My husband has metastatic prostate cancer which has spread to his axel skeleton. Does anyone know what this diagnosis means? He also has spinal cord compression and femur cancer. He has double incontinence as well. His consultation was not very optimistic when I met with her a couple of months ago. However since being home, just over two months now, he is learning to use a transfer board to move from bed to wheelchair and has gained a little movement in his legs. He cannot stand or walk and this frustrates him more than anything else.
is it possible for the nerves in his spine to recover? He had two sessions of radiotherapy on his spine about four months ago.
He had a telephone review with a consultant last week, she said his PSA is now 1.5 but she’d like it to be lower. Please can anyone explain what this means. His PSA was over 900 when he was diagnosed and went down to 58 after steroid treatment and hormone treatment. He is still having the monthly hormone treatment.
some days life feels ok and I can carry on with looking after him, other days I feel overwhelmed and so desperately sad and tired, just as he does too. Sometimes I just want to know how this is all going to unfold and when will it end….mostly I don’t want to know for fear of losing my best friend, my beloved husband. Thanks for being there.
Hello Teatowel
I am so sorry to read your post and I will do the best I can to answer your questions - but don't forget I am not medically trained.
* As I understand it the "Axel Skeleton" refers to the bones which protect the body's vital organs - so that's at least the skull and the rib cage.
* My understanding of SCC is that if treatment is early in it's onset then recovery is possible. It is possible to recover some of the nerve function but not in the main nerves running through the spine.
* The Consultant would like the PSA to be as low as possible. In a nutshell (no pun intended) the Hormone Therapy puts the cancer cells to sleep and they are then controlled as they can't go anywhere. 1.5 shows that there's a small amount of activity still and as he's still on Hormone Therapy this should reduce even further.
I hope the above helps.
Why not give our Support Line a call on 0808 808 00 00 (8am to 8pm 7 days a week). They are there for both of you and they can offer you both some help and advice.
Best wishes - Brian.
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