Dad, prostate cancer

Hi

Low grade PC is very treatable, hormone treatments are tge first port of call, the team who will look after your dad, are extremely experienced, they will have his welfare top priority.

Its a devil hearing those words, you always fear the worst, but if you’ve questions to ask, don’t hold back, the team are there to help and put your mind at rest.

Stay safe

Joe

Thank you Joe, I'm sure this group is really going to help my crazy mind lol, I'm one of these people that tend to think the worst to avoid disappointment. 

Hello Twizzle1001 

Ah, yes I see you have found us. Welcome again to the Prostate forum - we are a great bunch (even though I say it myself).

The first thing to remember is that 98% of men die WITH Prostate Cancer, not OF it, so dad is in good hands as his team have his case in hand. It's been caught early and there's a great chance of a "Curative Pathway".

As Joe above said - the first line of treatment is Hormone Therapy combined with Radiotherapy. Without going into too much detail the HT will deprive the cancer of it's food - testosterone and the RT should put the cancer to sleep for good!

If you can at some point get dad's staging (TNM Score and Gleason Score) it will help us to help you.  The details will be in this format T3aN0M0 Gleason 9 (5+4) They are my details - you don't want them!!

Feel free to ask any questions you have, however trivial - someone who's "been there, done that" will give you an answer.

Best wishes - Brian

Thank you so much, yes hormone therapy and radiotherapy has been mentioned over the phone but we are just waiting for the appointment to go in and discuss all his options, as soon as I have these I'm sure I'll be back here to get all your help and advice.

I'm so glad I joined I already feel a lot better in my head today, ty. 

Thank you Joe, this group has already made me feel better today. 

I'm sure I'll be back once I have more info from his treatment plan etc. 

Take care and thank you. 

Hi Twizzle1001 , as the others have explained there is no need to panic.  It sounds like your dad will probably get put onto HT which should keep everything under control for years.  I had aggressive cancer and am still here 7 years later and having a good quality of life.  If you know the results of the biopsy let us know as that will help, but try not to worry.  Best wishes David

Hi David thank you so much for your message and I'm so glad your doing well. 

It's good to hear some positive stories. 

I will keep you posted after our next appointment. 

Take care 

Hello Twizzle, my husband was 75 when his PSA hit 10. He likewise was advised to have treatment with ‘the intention to cure’. He was started on hormone therapy which, we were told, would stop the cancer progressing. 3 months later he had 20 sessions of radiotherapy. That was 18 months ago and now he has just stopped the hormone therapy! He will, though, need his PSA monitored for the next 10 years and further treatment if the PSA rises again.

how was it for us? Well, we were scared silly about the radiotherapy - and wasted a lot of energy because the main problem was tiredness due to the travelling! His post radiotherapy PSA was 0.03! The hormone therapy side effects have been more troublesome - some brain fog, thinning of hair, weight gain ( around the middle), some ‘down ‘ times etc etc. But - it did not stop us living LIFE to the full - enjoying hobbies, travelling, having fun with family etc. More importantly - he is still here with me and at my side!

The treatment and management of prostate cancer has really improved in our life time. We have more reason to hope than perhaps any time before now! There is a lot of research ongoing and new drugs etc are being added to the war chest as time goes on. 

Your dad ( and your mum?) will be extremely anxious right now. Our 4 children were our best support - in lots of different ways - making regular contact, one sent a box of treats for my husband just as he was starting radiotherapy, another took over the daily drive for radiotherapy for 5 sessions, we were invited to visit to try out a home made fruit cake with a cup of tea are some of the things they offered! Our grandchildren also provided much needed light relief. Thinking back, it was all the little acts of thoughtfulness, regular contact and just being there for us that helped us when we most needed it. I hope you have siblings to help and support you too? 

suffice it to say, the fact that you have posted here shows just how much love and concern you have for your Dad and I feel you will do all you can to help him :) I wish you all well on this journey!

Hi and thank you so much for your response, I'm so glad your husband is doing ok and of course yourself to. 

I am an only child and extremely close to my parents in fact my hubby and I are away on holiday with them now as we speak. 

My dad is a very closed off man and would rather not talk but I ask him everyday if his ok and he knows I'm there for him, mum and I talk about it as and when we need to. 

It will be a long road ahead and once we get back from our holiday hopefully his appointment to discuss his treatment will be sorted. 

Really appreciate your positive message as sometimes it's hard to see too much negativity. 

I'll keep you posted as and when he starts his treatment. 

Take care 

Tracy 

Hello Tracey

The receipt of a prostate cancer diagnosis was earth shattering for us all. My husband, likewise, refused to discuss in those first weeks/ months - even to the extent of refusing to engage with the medical consultations!!! If your Mum is like me, this might make her feel very lonely but also glad to be able to talk things over with you.

Your original post caused me to reflect on how the diagnosis might have impacted on our children and how they reacted. As we were going through those first weeks/ months I think we were so absorbed in our own difficulties that we overlooked our children’s feelings and reactions etc. But, it was their consistent support in those little ways I mentioned that got us through. Our children were there for us during the bad days but stepped back to let us get on with our lives when there were good days. They stepped up!

That said, as the time went on, although we didn’t realise it initially, there became fewer bad days and many more good days!!! I hope you will experience the same! Medicine is so advanced now that there are many, many more people living a good quality of life with their cancer being either cured or well treated. 

I see you are on holiday with your parents now. I hope you are able to all relax, recharge your batteries and enjoy quality family time.