Prostrate treatment

 Hello Old man time,

Thanks for getting in touch. My name is Megan, I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurses on the Macmillan Support Line.

Welcome to the online community. I can see that you have joined the New to the Community forum and hope you have been finding it warm and supportive place. You might also be interested in joining the Prostate cancer forum.

I am sorry to hear you have noticed an increase in pain and are noticing you feel colder than usual. Although joint pain and temperature changes are both common side effects of hormone treatment for prostate cancer, it is not definite that you will experience all side effects mentioned and if so the level you experience may be mild, moderate or severe.

It wasn’t entirely clear what stage your prostate cancer diagnosis is as stage 4 would suggest it has spread outside of the prostate. Yet you also mention it is contained in the prostate. If indeed it is stage 4 and you are getting increased pain, we would be concerned for bone pain a symptom of advanced prostate cancer and advise you to contact your clinical team immediately or call NHS 111 for further medical advice today.

Regardless, as a charity Macmillan does not have access to your healthcare records and cannot formally assess or diagnose the cause of your symptoms you should tell your cancer doctor or nurse as soon as possible about the increased pain in your ankle, back and shoulders. They will want to know about an increase in pain and your other symptoms so that they can help you best manage them.

As feeling cold can be caused by many different things, it would be best to mention this to both your hospital team and GP. Some causes such as anaemia and type-2 diabetes could potentially be related to a change in hormone levels and therefore should be further investigated and managed where possible.

Feeling cold or shivery can also be a sign of an underlying infection so if you cannot get hold of your hospital team or GP, you should call NHS 111 for further medical advice today.

If you find hormone therapy is the cause of your symptoms, you might find Prostate Cancer UK’s Specialist Nurse ‘Life on ADT’ classes beneficial in attending. Most men who attend agree that experience sharing with others has been helpful to them in managing symptoms of hormone therapy.

You might also want to consider attending a local cancer support group or cancer support centre. The Cancer Care Map is a simple, online resource that aims to help you find cancer support services in your local area wherever you are in the UK.

I hope this information is useful. Please don’t hesitate to get back in contact by email, webchat or phone, if you need further information or support.

The Macmillan Support Line offers practical, clinical, financial and emotional support. You can call us free from landlines and from most mobile phone networks on 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week, 8am – 8pm.

Best wishes, Megan

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

Ref MD/MH