Hi all,
I was quite active in this community a few years ago but life became more complicated and I couldn't keep up. Dad's condition has taken a recent turn and I am anxious.
My father is 77, has advanced Prostate Cancer and lives alone.
Staging Oct 2017:
pT2C M0 N0 adenocarcinoma of the prostate, Gleason 4+3, presenting PSA 13.4
Jun 2018 diagnosis:
2006 Hormone-resistant metastitic prostate cancer
Radical prostatectomy
Salvage radiotherapy
PSA relapse requiring LHRH agonist with addition of Bicalutamide
Metastatic disease in lymph nodes (6 months Enzalutamide)
2018 commenced Docetaxel for 10 treatments
This information has been extracted from consultant letters from Oct 2017 and Jun 2018. Since then I only have the information dad has shared with me. There has obviously been a change in his staging since Oct 2017 and I believe he is now in Stage 4 (lymph nodes, lower back, ribs).
Further developments:
2019 commenced a different hormone therapy for 10 treatments (can't remember name)
May 2020 tumour on nerve caused double incontinence. 5x radiotherapy treatment reduced tumour but unable to completely remove it in case of further nerve damage.
Swollen feet since returning home apparently a side effect of radiotherapy treatment.
Consultant has suggested they might try him on tablet chemotherapy.
Dad is the kind of person who does not face things head on. He chooses to ignore what he doesn’t want to hear. This makes it very difficult when he is the only source of information. I get it, it is his cancer and he must deal with it as best he can but as a daughter I do not really understand how things are progressing. It feels that things have taken a considerable turn for the worst recently but I don’t know how bad things are and I don’t know how to find out without probing dad, which I don’t really want to do.
Dad and I have a difficult relationship and he shares more with my sister. They support each other but I only find things out mostly by accident. It seems as long as they both know what's going on they don't think it necessary for me to know. I have learned to accept this is the way they are but it makes it very difficult for me. If I contact my sister too much she ignores me. We only communicate through WhatsApp. As a result I only contact her when I absolutely have to and there is no guarantee she will reply.
I realise it is a difficult situation and each person responds to treatment differently, but I would appreciate any input on how things might progress for dad from here so I can gauge how quickly things may develop.
Thanks for any Input.
Ang1e
