Provenge treatment

jdunham95
jdunham95 Member Posts: 3
in Prostate Cancer #1
I am receiving my final Provenge infusion on Friday. I'm curious to hear from anyone that has completed the treatments about what I can expect or what have they experienced since completing there treatments.

Comments

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,641 Member
    #2
    Accounts and the stories from guys on Provenge
    Hi JD

    Welcome to the board. In this forum I have not read from provenge survivors reporting on results.
    You may read some accounts and the stories from guys posting at Yananow (YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW) a prostate cancer support site. Here is a list of the threads;

    http://www.google.com/cse?cx=012502927953566205825:ocjd945u1as&ie=UTF-8&q=provenge&sa=Search&siteurl=www.yananow.org/choices.htm

    Hope this helps.
    Take care

    VGama
  • jdunham95
    jdunham95 Member Posts: 3
    #3
    VascodaGama said:

    Accounts and the stories from guys on Provenge
    Hi JD

    Welcome to the board. In this forum I have not read from provenge survivors reporting on results.
    You may read some accounts and the stories from guys posting at Yananow (YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW) a prostate cancer support site. Here is a list of the threads;

    http://www.google.com/cse?cx=012502927953566205825:ocjd945u1as&ie=UTF-8&q=provenge&sa=Search&siteurl=www.yananow.org/choices.htm

    Hope this helps.
    Take care

    VGama

    Thanks for the information

    Thanks for the information
  • nowrest
    nowrest Member Posts: 48 Member
    #4
    provenge
    Tell us more about your experience. Where did you go? was there any pain? Did medicare (if you are an old geezer like me) cover the cost. So and so forth.
  • nowrest
    nowrest Member Posts: 48 Member
    #5
    VascodaGama said:

    Accounts and the stories from guys on Provenge
    Hi JD

    Welcome to the board. In this forum I have not read from provenge survivors reporting on results.
    You may read some accounts and the stories from guys posting at Yananow (YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW) a prostate cancer support site. Here is a list of the threads;

    http://www.google.com/cse?cx=012502927953566205825:ocjd945u1as&ie=UTF-8&q=provenge&sa=Search&siteurl=www.yananow.org/choices.htm

    Hope this helps.
    Take care

    VGama

    closing down
    Unfortunately the guy running the yananow web site is closing it down. He does give a reference to a site in Europe
  • jdunham95
    jdunham95 Member Posts: 3
    #6
    nowrest said:

    provenge
    Tell us more about your experience. Where did you go? was there any pain? Did medicare (if you are an old geezer like me) cover the cost. So and so forth.

    Provenge experience
    Where to start? I am the first Provenge recipient in the Eastern Maine area. I commuted 265 miles (one way) from Bangor, Me to Dedham MA for the Leukapheresis procedure, which is a fancy name for separating and collecting the white blood cells from your blood to be sent off to New Jersey. There it is processed and sent back in three days to be re-introduced into your blood stream through the infusion process (just an I.V. bag hook-up). Fortunately this part of the process could be done here in town locally. No pain at ALL, you sit in a recliner for 4 hours during the pheresis part and 2 hours during the infusion part. I would recommend a pheresis catheter be placed in your chest as this makes the process easier and more comfortable. I suffered no ill side effects until the last (3rd) infusion, when I experienced chills and flu like symptoms that lasted 24 hours. I work full time so my company insurance covered the treatment costs, but I believe Medicare is now covering the costs of the treatment. Hope that helps on some of the questions, if anyone has more, I would be glad to answer anymore if I can help.
  • mrspjd
    mrspjd Member Posts: 694 Member
    #7
    jdunham95 said:

    Provenge experience
    Where to start? I am the first Provenge recipient in the Eastern Maine area. I commuted 265 miles (one way) from Bangor, Me to Dedham MA for the Leukapheresis procedure, which is a fancy name for separating and collecting the white blood cells from your blood to be sent off to New Jersey. There it is processed and sent back in three days to be re-introduced into your blood stream through the infusion process (just an I.V. bag hook-up). Fortunately this part of the process could be done here in town locally. No pain at ALL, you sit in a recliner for 4 hours during the pheresis part and 2 hours during the infusion part. I would recommend a pheresis catheter be placed in your chest as this makes the process easier and more comfortable. I suffered no ill side effects until the last (3rd) infusion, when I experienced chills and flu like symptoms that lasted 24 hours. I work full time so my company insurance covered the treatment costs, but I believe Medicare is now covering the costs of the treatment. Hope that helps on some of the questions, if anyone has more, I would be glad to answer anymore if I can help.

    Thanks
    JD,

    The info you provided on your Provenge tx experience is appreciated. Glad it seems to have gone so smoothly. Since you invited questions, wondering if you'd mind sharing your PCa history, including stats at dx and any prior txs. Thanks.

    All the best.
  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,641 Member
    #8
    mrspjd said:

    Thanks
    JD,

    The info you provided on your Provenge tx experience is appreciated. Glad it seems to have gone so smoothly. Since you invited questions, wondering if you'd mind sharing your PCa history, including stats at dx and any prior txs. Thanks.

    All the best.

    Thanks
    JD

    Thanks for sharing your case. I would appreciate if you comment on your past Gleason diagnosis and PSA before Provenge.
    I hope this immunologic therapy works in your case as must as you wish.

    whishing you peace of mind.
    Sincerely
    VGama
  • bzautry
    bzautry Member Posts: 4
    #9
    Provenge
    Glad to read your comments.
    I had my first Provenge last week & the 2nd is next week.I live near Detroit & only have to drive about 8-10 miles for the treatments.
    I am anxious to hear from guys that have Had Provenge & how they are doing.
    I am also on zometa as on my bone scan showed some mets on the ribs & left shoulder.I have had 2 treatments & was told I needed 3.My PSA last month was 16 & this month 36.7
    I had my prostate removed in Oct of 09 with a gleason score of 4-5.
    After a few months of Lupron shots I decided to have an orchiectomy to try to eliminate testosterone.
    Then last winter my PSA started to rise & tried Casodex for 6 weeks.It didn`t help & PSA still went up.Was told to come home from Fl & see an Oncologist.She put me on DES which is a female hormone in April.After having a T.I.A. which DES is known for causing I changed Oncologist.She recommended the Provenge which took 3-4 weeks to get approved for.
    Medicare pays 80% & my insurance is paying the rest.
    Woody
    Any questions I will try to answer.
  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,641 Member
    #10
    bzautry said:

    Provenge
    Glad to read your comments.
    I had my first Provenge last week & the 2nd is next week.I live near Detroit & only have to drive about 8-10 miles for the treatments.
    I am anxious to hear from guys that have Had Provenge & how they are doing.
    I am also on zometa as on my bone scan showed some mets on the ribs & left shoulder.I have had 2 treatments & was told I needed 3.My PSA last month was 16 & this month 36.7
    I had my prostate removed in Oct of 09 with a gleason score of 4-5.
    After a few months of Lupron shots I decided to have an orchiectomy to try to eliminate testosterone.
    Then last winter my PSA started to rise & tried Casodex for 6 weeks.It didn`t help & PSA still went up.Was told to come home from Fl & see an Oncologist.She put me on DES which is a female hormone in April.After having a T.I.A. which DES is known for causing I changed Oncologist.She recommended the Provenge which took 3-4 weeks to get approved for.
    Medicare pays 80% & my insurance is paying the rest.
    Woody
    Any questions I will try to answer.

    Thanks for Sharing
    Woody

    I appreciate you sharing your experience with us.
    Could you comment on any side effect or pain you can associate with the treatment?
    Have you been involved with any chemo apart of the DES?
    What is your oncologist suggesting for you to take to handle the side effects (if any)?
    Is there any proibition in diet for guys on Provenge?

    Wishing you a good control on the disease.

    Thanks
    VG

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