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David and others, thank you for your responses. They have given me much to think about while I ponder the next twist in this journey. I have been trying some lifestyle changes in order to better cope with whatever lies ahead. Diet and exercise to lose weight and tone up.
Thank you Terry for all you do with this website. I have lurked without commenting and learned much through the years. The information found here does a lot to help keep me calm and informed. I have recommended it to friends who are facing the scourge of Pca.
Mike ... on a lighter note, if you do experience hot flashes, don't expect any sympathy from females (smile).
This month I started hormone therapy due to a quickly rising PSA (in whole numbers, not fractions) and have been told that there will be "vacations" from time to time.
Take a look at my post below "Let the roller coaster ride begin" for details.
My husband started HT about 3 mos. ago. Is doing fine so far except for frequent hot flashes which don't seem to bother him that much. He is exactly like your husband in that he doesn't want to know side effects...so maybe he won't have them....I HOPE!! Only time will tell.
Carolyn- husband doesn't want to know about side effects, so maybe he won't have them. (LOL) Seriously, do you think that flies in reality?
I think, therefore...I won't (vs.) I think, therefore I am!
Good luck, over enough time checkout these clues that even lay people might notice: weight gain, muscle aches/pains, fatigue/weakness, hot flashes/sweats, crying spells/depression, loss of libido, eventually these fine things: memory loss, bone density losses (severe enough to need zometa or assistance, or risks towards fractures and skeletal events). But, alas those are all minor side effects and we can wish them away. Meanwhile your doc provider is making a very nice profits off the patient, my uro-doc wanted me on Lupron for life only he got fired in 2004-5... Gee I really miss being the cash cow, now he has a side effect of being fired. (LOL) Apparently he was an expert in all phases of PCa. (LOL-LOL).
I know that the side effects will come whether he knows or not (and I'm very observant and extremely well-educated about all this - so we won't miss anything). He just doesn't want to sit around and think that every ache or pain is caused by the HT. He is on a 6-mo. regimen and the dr. indicated that might be all that is needed. We are definitely hoping it won't be a long-term thing. We've heard about so many very scary problems and are just taking one day at a time and will deal with them as they come. There is much to be said for having faith and a positive attitude!!!
That was a somewhat crass post from Bob Parsons and while it may reflect his personal experience, as I, and others have said on this thread, it does not reflect ours. Having known Bob for some time, I realise that it reflects his sense of humor, but humor is an odd thing on the Internet and is not always understood as such.
I think you and your husband have the right idea - wait and see what happens and then deal with it: don't assume the worst. The side effects, if any, are not life-threatening so you don't have to know what they are and prepare for them.
Gee Bob you left out one other side effect that doesn't seem to get much attention, genital shrinkage, when my balls withered away, in a panic I called the oncologist who informed me that this is common??
Seems I missed reading that one anywhere else.
Hot flashes, I found were best treated with humor the biggest pain in the but were the mood swings, but they only seemed to last a couple of months. Good luck Bob
A 10-year study has discovered a new treatment approach that doubles the survival chances of men with locally advanced prostate cancer.
Published in the latest edition of The Lancet Oncology, the University of Newcastle and Calvary Mater Newcastle research showed that combining radiotherapy with six months of hormone therapy significantly reduced the death rate of prostate cancer patients.
The trial included 802 men from Australia and New Zealand with locally advanced prostate cancer (cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body). Participants were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: radiotherapy alone, radiotherapy with three months of hormone therapy and radiotherapy with six months of hormone therapy.
The rate of prostate cancer death for men receiving radiotherapy with six months’ hormone therapy was reduced to 11 per cent, compared to 22 per cent for men receiving radiotherapy alone.
Lead researcher Professor Jim Denham said hormone therapy was used to lower the levels of male hormones that can promote the growth of prostate cancer.
“Prolonged hormone therapy carries many side effects including erectile dysfunction, hot flashes, fatigue, osteoporosis, high cholesterol and anaemia. Associated cardiac problems have also been fatal for some patients.
“The challenge has been to determine the right length of hormone therapy that treats the cancer but produces minimal side effects. With this research, we now know that six months of hormone therapy with radiotherapy will provide a very effective treatment for locally advanced prostate cancer over the next decade.”
Another key finding by the Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG) 96.01 trial was that six months of hormone therapy with radiation for locally advanced prostate cancers reduces the total death rate of all men by one third. The results also showed that a treatment of radiotherapy with three months of hormone therapy did not prevent the cancer from spreading and had similar death rates to radiotherapy alone.
Good to see this is confirmed by 10 year study. I had the fun of trying to figure out my best treatment scenario back in 2002 with less information on the internet and more of the jungle and mushroom effect information from conservative 'evidence' based medicine types whom had little to no inputs or suggestions on what might even be best to do, glad I saw that for what it was, of course I had influences like Dr. Strum, Leibowitz, Barken, Myers and PaactNewsletter, beside the local 8 opinion guys whom had very little concepts to offer. Sure glad I read about the Bolla abstract studies from back then...and decided to do just that.
Many things to look at when considering your own fate in this, even if you cannot win the war...winning some battles is priceless enough.
