Prostap injection today!

Good Morning Alison (Ally52) 

Hormone Therapy has a list of side effects as long as my arm, but we all react differently to the course of treatment.

I have just come off 3 years of HT and in that time I think I have had every side effect and some not even listed.- (click on my user name or avatar for details) some folk get away with no side effects.  Hormone Therapy can weaken your bone structure so John needs a prescription for Calcium and Vitamin D tablets if that's not been issued.

Fatigue was the hardest for me - when I started feeling tired I would take the dog for an extra walk. Hot flushes were cured by taking Sage Tablets. ED took me by surprise but strange be it it's brought me and Mrs Millibob closer together.

Would I do 3 years on HT again for a "curative pathway"? - Yes I would.

Keep an eye on him and he will be fine - any questions - you know where we are.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hello Ally52,

I had my first 12-weekly Prostap injection on 21st June and fortunately have suffered fairly mild side effects so far. I've noticed minor hot flushes in the last few weeks all in the early evenings but not too significant yet, I've been taking calcium and Vit D tablets like Millibob and have been careful with diet and exercise so have managed to keep my weight the same (although I've been slowly pushing the boundaries in recent weeks and haven't put any weight on yet). Occasional mood swings have also occurred and I think these are related to it - remedy try to stop feeling sorry for myself and do something useful / practical to take my mind off it.

We're all different as you say, but hopefully he'll won't have too many side effects - I guess it's just a case of wait and see what happens and seek help for any problems if and when they arise.

I hope all goes well.

Derek.

Hello Ally

As Brian has said, there are lots of potential side effects of HT but not everybody gets all of them and people seem to react differently. For us, the side effects of the injections (decapeptyl in our case) came on very gradually and with an accumulative effect. My husband has other health problems which became very acute in April 2024. Combined with the HT, he reached rock bottom. He had been on ht for 18 months and also had radiotherapy. The oncologist recommended stopping the ht in May 2024 ( after 18 months). It has taken some time to pull back from the April low point and we are not there yet. I’m not sure whether this is due to natural ageing, other medication, other ailments, the psychological impact of a cancer diagnosis or, in fact, the ht.

That said, the choice was rt and ht and possible cure or no treatment and possibly earlier death. Life did go on despite the treatment and we have had some great times and made some good memories despite the health issues. He wasn’t incapacitated as such - just plodding on rather than enjoying life at top speed!

hth and best of luck to you both

Hi Ally52 ,

I am about a step and a half ahead of your OH. My injections started in June.

There were no side effects when I was on bicalutamide, except what I have come to refer to as "shrinkage". Once I worked out what was causing it, I stopped worrying.

When I had the injections, it took a while for the side effects to get into full flow. Between 3 and 5 weeks.

I suffer from loss of libido (immediate), erectile dysfunction (with a week or so), hot flushes (built up over the first five weeks), minor brain fog (either that or I am paying less attention than before) and fatigue. This last has built up slowly, and links to the brain fog. It is not really an addition, but it does exacerbate any existing fatigue. Most of the time, I exercise out of it, but sometimes I just have a 15-20 minute nap, and that sorts it out. I do that whist driving anyway (stopping first, of course!), to maintain concentration, so I was OK with this. Just applied it to my ordinary life. 

None of these side effects have been crippling. They have all had to have some adaptation.

Being blessed with a chronically ill daughter who has been through all this before, I have taken to dealing with it by using humour. My family and my church are used to that. My work colleagues think I am unhinged.

I have begun to think of it in this way:

The side effects suggest that the treatment is active and working.

This was somewhat borne out when any problems with my waterworks cleared up in August, and when my PSA level fell by 98% at my last test in October.

I will see what happens when I start RT next week.

My life has changed a bit, but it has not been diminished. Onwards and upwards! 

Thanks Brian - as usual very informative, reassuring and light hearted (without being trivial of course!!) We have calcium and vitamin D tablets already - probably left over from covid days so must check expiry date! I've also reminded him that I have a handheld fan which I take to the theatre having had a couple of overheated funny moments myself in the past - must stop going to see the Chippendales ;) so he might like use of that if the hot flushes start!

mstev2

I love your 'none of these side effects have been crippling' and also the psychological help that it means something is happening as, having had nasty side effects from my flu jabs, that mindset worked for me then. John has had no side effects from any vaccinations ever so it might be his turn to summon up that mind over matter power now....although of course I hope not!

Given the comparative success of treatments for this form of cancer, I have adopted some of my chronically ill daughter's attitudes to dealing with it.

For nearly all of us, the treatment is long term. It really is a marathon, and not a sprint.

I looked at 2 things:

1. I was going to have to put up with side effects for a long period, possibly lifelong.
2. I needed to decide whether any problems were better than being dead.

It is probably unnecessary to say that the answer to number [2] was yes.

Once that was in place, I "just" had to work out how to live with the side effects.

Fortunately, my entire family takes the mickey out of each other, so I went with making fun of myself. For me, that works (Example: when having an especially hot and sweaty flush, the statement "I always wanted to be a hotty" lead to a number of groans from those present).

John will find his own special way to deal with whatever befalls him.

He is likely to grumble, will adapt, and then thrive in a new way.

Keep smiling, it will help you and him.

Steve

Worriedwife - thank you for your reply. Must admit I'm rather dreading any depression John might develop as all through our married life he's been totally steady in that area and it's me who's had various bouts of a depressive illness. Guess it's my turn to if required and be the steady one!  

excavator - calcium and vitamin D tablets started thanks to this forum. John asked the nurse who injected him yesterday who shrugged her shoulders and said she guessed it couldn't hurt but she'd never heard of it being helpful!!! Maybe she learnt something

I am having my third zoladex injection 3 monthly 2 1 25 and have had since diagnosis march 24 to come to terms with this 

Currently have had to come off apalutamide because of complications 

Was misdiagnosed initially which freid my head a bit 

But tbh I just look at the world at 67 yrs of age and think there's a lot of people out there I wouldn't swap places with ,homeless ,abused crippled skint etc etc etc 

This as been a walk in the park compared to a lot of people's problems 

Hope all of your future treatments go well and HAPPY NEW YEAR