Worried about Dad

Hi purpletree,

I’m really sorry to hear about your dad, I confess I’m a little out of the area that I know about. But I do know that it’s early days in the treatment for your dad,  it is a shock and a worry for all of you, but particularly for your dad who has a lot to process. He will feel very tired because of this and also the Ht will add another layer of fatigue as he adapts. My partner also has a yellow waxy tinge when he gets tired and it freaks me out when I see it. I don’t know if it’s his Ht or something else. It goes after he has slept, he keeps very well hydrated and that also brings the colour back. Your dads HT should be working from this point and his PSA will start to go down now he has had the “jab” make sure he has plenty of rest and fluids. Try to relax a bit more now as he’s having treatment and things are now going the right way, his testosterone levels will be dropping and his cancer will be getting knocked back because of this. Hopefully someone can offer you some good advice as to what’s next and any tips. Also remember to look after yourself, You’ve all had a terrible shock and it’s incredibly draining. 
best wishes to you and your family , hopefully things will start to improve now.with the treatment. 

L

Hello Purpletree

sorry to hear about your Dad. It’s a big worry for all of you. The hormone therapy will be contributing towards your Dads tiredness. I am thought concerned when you say he has a ‘little cancer in his kidney and liver, that he’s feeling more poorly and looks jaundiced. I would suggest he sees a doctor to get his blood checked to make sure that the kidney and liver secondaries are not causing additional health problems that ought to be attended to.

I hope, of course, that there is nothing more for you all to worry about and that your Dad will soon be feeling better.

Hi

The ' something he was taking to prepare' sounds like Bicalutamide.  It prevents tumour flare, when the first injection is given.

The HT will make him tired, but is doing its job of halting the growth of the PC. Whilst it feels counter intuitive a little exercise and getting out into the open air will help.

Regards

Stuart

Hi

Not the best news, has your doctor been able to help with some of his problems ? Also are the consultants aware of his condition at the moment, they could change his hormone treatment there are a few. 
Hope things get better it is a trying time.

Stay Safe

Joe

My husband was diagnosed over 3 years ago after losing a lot of weight very quickly and looked and felt very unwell. He was put on hormone therapy immediately which acts as a break on the cancer. There are many different treatment paths all designed to help make your father more comfortable. If you click on the chair next to my name you will see his journey. The weight loss  and his feeling so poorly subsided after the radiotherapy, which was completed 4months after initial diagnosis, and he started wanting to do more 6 months after initial diagnosis.

It sounds as if your father is trying to protect you by saying he has a little bit of cancer in his lungs.... You are obviously a caring family which your father is going to need. If your father will open up about his treatment plan it would let others on this forum help you to understand what is going on. Things look very scary to you at the moment which is natural and everyone having a cancer diagnosis feels the same. Take heart that your father has started with hormone therapy. The next step will depend on his health and what the doctor's think he can cope with, along with what route your father choses to take. You do not say whether your father has a partner to help him through the decision making.

This group has many caring and supportive members who will willingly help if you are able to get more information.

Take care and always hope.

Hello Purpletree

Welcome to the Prostate Cancer forum. It's the place to be for information and help. Don't be afraid to ask anything - however trivial you may think it is.

You dad has been placed on Hormone Therapy to stop his testosterone, this is the "food" for the Prostate Cancer.

Scampidoodle said:

The ' something he was taking to prepare' sounds like Bicalutamide.  It prevents tumour flare, when the first injection is given.

Once this has been taken for the first 28 days I would hope the initial side effects (there will be further side effects later) will be gone and you should see an improvement in his health and wellbeing.

May I ask if you have a treatment plan for your dad and if so are you aware what it is please? You didn't say what his initial PSA was but this treatment should begin to reduce the figures quite quickly.

The members of this forum are a great "bunch" and are here to help - we look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes

Brian.

Thank you for your lovely reply.

The waxy yellow tinged possibly being linked to fatigue to somewhat reassuring. I have passed your message to my mum. 

Hi WW,

Thank you for your reply. 

My Dad saw a nurse a couple days ago to talk about his symptoms. she agreed he was looking quite yellow and sent him for a blood test which he had yesterday. She also mentioned this could be linked to possible diabetes as a result of the cancer, however I haven't been able to see anything about this online. 

thanks for the well wishes.

thanks for the reply.

He's been given a good supply of compact to help increase his calorie intake but other than that I Don't think a lot is being done to help the symptoms. My mum asked a nurse about the possibility of steroids for his appetite but she didn't think this was the right decision at the moment. 

He called his GP to get an appointment recently because he is feeling concerned about his total lack of appetite, and they nearly tried to make him wait 4 weeks for appointment. The NHS can be so slow and I'm really worried I can't trust that my dad is getting the best care. 

Hi

Not sure what you mean by nurse - GP or hospital - but in my experience the Cancer Nurse Specialists at the hospital are a better bet than a GP practise. The CNS, by definition, have greater knowledge, and have direct access to a consultant. Try them. The nurses on here are great too !

If you feel you are getting the run around from the hospital, then - as Worried Wife suggests on other posts - try the PALS team at the hospital. I've tried them at my local hospital at it works!

Regards

Stuart