Local advanced prostate cancer

Hi and a warm welcome to the online community although I'm sorry for the reason that you've had to find us.

I hope you don't mind me popping in as I'm not a member of this group but I noticed that you mentioned that you can't get travel insurance to cover your husband's prostate cancer.

Unfortunately, as you have found, it can be more difficult to find reasonably priced travel insurance when you have had a cancer diagnosis. Could I suggest that you join us over in the travel insurance group. Clicking on the link I've created will take you there.

Once you've joined look for the thread called Recommended Travel Insurance as it's where we try to keep recommendations from other forum members who have obtained travel insurance. It's usually on the first page.

It is best to phone the travel companies rather than try and do online quotes. Make sure you have all the dates of your husband's treatments to hand along with details of any medication and any future planned treatment.

I'm sure someone will be along soon to answer your questions about prostate cancer.

When you feel up to it, it would be really useful if could pop something about your husband's journey so far into your profile as it helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar diagnosis. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Edit Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.

I do hope that you can get insurance and that you have a lovely holiday.

x

Hi Bar sorry to hear about your OH.

Do u have any more info ie psa results, has he had a MRI ?

Gleeson score of 8 is medium aggressive but it would be good if u have some MRI info as that would probably indicate if it's still confined within the prostate 

Steve

Thankyou I've made the first step for help and will try your travel thread 

It has moved outside prostate and that is why he is going for a bone scan Tuesday  his reading was 38ug/l now 19.2ug/l do not really know what it means but thought as it had halfed everything was going to be ok 

Hello bar711, sorry to hear about your husband’s diagnosis.

Many of us on the forum have been diagnosed with PC after visiting the GP on other matters. 

It is scary but it’s good that your husband is getting the tests he needs for full diagnosis, this will allow the doctors to work out a treatment plan or plans.

I would advise that you and your husband download the toolkit from PCUK 

https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information/our-publications/publications/tool-kit

This will help guide you through treatment choices etc.

We are all here to help so please come back with more questions and information on your husband.

You may also find it helpful to talk to someone at MacMillan on 0808 808 0000 or a PCUK specialist nurse on 0800 074 8383, they are fantastic.

Has he started Hormone therapy?

Steve

Hi bar711 you can get insurance for prostrate cancer. Try insurancewith I can get insurance for my husband and he has advanced prostrate cancer. Try not to get yourself stressed you have come to the right place you will get plenty of good advice and not feel as if your on your own. Take Care.

Hi bar711,

The reading you have given of 38ug/l is the PSA test result.  So at the start he was 38 and now he is 19.2 which I guess is because he has started some form of hormone therapy?  Maybe bicalutamide or Prostap or Zoladex or similar?

Anyway, how old is he?  To give you a comparison I was 63 years old and diagnosed with a PSA of 38 (snap!) and a Gleason score of 9 (4+5).  I was locally advanced too so almost identical to your husband.  The higher the PSA, generally but not always, means the cancer has spread further.  In my case the 38 on an MRI and CT scan showed it had invaded the seminal vesicles.  There was no spread to nearby organs, lymph nodes or bones.  

With my age and spread I was only offered hormone therapy and radiotherapy, no operation to remove the prostate (a prostatectomy).  If your husband is much younger, say in his early 50s, he would not be offered radiotherapy due to long lasting possible side effects.  So I had 37 doses of radiotherapy (yes I know, a lot of trips to the hospital but they soon pass) and had started hormone therapy.  After 2 years of hormones I stopped having them. 

Now, almost 4 years on from the first diagnosis I am effectively 'cured' as the PSA readings have been stable at 0.8 for about 18 months now.  I use the word 'cured' lightly as the NHS does not consider you cured until 5 years after treatment.  So having read my story I hope it gives you the knowledge and hope that your husband's situation is not as bad as you think it is right now.  It is a long haul process with no overnight, instantaneous results but you will get there.  People become obsessed with having an operation to 'cut the cancer out' which is understandable but the success rates between radiotherapy and the operation are about the same i.e. 70+% success rate.  There are improvements in treatment all the time so your old man has every chance of success.  Be positive! 

Regards

He did have a Mir scan then biopsy and then told score and he would need bone scan as it was outside prostate the scan is Tuesday that's all I know or understand

Thankyou but insurance co whom I insured with said as all diagnosis aren't confirmed they cannot insure but will omit it from policy so if anything happens due to prostate it will not be covered   Trying not to stress but when not sleeping my mind is so active