Decision time on Surgery & Radiation, all test done

Hormone therapy for 14 years? Well, I guess everyone’s treatments are unique God bless him. Also, I see that diet and exercise can work very positively for some and I just ordered a book by Jane McLelland that had good reviews. Just looking to stay positive and in the proper state of mind.

No, you are not a guinea pig for cancer trials, unless you really have enrolled in one. The protocols that doctors use are 'standard' for the situation at hand. I will add that they are typically based on the results of trials and some of these don't hold up as more results are obtained.

PS: Doctors don't want to be sued and don't want to loose their license to practice by using non-standard protocols. There are some though that do walk right on the edge of what is considered standard.

Looking good!

Enjoy the holidays and good luck with the OAR placement procedure.

Thanks oldspice for the complement. I am not a medical professional but do my best to stay up-to-date with respect to the prostate cancer topic.

I just added my personal 'story' to my profile. I had some trouble finding the location for posting 'histories' and never got around to it until now.

lasermarketing - Treatment Update

I went through your 2-year treatment protocol about 3 years ago, but I was further along on my PCa journey and successive radiation treatment protocols than you are today. My radiation protocol (this time) was SBRT to cook some local PCa in my left pelvic bone (local metastasis).

I don't want to scare you or upset you in any way, but I do want you to be fully aware that the next 2-3 years will be quite challenging for you with this treatment protocol. Yes, everybody's reactions to the side effects can be different in terms of their frequency and severity; however, I can assure you that the side effects will become quite pronounced for you in the near future. ===> fairly extreme transitions between cold chills and hot flashes at intervals of every 10-25 minutes; profound fatigue in performing routine physical activities; changes in mood swings, including emotional ups and downs that you never experienced before (estrogen will be the dominant hormone in your body); and a drop in motivation to perform/complete activities that need to be done.

At the end of your 2-year treatment protocol, do not expect these side effect to quickly go away, as they will continue on for quite some time. I am now 11 1/2 months from the conclusion on my 2-year treatment protocol, and the side effects have not yet diminished. My testosterone level was 3 for the 2-year treatment protocol period, and now almost a year later, it has increased only to 10. HOWEVER, my PSA is currently undetectable, and that is, and will always, be the most important statistic that I follow in my PCa journey.

Again, I give you this information only so that you will know what to expect and take appropriate measures along the to minimize their impact on you and those around you (very important). For example, I have several headbands on hand to stop the hot flash sweat from running down into my eyes from my head during each hot flash, and I keep a bath towel nearby to wipe off my arms and the back of my hands, which shed sweat profusely on the more severe hot flashes. I keep a few full length zippered fleece jackets on hand, which I put on during the cold chills (temperature in my house is set at 74 degrees) and then take them off during the hot flashes. Last, and equally important, I work very hard not to immediately react/reply to anything that folks say around me, but to think first, and then respond (due to estrogen being the dominant hormone in my body).

Hopefully, the above will give you additional information and perspective as you enter this phase of your PCa journey, so that you can better manage it. Try to remain as physically active as you can, as that activity can be helpful in managing the side effects (particularly fatigue). I wish you the best of outcomes on your PCa journey.

Somewhere between 10 and 15 weeks the strong side effects will come into play, and yes, they come on gradually during this time period. I was physically active prior to this 2-year treatment protocol.

Seems like so long ago…Great to hear your treatment is doing good things for you. The exercise seems to help a lot. It really is awesome to hear good ole positive news from a member of the group. I am curious how you are managing any weight gain what say you? Thanks for the update and reach out again in the future.

Glad to hear that good news. Good to hear positive stuff once in a while but knowing you are a gym rat tells me you took the best approach and possibly had lots to do with it. Good luck moving forward.