Anemia and metastatic pca

Daddysgirl25
Daddysgirl25 Member Posts: 29
in Prostate Cancer #1
Hello all,
Well We finally got an answer as to why my dad has been feeling so sick and weak. He has severe anemia and was finally given a blood transfusion yesterday. Now that I've been researching metastatic pca and anemia it is a pretty common occurrence. We have been to so many doctors and told each one of my dads symptoms for he past 2 months and not one of them mentioned anemia as a possible cause. Finally last week his urologist noticed after looking at his CBC that he had anemia. He sent us to the oncologist who said my dads platelets went from 149,000 to 42,000 since November. He sent him to the hospital immediately. We ar so thankful that we found out the cause and hopefully he'll start feeling better soon! Has anyone else heard of this before? My research said that it's common in men on HT. Thanks!

Comments

  • tspoon
    tspoon Member Posts: 24
    #2
    Answers
    So glad to have found the reason behind his symptoms. The anemia is how we finally got my honey's diagnosis. I hope he feels better soon, and gets back to living his life. You should see results fairly quick. Our diagnosis was March 3, started with psa 1913, gleason score of 9. Spread to nodes, marrow, both lungs, and his bones are satutated from his collar to halfway down his thighs. He is now psa .05, testosterone is 4, and other than the pain from his bone cancer, he feels good. He hassn HT every third month, xgeva monthly, scans every third month as well. At 59, he has lots of hope for a few more years. Good luck to you and your dad, sounds like ypu are headed right.
  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,701 Member
    #3
    tspoon said:

    Answers
    So glad to have found the reason behind his symptoms. The anemia is how we finally got my honey's diagnosis. I hope he feels better soon, and gets back to living his life. You should see results fairly quick. Our diagnosis was March 3, started with psa 1913, gleason score of 9. Spread to nodes, marrow, both lungs, and his bones are satutated from his collar to halfway down his thighs. He is now psa .05, testosterone is 4, and other than the pain from his bone cancer, he feels good. He hassn HT every third month, xgeva monthly, scans every third month as well. At 59, he has lots of hope for a few more years. Good luck to you and your dad, sounds like ypu are headed right.

    Tests are part of treatment protocols
    Daddysgirl

    Thanks for informing us on the findings on your dad’s problematic case. His doctors have been caring his treatment in an irresponsible manner. They do not give me any confidence of professionalism. Your previous thread signals that they do not know to care for cases like your dad’s. I already commented to you that the tests must be part of the protocol to verify for drugs effectiveness and interactions.
    Anemia is a common effect on guys in treatment for cancer. One should be in constant vigilance doing periodical tests not just the lipids but all other aspect that could be a cause of the side effects of the treatment. Dexa, ECG, Liver and kidney functions, etc. should be done coordinately timely and as a set to access progresses and diagnoses.

    Tspoon is giving you an excellent advice. Be confident and get your dad to a proper oncologist, so that he gets all rolling properly and you get the deserved peace of mind.

    I hope the best to your father.
    VGama
  • rch
    rch Member Posts: 79
    #4
    VascodaGama said:

    Tests are part of treatment protocols
    Daddysgirl

    Thanks for informing us on the findings on your dad’s problematic case. His doctors have been caring his treatment in an irresponsible manner. They do not give me any confidence of professionalism. Your previous thread signals that they do not know to care for cases like your dad’s. I already commented to you that the tests must be part of the protocol to verify for drugs effectiveness and interactions.
    Anemia is a common effect on guys in treatment for cancer. One should be in constant vigilance doing periodical tests not just the lipids but all other aspect that could be a cause of the side effects of the treatment. Dexa, ECG, Liver and kidney functions, etc. should be done coordinately timely and as a set to access progresses and diagnoses.

    Tspoon is giving you an excellent advice. Be confident and get your dad to a proper oncologist, so that he gets all rolling properly and you get the deserved peace of mind.

    I hope the best to your father.
    VGama

    Anemia
    Agree with VG. I distinctly remember you had mentioned in one of your previous posts that your Dad had had all the lab tests and they all checked out OK !! Anemia is so common in any metastatic malignancies(either an infiltrative process or iatrogenic) that I just can't imagine an Oncologist missing the diagnosis especially when you complain about fatigue.!!
    Do you know what his hemoglibin was prior to transfusion? How many units of blood was he transfused ? 42 K platelets should n't normally give any symptoms per se. Are all cell lines depressed or just the Hemoglobon and the platelets?. How are his kidney functions ( Cr and BUN)?
  • Daddysgirl25
    Daddysgirl25 Member Posts: 29
    #5
    tspoon said:

    Answers
    So glad to have found the reason behind his symptoms. The anemia is how we finally got my honey's diagnosis. I hope he feels better soon, and gets back to living his life. You should see results fairly quick. Our diagnosis was March 3, started with psa 1913, gleason score of 9. Spread to nodes, marrow, both lungs, and his bones are satutated from his collar to halfway down his thighs. He is now psa .05, testosterone is 4, and other than the pain from his bone cancer, he feels good. He hassn HT every third month, xgeva monthly, scans every third month as well. At 59, he has lots of hope for a few more years. Good luck to you and your dad, sounds like ypu are headed right.

    Thanks tspoon...
    So nice to hear from you. Thank you for sharing your 'honeys' history with me. I feel like my dad and him have a lot in common. It's so wonderful to hear that his psa has gone down to .05 and that he's feeling good for the most part. It gives me hope for my dad. He has already started feeling better after only 2 days since the transfusion. I hope it continues...
    Just curious...Which HT drug is your honey taking? Did he ever have chemo?
    Good luck to you both as well and I hope that he continues to feel good.
  • Daddysgirl25
    Daddysgirl25 Member Posts: 29
    #6
    VascodaGama said:

    Tests are part of treatment protocols
    Daddysgirl

    Thanks for informing us on the findings on your dad’s problematic case. His doctors have been caring his treatment in an irresponsible manner. They do not give me any confidence of professionalism. Your previous thread signals that they do not know to care for cases like your dad’s. I already commented to you that the tests must be part of the protocol to verify for drugs effectiveness and interactions.
    Anemia is a common effect on guys in treatment for cancer. One should be in constant vigilance doing periodical tests not just the lipids but all other aspect that could be a cause of the side effects of the treatment. Dexa, ECG, Liver and kidney functions, etc. should be done coordinately timely and as a set to access progresses and diagnoses.

    Tspoon is giving you an excellent advice. Be confident and get your dad to a proper oncologist, so that he gets all rolling properly and you get the deserved peace of mind.

    I hope the best to your father.
    VGama

    Thanks VG
    I know that you had previously told me about all of the tests they should be giving him. This dr however had an attitude w/ me any time i mentioned anything to him about what he 'should be' doing or that my dads levels should be checked. They finally gave him a full CBC but they were not monitoring anything but his psa every month. I agree that they do not know how to care for men in my dads position. But my dad liked him for some reason so i was trying to respect my dad but also trying to get him the best care possible.i was hoping my dad would feel better so we could travel up north to possibly see dr Meyers but he has been so sick so that hasnt been possible.finally he has an appt at the Sylvester cancer center at the university of Miami on February 1st. I'm hoping to start fresh and have a new team of drs look at all of his records and finally have a team that we can trust. Thanks as always for your support and advice!
  • Daddysgirl25
    Daddysgirl25 Member Posts: 29
    #7
    rch said:

    Anemia
    Agree with VG. I distinctly remember you had mentioned in one of your previous posts that your Dad had had all the lab tests and they all checked out OK !! Anemia is so common in any metastatic malignancies(either an infiltrative process or iatrogenic) that I just can't imagine an Oncologist missing the diagnosis especially when you complain about fatigue.!!
    Do you know what his hemoglibin was prior to transfusion? How many units of blood was he transfused ? 42 K platelets should n't normally give any symptoms per se. Are all cell lines depressed or just the Hemoglobon and the platelets?. How are his kidney functions ( Cr and BUN)?

    Thnx rch
    Yes we were told that everything had checked out ok. In November they said he was borderline anemic but nothing major. And we had no idea what anemia really was. I thought they would give him some iron pills and that would be it. It wasn't until after the fact that I starting researching anemia and prostate cancer that I realized every symptom it mentioned my dad has. He could barely walk over the weekend, had no color in his face, barely left the couch, and was having trouble breathing. We have told numerous dr's about his symptoms and none mentioned anemia as a possible cause. He didn't have to suffer for so long. Especially since we saw 2 oncologists, one in November and one in december. They both just seemed interested in starting him on chemo. Even though they knew he had lost 60 lbs and was so frail! They definitely dropped the ball and that's why we are starting w/ a new team February 1st. I can't wait...
    I don't have all of his charts w/ me but I'll have them tomorrow. I'll check the numbers of the hemoglobin etc and post them tomorrow. Thanks so much!
  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,701 Member
    #8
    Daddysgirl25 said:

    Thanks tspoon...
    So nice to hear from you. Thank you for sharing your 'honeys' history with me. I feel like my dad and him have a lot in common. It's so wonderful to hear that his psa has gone down to .05 and that he's feeling good for the most part. It gives me hope for my dad. He has already started feeling better after only 2 days since the transfusion. I hope it continues...
    Just curious...Which HT drug is your honey taking? Did he ever have chemo?
    Good luck to you both as well and I hope that he continues to feel good.

    Thinking of YOU

    Daddysgirl

    You are wonderful. Do not worry so much. I like to read your posts and see you so active in your dad’s care. Nobody would do it better than you. I believe that he will get better and that you will find a better oncologist but for the moment your dad’s wishes are important to consider.

    Some doctors are ridiculous and rude and do not like to listen or answer to questions or be confronted by us non doctors. In fact they do not like when someone shows how mistakenly they are in caring for cancer patients.

    Do not let his attitudes to put you down. Continue your work and faith.

    Thinking of you.
    VGama
  • tspoon
    tspoon Member Posts: 24
    #9
    Daddysgirl25 said:

    Thanks tspoon...
    So nice to hear from you. Thank you for sharing your 'honeys' history with me. I feel like my dad and him have a lot in common. It's so wonderful to hear that his psa has gone down to .05 and that he's feeling good for the most part. It gives me hope for my dad. He has already started feeling better after only 2 days since the transfusion. I hope it continues...
    Just curious...Which HT drug is your honey taking? Did he ever have chemo?
    Good luck to you both as well and I hope that he continues to feel good.

    ***
    He is on zoladex, and no he has never had chemo nor radiation. It is my understanding that radiation "uses" bone marrow up and because of the damage done by the cancer, we are saving radiation treatments for later to help manage his pain. One thing I will mention, I have copies of all his paperwork, cds of his scans, you name it i have it. When he goes in monthly, I call exactly 1 week later, and they fax me his new test results. May be something you want to consider, what i dont understand i look up. I deal with export certificates, so medicine is new to me. In this past year, 3 friends/coworkers family members have passed from cancer, and their families lack of understanding has made me remain in the middle of his care. Before a doc tells me he is "Doing better" I want to see the numbers for myself. I will be watching your post and pray for your dad and you as well.
  • Daddysgirl25
    Daddysgirl25 Member Posts: 29
    #10
    VascodaGama said:

    Thinking of YOU

    Daddysgirl

    You are wonderful. Do not worry so much. I like to read your posts and see you so active in your dad’s care. Nobody would do it better than you. I believe that he will get better and that you will find a better oncologist but for the moment your dad’s wishes are important to consider.

    Some doctors are ridiculous and rude and do not like to listen or answer to questions or be confronted by us non doctors. In fact they do not like when someone shows how mistakenly they are in caring for cancer patients.

    Do not let his attitudes to put you down. Continue your work and faith.

    Thinking of you.
    VGama

    Thanks VG
    I wish I didn't have to worry so much...unfortunately my dad had another rough weekend. No pain really, just debilitating fatigue. Also complaining about constant dry mouth. He did not leave the house since Friday. And has only eaten fruit and drank boost. His weight is now down to 149 and he's so weak again. He did have his lupron/zgeva shots on friday so not sure if that has something to do with the fatigue. It seems like since we switched from firmagon to Lupron/casodex that he's gone down hill. Could it be that he tolerated firmagon better? Should he go back to firmagon? His psa also went up since being on Lupron. Ugh I'm just grasping at straws. I cannot wait to meet the new oncologist at UM Sylvester on weds. It will be nice to finally trust someone unlike the incompetent drs we have now. The drug transfusion was not the miracle we had hoped for( he got 2 pints). His hemoglobin was 9 on Friday and his platelets had gone down again to 32,000. We will get new full CBC and psa results tomorrow. I'm going to ask them about his sugar level which causes dry mouth, fatigue, and rapid weight loss if its high. We'll see. Thanks for your kind words...I just know that if I don't look out for him no one will...I always look forward to reading your posts as well. I can't thank you enough for your support and advice...
  • Daddysgirl25
    Daddysgirl25 Member Posts: 29
    #11
    tspoon said:

    ***
    He is on zoladex, and no he has never had chemo nor radiation. It is my understanding that radiation "uses" bone marrow up and because of the damage done by the cancer, we are saving radiation treatments for later to help manage his pain. One thing I will mention, I have copies of all his paperwork, cds of his scans, you name it i have it. When he goes in monthly, I call exactly 1 week later, and they fax me his new test results. May be something you want to consider, what i dont understand i look up. I deal with export certificates, so medicine is new to me. In this past year, 3 friends/coworkers family members have passed from cancer, and their families lack of understanding has made me remain in the middle of his care. Before a doc tells me he is "Doing better" I want to see the numbers for myself. I will be watching your post and pray for your dad and you as well.

    Thnx that's a good idea
    That's a good idea to have them fax me the results every month. We have all the scans on cd and his cbc results also but I don't have every months psa paperwork. When I call his urologist tomorrow for results I'll ask if they can make me a copy of every months psa. Thnx so much! I've also been learning new medical terms. I google everything. Sometimes I feel like I know more than the drs. Which they are not happy about. We have to be on top of their care. No one cares about them like we do. Hoping to get some new info and some relief for my dad on Wednesday. I will post after the UM meeting. Thanks!
  • alinur
    alinur Member Posts: 12
    #12
    a lesson
    If I had one wish ,I'd heal your dad for you.You are a wonderfull daughter. what a lucky dad! keep fighting and you will have all the blessing from God who sees your good deeds and will never let you down.
    This is a real lesson for how important is the family support for anyone dx'ed with cancer.
    Thank you Daddysgirl25.

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