Thanks for those suggestions.
This is my first post on this forum and I realise that I should have given a lot more background information so that everyone could see what treatment I've had so far. We've recently moved and registered with a new GP and I did prepare a note for him explaining what had happened in the past. I thought it might be useful if I included that background note here.
Note to GP
"At the end of October 2011, I was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer and on the 9th November 2011 was admitted to hospital for a prostatectomy. My PSA at that time was 28.7 and it fell to 0.12 by March 2012. In June 2012 I had a course of 5 doses of radiotherapy. However, the PSA started to rise again from then on.
Following the operation I was prescribed cyproterone (one per day) and an injection of Zoladex every 3 months. I am still taking this medication. Because of the increase in the PSA level over the following months, I was prescribed abiraterone for a number of months and because that didn't have the desired effect, I was then prescribed enzalutamide. Unfortunately this did not have any effect either and the PSA continued to rise.
In October 2017, I was admitted to hospital following a bout of sweating and dizziness and a scan revealed a pulmonary embolism. As a result I was prescribed warfarin for an indefinite period. The scan also showed that the cancer had become aggressive and was present in a number of lymph nodes. My oncologist recommended chemotherapy and starting in November 2012 I had a course of 7 doses of docetaxel. My PSA at the start of the chemotherapy was 608.2. By the end of the 7 doses the PSA had dropped to 110.
By September 2018 the PSA had risen again and my oncologist recommended a further dose of chemotherapy but this time it was cabazitaxel. The PSA at the start of this treatment was 559. After 6 doses the oncologist recommended that I should cease the chemotherapy. Although the PSA had fallen to 253.8, the concern was the peripheral neuropathy that had developed during the docetaxel had significantly worsened, particularly in my feet. So it was then a case of watching and waiting.
At the beginning of April 2019, I started to experience severe back pain. A scan showed that a swollen lymph node on my left side was impinging on my 4th vertebrae and the cancer may well have developed in my spine, and that was the cause of the excruciating pain. At the beginning of May 2019 I had a course of 5 days of radiotherapy which greatly relieved the pain. Unfortunately, following the radiotherapy I suffered from bouts of nausea and a lack of energy. My oncologist suggested that they were not a consequence of the radiotherapy but as these symptoms started as soon as the radiotherapy finished I was not so sure. During June the pain returned. At my last consultation with my oncologist, he advised me that there was nothing more he could do for me other than recommend that I start taking steroids (Prednisolone) again and that I contact Macmillan and ask them for help with pain relief. I have arranged to talk to a Macmillan nurse on 22nd August.
Since the beginning of August 2019 the pain has severely increased and I now find it almost impossible to stand still for more than a minute and it is severely affecting my sleep. I have tried a number of painkillers with little success although I have found that any form of opioid does result in severe nausea.
The peripheral neuropathy continues to cause me concern."
Hopefully this will give you some idea of the depth of treatment I have received. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks for your interest.
Tony