Hi, My name is Terry. I was diagnosed two years ago with locally advanced cancer, Gleason 9, stage T3a. Had 20 doses of EBR. 24 months on Zolodex. All the usual side effects, muscle loss, fatigue, weight gain. Some depression, though not serious. Oncologist has agreed to stop Zolodex as my PSA has flatlined at 0.01 over past two years. Chance of cure around 70%. Despite this, now the safety net of HT is gone I’m consumed by negative thoughts over my outcome. Natural or paranoid?
Hi Terry, my diagnosis, timescales, and treatment are very similar to yours. I think I'm lucky that I just don't worry much. I can understand why people in our position do worry, but until I get some hard evidence that things are going wrong I look on the bright side. From other posts on here I think I may be a bit of an exception. A good bit of advice is; don't worry about things you cannot change. Let's hope that you and I are both in the 70%.
Dave
Hi Terry,
A 70% chance of a cure is awesome! Having had surgery, EBR and now on some heavy duty HT, mine is not curable. However, I can still live several more years. The "safety net" of HT being gone is good news. It gives your body some time to move back to normal AND if/when you go back on HT the effectiveness of theHT treatment can last longer.
I have learned to not worry about what I cannot change. Try not to let your negative thoughts get in the way of a full life. See a psychologist. I did and it helped alot. My story is "The rules can change" in the relationship section.
Cam
Hi Terry,I think it's a completely expected feeling - my last Zoladex runs out in 3 weeks, and the same feelings cross my mind. Actually, when my onco said I could now stop HT any point I wanted to from 18 months, I said I'll do one more for luck - that one is just finishing.
Hi Andy, I guess it's fear of something out of our immediate control. I am finding the more I talk about it the better. Many thanks.
This is a thread from a few months ago. It is a bit disjointed because someone called Andrew has deleted his posts, but you can still get a feel for the conversation.
https://community.prostatecanceruk.org/posts/t23226-It-s-not-a-big-deal---is-it
You are right that the more you talk about things the better you will feel. Whereas it may make others uncomfortable talking about cancer in the big wide world, on this forum it's no holds barred. Incontinence pads, mucas farts, cockrings, you'll hear it all on here and just take it in your stride.
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