My Dad has Prostate Cancer

Hello ron1000 and a very warm welcome to you. My husband was diagnosed in April with spread to spine and pelvis. We know he can't be cured but have been told he can be treated for many years. Like you at the start I spent hours and hours googling trying to find an answer I liked, rather than a medical one I didn't like. I literally wore myself out in the end. Husband has just completed 6 sessions of chemo, is taking daily daralutamide tablets and has a hormone injection every 12 weeks. He sailed through chemo with hardly any side effects and does well on the tablets and injections. Don't loose hope, there are lots of treatments out there and new ones are coming along all the time. Take each day as it comes, life will probably feel a bit busy as your dad goes for tests and then waits for results etc. we are all here for you so never be afraid to ask questions. 

Hello Ron1000  A warm welcome to the MacMillan Online Community - we are a decent bunch!

I am so sorry to read about your dad - I am NOT on the advanced Prostate Cancer journey - but if you have been reading our forums you will find there are plenty of members in the group living with advanced prostate cancer, and plenty who have been diagnosed over 5 years ago.

One statistic to remember is that 98% of men diagnosed with Prostate cancer die WITH it not FROM it.

I am always advising people to avoid "Dr Google" as there are some "amazing" posts and cures there - indeed the main 2 sources for help and information are MacMillan's and Prostate Cancer UK, First off there is some great information on Advanced Prostate Cancer if you use the link at the top of this page "cancer Info and support" and follow the links to Prostate Cancer. Prostate Cancer UK also have some cracking free to download publications at:

https://shop.prostatecanceruk.org/advanced-prostate-cancer?search=advanced%20prostate%20cancer

There are plenty of others there too.

To make life easy and to avoid people asking you the same questions - can I ask you to complete dad's profile? To do this go to your home page and click on the image  of the chair - top right and then "profile" and then "edit" and put some details on about dad's journey so far (You can read mine by clicking on the icon of the beach - you don't need to write a book!).

I am sure other Community members will be along soon with their personal replies - remember it's OUR community and YOU are more than welcome. Ask anything you want - however trivial.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hello Ron1000.

A very warm welcome to you. It comes as a great shock to have a cancer diagnosis and the first thing you want to know is 'how long have I got'. My husband was diagnosed 41 months ago with advanced metastatic prostate cancer with distant spread so, like you, I googled and came up with the same statistics and it took about 6 months to get my head round it. The thing to remember is that the statistics are historical and there have been great advances in treatments in recent years which are improving life expectancy as well as quality of life.

Every persons treatment is tailored to them and to a certain extent is dependent on where they live and the health authority they are under. Your father has already started on hormone therapy so this should be putting the brakes on the cancer and you should be able to tell if this is working if the PSA drops. This will then be used to monitor that it is still working further down the line. We have been on a rollercoaster journey with the first line of treatment working for 18 months, then switching to another drug which worked for another 18 months, and my husband completed chemotherapy in October this year which appears to have worked, but for how long we do not know. What we have been assured is that there are further treatments available if needed and if we choose to have them. So far my husband is feeling the best he has felt since initial diagnosis and we still have a good quality of life, albeit different to what we would have liked because of the side effects of the hormone therapy and his advancing age (he is now 80).

Our oncologist told us at the outset that he could do 50%, the other 50% was down to us in terms of having a positive attitude and with lifestyle changes in terms of diet and keeping as fit as possible. Willpower and optimism count for a lot both on your part and on your father's. Take each day as it comes and enjoy your time with your father. You have been given an opportunity to make the most of your time together however long that may be.

Once your father has his treatment plan then we can help you understand what is involved and how to keep him as safe as possible. Please come back with any questions, no matter how small or silly you might think them as we have all asked them.

Hi Ron

Sorry to hear about your dad

I realise that something is showing on the MRI regarding his neck but it is probably best to wait for the other scans as impossible to say really based on current info.

PSA not particularly high which wouldn't indicate a spread although I know that certain prostate cancers can produce little PSA although fairly rare.

So it's fingers crossed as the other scans should tell u what u need to know.

Do you have any other PSA readings from previous ?

Keep us posted and I hope that it all works out better than what you are fearing

best wishes

Steve

Thank you so much for the reply Shar. It's good to know that like me you ended up googling the hell out of it, trying to find an answer that you wanted rather than the ones which keep coming up. the waiting is horrible isn't it? Thank you so much for your positivity at a time when I really need it x

Thanks Millibob. I've done my profile now. Thank you for your reply and to the whole community for stepping in and raising me up a bit

Thank you so much for the information Alwayshope. You guys have been so helpful. I'm glad to hear that your husband is feeling well. I'm thinking of getting some things for my Dad to encourage a healthier lifestyle. He's never had a healthy lifestyle but he did give up smoking almost a year ago after a lifetime of it so it's a start! Thank youso much x

Hi Steve, Thank you. Instead of google, I will come here in future! he's never had a PSA test before. This was the first time. I think you feel so out of control waiting for results that you end up trying to find the results yourself! He's being immensely positive which is great and in front of him I am too. Thank you so much for your support

Hello Ron1000, and welcome, as my mum had cancer i can remember when she was diagnosed  the despair and heartbreak I, and now you are feeling, and how the waiting, and not knowing made things worse. It is the hardest part of most peoples cancer journey. but once you get the results and your dads hormone injections begin, things will start to feel a little better, Ron i have PCa which has spread, but i have a good life and only very recently a new surgical procedure has been developed which may give me more time, Your dad sounds like a great guy, and i love his attitude. please take care, Eddie

Hello Ron1000 

Just a few thoughts - I am jumping forward a little bit however:

* If the Prostate Cancer is in dad's bones he could do with a prescription for Calcium and Vitamin D tablets if he's not been given one. (Hormone Therapy can lead to a weakened bone structure).

* There will be a consultation with dad's team once all the results of the tests/scans are in. It's a good idea to have a list of questions for the consultant and see if they are happy for the meeting to be recorded (on your mobile phone) so you don't miss any information.

* If you are in England (but not Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland) if you have the NHS App. Ask for FULL access to Dad's records - you can access his records as a delegate. That way you can ensure the hospital keeps the GP up to speed and you can check tests - bloods PSA etc done at the GP's.

I hoe this helps - Feel free to ask any questions and thanks for updating Dad's profile page.

Best wishes - Brian.