About to have first hormone injection

Hi, and welcome, even though like all of us you would rather not be here.

I have a similar diagnosis to you T3 G9 though no lymph nodes for me. Similar treatment too. I think you may mixed a few of your words up. High dose rate brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy are probably what you meant, abbreviated to HDR Brachy and EBRT.

Anyway to your question "what am I in for?" A different life but not unbearable. I assume you will be on Hormones for about two years, that for most people means loss of libido, which isn't too bad, but could affect your partner adversely. There are possibly other side effects like loss of muscle mass, gain in fat, loss of bone mass, it is generally considered that keeping up with exercise will counter most of these.

Penile health can be an issue, due to poor blood circulation to the penis. One of our members ANDY62 will hopefully post on here with some good advice on this. The HDR Brachy and EBRT, will hopefully not be too big an issue. Yes brachy is a minor operation under general anaesthetic so perhaps a night or two in hospital. EBRT will mean a few weeks of travelling to hospital each day, which is inconvenient but not too bad.

I didn't need chemo so I can't comment on that. 

Erectile disfunction, fatigue, incontinence (not very likely with this treatment plan though) weight gain, dry orgasm, are all possible to some extent. So your life will be different post treatment. 

So in short the treatment is bearable, hopefully it will cure you. It will be life changing, but you'll get used to it. 

Hi Dave and Andy,

Thanks for the replies. Good to know what's ahead and what to discuss with the docs. Sorry about the MJM nomenclature - I put Mike27 for the username and though that would show up on any posts! Oops.

I did get things mixed up with my descriptions Dave, thanks for setting me straight on that. Thought I'd got my head around things - clearly not!

I don't know whether the severity of the situation hasn't set-in yet, or whether I've just come to terms with the fact I have cancer, but apart from telling my son and daughter (30 and 27) of the diagnosis I haven't been too emotionally upset or angry. Disappointed is probably how I'd say I feel - luck hasn't been on my side. My wife is more emotionally upset than me, with daily bouts of tears, although my cancer diagnosis is sort of the icing on the cake of what has been a difficult year for everyone - apart from the birth of our first grandchild in October.

The bicalutamide haven't given me any side effects (that I'm aware of) so far, but I appreciate this is the tip of a very big iceberg, in terms of treatment. Let's see how I feel next week and after Xmas? 

Not sure where I stand in terms of being vulnerable to infection when on the treatment plan, especially with this pandemic. I've been careful with hand washing and social distancing since March, not even going for a meal with the 'eat out to help out' campaign - not due to any underlying ill health, just that I've not felt hospitality environments were very Covid secure. How have you coped this year? Have you been told to be extra careful/shield, etc?

Mike

Hi Mike, I haven't worried much about covid, I've followed the guidelines, but have just got on with things. If I were on chemo then I think I would have been much more careful. As Andy says HT could actually protect you against covid, this was discovered because females seemed to suffer less severely from covid than men, so perhaps testosterone is involved in the infection. 

I too am not angry or emotional about having cancer. I think you and I are in the minority on that. I would say 80% of men get quite upset with this diagnosis and about 20% just take it in their stride.

Keep us updated as things move forward. 

Hi Guys (hope that's ok to address you that way?),

Anyway, the first serious hormone injection was a breeze as far as the needle was concerned. Didn't notice anything apart from a scratch. Another one due in 12 weeks, but I can arrange that via our local surgery. The nurse gave me the run-down a rash around the injection site and possibly a lump for a week or so - she said if it grew bigger than a golf ball I was to get in touch! Too right I will.

She forewarned me of the side effects - hot flushes, fatigue, weight gain (although plenty of exercise can counter that), loss of libido, erectile disfunction, etc. She said they couldn't help with the libido, but she assured me there are remedies to impotence (thank goodness!).

I've been referred to an Oncologist for systemic treatment and the nurse said it was possible I would be a candidate for a new drug that's just come out of clinical trial that replaces chemo - same benefits but no increase in susceptibility to infection. That sounds promising. She also said that I was likely to be in the first phase of the Covid vaccine as well. Things are looking up!!

She wouldn't expect me to see the Oncologist before the end of January, and the radiotherapy and brachytherapy would likely be sometime in February or March, depending upon what systemic treatment they put me on. 

It sounds like I've reacted to the diagnosis like the two of you. It's almost like I'm looking down on the person with the cancer, but it isn't actually me that's got it - if that makes sense? Maybe it will hit me at some point? Who knows. I'm not sure I'm 'taking it in my stride' Dave, but I know what you getting at.

I've always been fascinated by the human body and how it works. It doesn't 'disturb' me watching operations on TV. On the contrary, I'm quite enthralled at what doctors and surgeons can do today. I had a minor heart attack in 2004 (caused by some migraine tablets) and needed a stent in one artery. I watched them insert the stent on a monitor under local anesthetic - fascinating. I therefore don't think your attitude, Andy, is strange at all. I think it's admirable that you've seen something positive out of something negative and you are using your experience to help and inspire others. 

The nurse said a positive attitude played a significant part in the journey with prostate cancer. I've always been a 'glass half full' type. Let's hope that continues. 

I'll let you know when I start with the side effects, but this evening a couple of beers are cooling in the fridge!

All the best,

Mike