Husband newly diagnosed- we are so scared

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  • Josephg
    Josephg Member Posts: 460 Member
    #22
    swiet3 - Please open a new thread for your husband's PCa journey

    Welcome to the Forum that nobody wants to join. I suggest that you open a new thread on this PCa Discussion Board, so that we all can track and contribute to your husband's PCa journery in one dedicated thread for him.

    Your husband's story reinforces the need to receive second opinions on all medical issues of consequence.  We are not medical professionals here, and we cannot provide you with any specific medical advice.  We are all PCa patients, however, and we are fully qualified to express our opinions from the patient's experience and perspective, and to share with you our collective knowledge and research on PCa.  Yes, it seems odd that your husband's doctor would strongly recommend surgery with a 9 Gleason score.  Historical data strongly suggests that for folks with 9 Gleason scores, the PCa has probably already spread outside of the prostate, and invaded nearby tissues and/or bones.  But, the surgery has already been performed, and we PCa survivors learn quickly that the best path forward in life is not to linger in the past, but instead, to focus on the present and the future.

    I suggest that, if you have not already done so, have your husband engage a Medical Oncologist, and have this Medical Oncologist be the team leader and guide for his PCa journey, going forward.  A Medical Oncologist has no predispositions toward various forms of PCa treatments, and they will refer you to specific medical specialists, as needed, along his PCa journey.  Further, Medical Oncologists are experts in hormone therapies, which it appears that you husband is currently involved in.  In my case, when my Medical Oncologist felt that radiation therapy was needed, they referred me to a Radiation Oncologist that they already knew and validated to perform the procedure.  When the radiation therapy was complete, the Radiation Oncologist went away, but my Medical Oncologist remains with me as the team leader of my PCa journey, and meets with me every 3 months.

    I am currently on a PCa hormone cocktail therapy that includes Zytiga, and I well know the financial challenges associated with that drug ($7000 per month retail, and ~$2000 per month through most medical insurance policies).  I was informed by my Medical Oncologist, when they recommended Zytiga, that GoodRX has a coupon (which is free) available for Zytiga that can dramatically reduce the monthly cost for this drug.  For me, the cheapest pharmacy option for Zytiga, using the GoodRX coupon, was Walmart, where I bypass my medical insurance policy completely, and I pay $298 per month for it.  In fact, for my last refill of Zytiga at Walmart, using my GoodRX coupon, I was charged only $7 (I know, Wow!).  Maybe this was a mistake, but that is what the Walmart computer returned, using the GoodRX coupon, and that is all that I paid for that month's supply of Zytiga.  So, this is something that you may wish to explore.

    There are many very knowledgeable PCa survivors here on this Discussion Board, and we are here for you and your husband.

    I wish your husband the best of outcomes on his PCa journey.

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