Husband diagnosed at 53

Sorry you're here, I know this is a worrying time but sounds like a treatment plan will be available soon.

Considering his age and assuming he is fit to handle the side effects I'd be looking at the most aggressive treatment on offer.

Hopefully this will get things under control. Diet is important too, but no need to obsess about it, but certain adjustments can help counter side effects of the treatment, your onco or clinical nurse should be able to advise on this.

Keep positive and post anything on your mind.

Some very knowledge and understanding people on here.

Edited by member 12 Jul 2026 at 14:10  | Reason: Not specified

Hi,

Terribly sorry you had to join the forum, but you'll find all kinds of advice, information and support here.

Early detection is really important and hopefully for your husband that will lead to a good prognosis. 

You are about to become experts in a lot of medical jargon and terminology. The best advice I could offer you is to be well prepared for any consultations and be ready to fight your corner. The NHS can do some wonderful things, but it is also capable of dropping the ball spectacularly and often.

My brother wasn't referred for RT due to a communication SNAFU. Appointments were cancelled and time was lost on the silliest of things.

His cancer was very advanced when it was detected and the treatments they could offer had no effect on it. So he's now on palliative care at home.

Be your own advocate, no one will guide you through the process or offer meaningful advice on treatment options. 

All you can do is care for each other and your kids, keep them in the loop and help them to understand what's happening to their dad. 

Stay strong and please stay in touch of the chat room, it really does help 

Mick xx

Hi, Sazlou.

I'm sorry to hear about your husband's condition. However, it's great that you've joined 'our club' to support him. You can guarantee that whatever treatment he gets, someone on here will have had the same, and will help you out. Welcome to the forum.

It's fantastic that Debby (Merrivale), as her husband had a similar diagnosis, has already responded and shared his recovery with you.

Your husband seems to have a great mindset to deal with the disease and has obviously got you to support him.

A 93% drop in PSA is great, it shows how responsive the cancer is to the drugs. But just for clarification, as my maths was never very good, was your husband's initial PSA over 2000? You also say that he's had a biopsy, do you know his Gleason score?

I hope the drugs and the planned chemotherapy continue to suppress and control the disease.

Good luck and please continue to keep us updated. Big hugs to you, him and the kids. 👍

Edited by member 29 Jul 2026 at 07:34  | Reason: Additional text

Hi Sazlou

I was so sorry to hear about your husband's diagnosis, but it sounds like you have get right into the treatment and it is working!

I had an initial PSA of 953 a year ago, with Gleason 4+5 , but I am on Triplet Therapy, Zoladex injection and Darolutamide every day and I have had Chemo (finished in May).  My last PSA on 20 May was undetectable (<0.025) so the treatments do work.  My next step is to have a chat about radiotherapy to hit the "mothership" hard as I have mets in my pelvic and abdominal lymph nodes.

The treatment regime I am on is a hard one - but one that looks to be working.

The chemo is a course of Docetaxel over six sessions, three weeks apart.

You can click on our names or the round avatar to see our profile/history.

Have a look out for the MacMillan publications as well as the Prostate Cancer UK publications - they will have a list of questions that you might ask at your consultations - but the PCUK ToolKit is a great starting point.https://shop.prostatecanceruk.org/our-publications/just-diagnosed/tool-kit.  

Hi Sazlou

That is great news! You see - the meds are effective and are doing the job they need to do which is to stop the cancer cells in their tracks!

The next phase is about killing off the Dormant cells which is where Chemo and radiotherapy come in.

The chemo is a hard process, six sessions three weeks apart.  The drug I had was Docetaxel and this is a serious beast, we had to drop it to 80% after three sessions because I was losing the feeling in my fingertips and toes (and am still having some issues ).  The important thing is to tell the nurses everything that. has happened since the last dose, and to stick to the guidance about temperature (get a good digital in ear thermometer).

The first couple of sessions I found OK but then the accumulated effects do creep up and I was so tired, and chemo brain on top of brain fog from the HT meant I was a little forgetful....

The first few days are OK then it starts to settle in and the next week can be rough. You have a lot of other drugs and these can make you feel very wired (and tired).  The aim is to look forward to the good week before the next session!!  The eighteen weeks seemed like a long time at the start but then it was all over. I think the immune-suppressed period of the first 10 days or so after infusion was the most difficult, you have tp be careful who you see - remember Covid rules!!

One benefit is you get a blood test every three weeks as well and make sure they include the PSA - it is such a good feeling when you can see it dropping session by session - mine now undetectable.