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User
Posted 11 Aug 2019 at 14:40

Hi 


This is my first post .I am hoping for some advice.my partner was diagnosed in june with prostate cancer .Gleason 4+5 T3a NoMo psa12.7 He is a fit 63 year old.Before being diagnosed he ran 6days a week competing in half marathons.he has had a bone scan which was clear.he had no symptoms has such just mentioned to the doctor going to toilet a bit more than usual at night.my worry is that he is convinced that the cancer has spread and that the scans are not detecting the spread or the urologist /oncologists have somehow "missed" it.After alot of persuasion he started taking anti depressants last Tuesday after a number of visits to the doctors he has had various blood tests a stool sample all come back clear.his blood pressure is good has well has his pulse and sats.but he is unconvinced.he has just finished 28 days of bicalutamide and had his first injection of Triprorelin nearly 3 weeks ago.He has joined the stampede trial and is having a CT scan tomorrow.


I am so worried about him he says he feels so  ill .he says he would love to go for a run but cannot.I try to encourge him but he is convinced that he has not got long to live.


Is there anyone who feels the same has Chris ?


Any advice would be a big help.he has had a couple of counselling sessions at Maggies it seems to help for a little while.


Our world has turned upside down we spend alot of time in Spain since we both took early retirement and even trying to get Chris to think about going to Spain when hes feeling better does not help.Chris was offered surgery or /hormone/brachytherapy and radiotherapy after alot of soul searching we chose hormone route.


Thank you for your patience reading my post 


I just want my Chris to feel better .


 


 

User
Posted 12 Aug 2019 at 00:38

Hi 3b48,


Sorry you join us due to your partner's PCa. Unfortunately, HT can of itself cause some men to suffer depression and mood swings, perhaps exacerbating concern of a Prostate Cancer diagnosis. There are potentially more physical side effects of HT too, such as lethagy, and premature fatigue among others. Unfortunately, HT only sort of contrains PCa and usually only manages to do this for a limited period after which supplementry or alternative treatment is required but essentially Chris could be on HT for a long time with varying side effects.


If Chris was offered RT including Brachytherapy, it would have been with curative intent with the possibility of stopping HT after a time. The RT if not providing a cure, could set the disease back for a considerable period and avoid for a time at least having HT until refractory.


I am not aware how deeply Chris has investigated PCa to make a well informed decision but I would recommend that he down loads or obtains a copy of the 'Toolkit' available for free from the Publications section of this Charity if he has not yet done so. It provides a wealth of information about the disease and various treatments. Not all men decide to have radical treatment but the decision is best taken having fully considered the pros and cons of radical treatment before making a final decision. HT is normally a precursor to RT and may be continued during and after it for anything up to 3 years depending on how an oncologist considers it advisable. https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information/our-publications/publications/tool-kit?_ga=2.206109653.795867346.1564408880-1013787081.1564408880


 


 

Edited by member 12 Aug 2019 at 00:44  | Reason: Not specified

Barry
User
Posted 12 Aug 2019 at 14:42
My husband was diagnosed Gleason 9 tb3.He has had HDR Brachytherapy, five weeks of RT followed by three years of HT. The HT was hard , but, he kept going, lack of energy, no libido. He’s been off the HT for over a year now, his PSA is currently 0.2 his strength is returning and his libido has returned. While on his treatment we kept our organic veggie smallholding going, had an extension built (that was hard going) yes, it was hard, yes, he suffered side effects. Mentally it was a challenge for both of us,David had down times, we had tears. But he’s doing well, we are healthy reasonably fit and happily living a good life.
Get the tool kit, do some reading, talk to each other and hang on to the reality that treatments are changing all the time.

He’s now 69, sings and plays ( pro musician)gardens, we have a acre of garden, have a good social life, he also goes sea fishing with his mate, they are like ‘ Last of the summer wine”

The shock of diagnosis is hard, to absorb, life changes, readjustments are inevitable.

Keep posting, it does help.



Leila x
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User
Posted 12 Aug 2019 at 00:38

Hi 3b48,


Sorry you join us due to your partner's PCa. Unfortunately, HT can of itself cause some men to suffer depression and mood swings, perhaps exacerbating concern of a Prostate Cancer diagnosis. There are potentially more physical side effects of HT too, such as lethagy, and premature fatigue among others. Unfortunately, HT only sort of contrains PCa and usually only manages to do this for a limited period after which supplementry or alternative treatment is required but essentially Chris could be on HT for a long time with varying side effects.


If Chris was offered RT including Brachytherapy, it would have been with curative intent with the possibility of stopping HT after a time. The RT if not providing a cure, could set the disease back for a considerable period and avoid for a time at least having HT until refractory.


I am not aware how deeply Chris has investigated PCa to make a well informed decision but I would recommend that he down loads or obtains a copy of the 'Toolkit' available for free from the Publications section of this Charity if he has not yet done so. It provides a wealth of information about the disease and various treatments. Not all men decide to have radical treatment but the decision is best taken having fully considered the pros and cons of radical treatment before making a final decision. HT is normally a precursor to RT and may be continued during and after it for anything up to 3 years depending on how an oncologist considers it advisable. https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information/our-publications/publications/tool-kit?_ga=2.206109653.795867346.1564408880-1013787081.1564408880


 


 

Edited by member 12 Aug 2019 at 00:44  | Reason: Not specified

Barry
User
Posted 12 Aug 2019 at 14:42
My husband was diagnosed Gleason 9 tb3.He has had HDR Brachytherapy, five weeks of RT followed by three years of HT. The HT was hard , but, he kept going, lack of energy, no libido. He’s been off the HT for over a year now, his PSA is currently 0.2 his strength is returning and his libido has returned. While on his treatment we kept our organic veggie smallholding going, had an extension built (that was hard going) yes, it was hard, yes, he suffered side effects. Mentally it was a challenge for both of us,David had down times, we had tears. But he’s doing well, we are healthy reasonably fit and happily living a good life.
Get the tool kit, do some reading, talk to each other and hang on to the reality that treatments are changing all the time.

He’s now 69, sings and plays ( pro musician)gardens, we have a acre of garden, have a good social life, he also goes sea fishing with his mate, they are like ‘ Last of the summer wine”

The shock of diagnosis is hard, to absorb, life changes, readjustments are inevitable.

Keep posting, it does help.



Leila x
User
Posted 12 Aug 2019 at 17:15

Hi


We have got the tool kit and has I mentioned we agonised over which treatment was best for us.


We chose hormones then bracatherapy then 5 weeks of radiotherapy.we did not go the surgery route has we spoke to the nurse specialist who did not gloss over anything that we would have to deal with.we decide this was the best route for us.


We will be fine 


Thank you 

User
Posted 12 Aug 2019 at 22:51
Yes missed ref to starting stampede in thread but it was not in Profile/Bio.
Barry
 
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