turmors pressing on the nerves on the c7 disc

305255
305255 Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Prostate Cancer #1
Hi: My husband now has tumors that are pressing on the nerves that run off of the C7 disc. Dr. has tried radiation which he thought would work. there was only a short notice of improvement. He can hardly use his hands and he has noticed the last couple of days that he is now also losing strength in his upper arms. He is on chemo. Our dr. says there is nothing else he can do. My husband is devastated. He was always a very active outdoors person, hunting, search and rescue, etc.. also was a mechanic so you can imagine how hard this is for him to accept. He told one dr. he couldn't live without the use of his hands. Dr. just looked at him and said "yes you can". He's already been through hormone therapy and has just finished his 10th chemo with Taxotere. If anyone has any ideas of anything that might be done to attack these tumors i would be so appreciative. He is desperate and becoming more depressed and dejected each day. It's getting harder and harder to get him to keep positive and fight this disease. Desperately need any help. We live in Ontario, Canada. Thank you everyone

Comments

  • 2ndBase
    2ndBase Member Posts: 220
    #2
    I am also having pain in my left hand for several months and wondered why but am not thrilled with the idea of more tests and treatment. I have lived 5 years with terminal prostate cancer and keep a positive attitude by doing things i enjoy and working jobs I like. I make about 8000 dollars a year and keep all stress out of my life. It has given me alot of extra time and when my time is over I will regret nothing. Depression is normal but so is happiness so focus on the good and your days will be enjoyed and there will be more of them.
  • sblome
    sblome Member Posts: 10
    #3
    You Might Consider a Clinical Trial
    I'm sorry to hear about your husband's great difficulties. Clinical trials may be old news to you, but have you tried searching clinicaltrials.gov?

    This site lists many trials for men with metastatic prostate cancer. You can type "prostate" and "metastatic" in the search box in the upper left to get results. I just ran this search and got about 150 results for active trials. Maybe the Canadian government has a similar database.

    This one using abiraterone has been getting a lot of press, the reports are that the drug has had some good success in controlling tumors:
    http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=abiraterone+prostate&recr=Open

    If your husband is not eligible for this trial, he may be eligible for one of the others. Also (and I'm not very familiar with this), I understand it may be possible for a doctor to apply to the FDA for a "Compassionate Use" waver for certain drugs that are not yet approved. There may be a similar mechanism in Canada.

    I have earlier stage disease than your husband (not metastatic) and I participated in a trial. The results were not dramatic, but the experimental regimen did have some effect on my cancer. One advantage to trials is you usually are working with top doctors and, at least in my limited experience, they treat you a like VIP. For me, the trial was worthwhile.

    I hope this might be of some help and I wish you the best of luck, Scott

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