Recurrent Prostate Cancer - in my shoulder!

Hello Souwesterly 

Like you I have a rising PSA although mine is only 3.86 but it's doubled in 6 months. I have been scanned and they "can't find it". My oncologist says they need 9 million cancer cells for it to show it's face!! We are retesting in 3 months and will go back to treatment when my PSA reaches 10 and they can find the little sods!!

At least they have found yours on their holidays in your shoulder and they are about to blasted to death by some targeted radiotherapy - so that's good news.

The only thing I can help you with is I take Sage Tablets for my hot flushes - mine were bad but after a couple of weeks on sage tablets they have gone - I still take the tablets and they have never bothered me again.

I wish you well with the radiotherapy - keep us posted as to how it goes.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hello Brian,

Sage tablets, eh?  And they work too?

My doctor suggested that I try them, so I will.   And she also suggested Evening Primrose Oil as another help but I note that a study in 2021 found that it didn't help with hot flushes but did help with night sweats.

However, as I don't seem to suffer from night sweats (yet) I'll stick to sage.  So thank you for reminding me - I'd forgotten the note from my GP until now.

Cheers

Chris

Hello Chris (Souwesterly) 

Mine are called "Menoforce". You can find them on Amazon or Holland and Barrett. They are a tad expensive but they work for me.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Souwesterly , you are completely correct that the PCa can spread anywhere.  It is classed as PCa because I believe the breakaway cells behave and respond to the same treatments (eg Docetaxel and HT) to starve them of testosterone.  If you read my bio (by clicking on my name or avatar) you can see you are on a similar path to me.  My PCa suddenly appeared in my sternum and with 3 big sessions of RT in February this year (called SABR or SBRT) it was hopefully eradicated.  
7 years ago I had 37 sessions of 2Gy RT which was fairly easy for me.  Fatigue hit very slowly and apart from that not many side effects during treatment (it was just so boring and repetitive).  With the SABR it was a much larger dose of 13.4Gy and I was ok during and for a month after and then the fatigue hit me in April and was quite bad for a couple of months but I am working my way out of it now.  
My PSA is back to low numbers again (0.055), but my oncologist won’t stop the HT as she is convinced it will return and stopping will hasten that time.  She has got me this far and I can’t remember not having HT so will go with her suggestion (it doesn’t stop me asking her each time!).  
Please let me know if you want any more info.

Hi Brian,

About the sage capsules...

Menoforce are apparently made from a dried tincture of sage leaves. They're 30 mg each and as you say, they're quite pricy.

However, looking around, I found Sage Leaf Extract which is sold as a food supplement at 500 mg each - and a hell of a lot cheaper.

I bet that I can't use them because they're so strong, relatively speaking, but are they in any way similar?  Somehow I doubt it, but you, as a mine of generally useful information, might know.

And if you don't, then does anyone else know?

Cheers

Chris

Hello Chris (Souwesterly) 

I can't answer that one. I started the Menoforce Sage tablets as someone on here recommended them and as they work for me it's happy days.

The benefit of a tablet as opposed to sage leaf is you take a tablet every day and you are on a regular controlled dose - with sage leaf you just don't know how much you are having with each cup full.

Someone may have a better answer.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Chris,

I took Sage Leaf Capsules from Holland & Barrett (sorry if that's not allowed now). I think they were 1050mg and I took two twice a day! I can't see them on their website now but they do have an equivalent under "Women's Health". It doesn't work out much cheaper than Menoforce.

I always stocked up when they had a BOGOF offer (actually it was 1p for the second one but essentially free). I also took Evening Primrose Oil at the same time.

I was lucky to have a GP who was also a trained homeopathy practitioner and prescribed sepia (Cuttlefish Ink) tablets which I took roughly every six weeks.

I hope that helps.

Hello Seamus,

Many thanks for your comments regarding Sage and other remedies to ease or dispel hot flushes.

Fascinating to compare your Sage experience to Brian's - there's a big difference, isn't there?

So before I indulge and buy some, I think I'll have a word or two with my specialist nurse at the hospital and if she can't help more then I'll speak to my GP.

What's weird though, is that I haven't had a hot flush for several days now, for some reason - lord knows why not.  When I started off taking Bicalutamide I was getting around 10 a day or more and they continued when I began with my hormone injections, but their frequency seems to have fallen off until now they've disappeared.

I know - famous last words and all that - so I won't push my luck by saying that they're gone.  They're in recession - how's that!

Anyway Seamus - and Brian of course, many thanks again and best wishes to you both.

Chris