different situation to being contained within the prostate.

Edited by member 26 Aug 2018 at 09:43  | Reason: Rain marred my typing.

@Dark Warrior...

(Whatever happened to normal names?)

In being a median mathematical average, I consider published stats accordingly - a useful guide, but not something upon which to rely. And, with advances in treatment they'll continue to improve.

Thing is though, those with metastasized Pca are likely to die from, rather than with, it.

And that's my point... yes, hope for the best but live appropriately.

Under- rather than over-estimate your longevity and prioritise important things.

If you get longer than expected, that's a bonus - so grab another beer or watch an extra episode of your favourite tv show. But please don't, in thinking you've enough time, schedule 'making-up with your long-lost daughter' for after the movie you're currently watching.