Hi Folks,
At last, it's official - I have recurrent prostate cancer but I really feel that it should be renamed in my case.
I say that because it's in my shoulder and my wife just can't believe the title.
"How can you have PROSTATE cancer up there when it's supposed to be down there?" she asked. I admit that I feel much the same but the truth has been explained to me by the oncologist.
Basically, when they irradiated my prostate cancer back in 2022, they targeted the centre of the problem. Therefore, any stray or floating cancer cells would be missed and it's these that have migrated to my shoulder. So they're cells from the prostate area that have travelled away and found a new home. Simple.
Anyway, they're now going to give me 5 high level doses of radiation in the next few weeks and thereafter I'll stay on Hormone Therapy until further notice. What they've told me is that if my PSA drops to an unreadable level (it was at 6.2 last week - down from 11.2 a few weeks earlier) then I'll be able to stop my Hormone treatment. But if it stays at a countable level then I'll just keep having the 3-monthly injections for the rest of my days.
My only objection to the treatment - the bloody hot flushes!
Apart from that I'm as happy as is reasonable. The problem is under control and as my oncologist said, "You'll die WITH cancer, not FROM it." and I can live with that. Life goes on (at my age, fairly slowly) and I'm enjoying it. The cancer isn't worrying me at all - I've got COPD too, so that's far more important so far as I'm concerned.
So has anyone else had recurrent prostate cancer in odd places?
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.
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