Prostate and bladder cancer

Hi Sarah

Sorry to hear about your dad's issues. I am not an expert and not suffered from bladder cancer, however:

* Your dad would have on diagnosis some staging and spread numbers T & N etc do you have these please.

* Surgery would be a no -if the prostate cancer has left the gland and possibly because of you dad's age.

* I can't see any reason why HT can't be started right away.

With the full diagnosis I am sure there will be someone to pop along with some further advice.

Kind Regards

Brian.

Hi Millibob 

Thank you. The cancer had not spread outside the prostate at diagnosis, hence the surgery being considered as an option.

I don’t know the T staging for the prostate-I think my father in law was a little overwhelmed at the double diagnosis so I only have the psa and Gleason score for that-the consultant focused on the bladder cancer, which is considered the more aggressive.

The bladder cancer is stage 3 but N0M0. So in February there was no evidence of any spread from either cancer- he had Ct, mri and bone scan. At 77, he was considered fit enough for surgery although his heart has deteriorated in a test since then-he has AF. He wasn’t to my knowledge given any reason for not being started on hormone treatment right away. 

Sarah xx

Hi Sarah

Thanks for the reply. I was asking about the T & N numbers to see where the cancer was but as you say if it's not left the gland then surgery is an option.

I am still unaware why HT hasn't been offered, perhaps it's because the surgeon is already lining up the surgery appointment and thinks it's not necessary to start.

I think in view of the wait and the possible delays due to the heart condition and given consideration to his conditions I would e-mail the surgeon and if surgery is to be delayed request a start on HT ASAP as this will in effect stop the cancer from growing and at 82 the PSA is high, though a Gleason 7 is mid-range.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards

Brian.

Hi Sarah,

I do not understand why he has not been offered ht treatment. It appears that nearly all the guys on here have been started on them. My hubby, like your father in law, is unable to have chemo also due to heart problems. However, the reason that they use hormone treatment is to reduce testosterone which is what pc needs to grow. My husband's had already spread at diagnosis and the very day he saw the consultant and they confirmed it was advanced, he was straight on the injections.

I seriously think you should get straight on to the hospital or gp and ask why he hasn't been offered the treatment. I cannot see why on earth they would not offer it and the longer he goes without, the easier it will be for the prostate cancer to progress.

My motto in life, especially with regard to health, is be proactive. How often have you sat in a restaurant waiting for food when others are being served. You sit and wait patiently with a waning appetite and then finally pluck the courage up to ask where your meal is only to be told, oh sorry the kitchen missed your order. The consequence is that you either have lost your appetite and walk out, or have to wait for ages for them to actually produce your meal. However, with your health, this is not an option and could have far more serious consequences that a missed dinner.

Keep us up to date of his progress, but be the loud voice for your father in law - the squeaky wheel gets oiled first!

Best regards

Gina

Hi Brian

I’m guessing that the ht wasn’t started because surgery was presumed to be imminent, but we are 5 months on with no sign of it. My partner is going to try and contact the CNS today for an update. His pre op assessment was done 2 weeks ago, and next thing on the agenda is a phone call from the anaesthetist in 2 weeks. It’s just delay on delay. I understood the Gleason maybe wasn’t high risk level, but the psa is a concern.

Thanks so much for your useful advice. I’ll follow up on that.

Sarah xx

Hi Sidsmum 

Thank you Gina. I agree about the need to be proactive with our own health, but fil is a military man, used to following orders without question so it makes things more difficult! He won’t ask questions or chase anything. 

I’ve learned the hard way, having had a serious health issue earlier this year though unconnected with my cancer. My gp wouldn’t see me, despite having gone through cancer twice, and misdiagnosed me over the phone. I ended up in an ambulance, and was admitted to hospital for 9 days, discharged and then forgotten about- no bloods or follow up arranged, despite being told my condition was life threatening.  I then had to chase 2 different hospitals, multiple staff, arrange blood tests only to be told they were still very abnormal. I finally have another follow up in a couple of weeks but it shouldn’t be like this-everything is so disjointed and the staff involved don’t communicate with each other.

I’ll see how the chasing up with the CNS goes today and then we need to be that squeaky wheel I think. My concern is that no HT will allow a spread in the prostate, and that’s without aggressive bladder cancer in the mix! At least stop it now from progressing. If surgery becomes no longer an option, it seems there’s nothing else to be done. 

Thank you for your helpful reply-I’ll keep you updated on how things go.

Sarah xx

Hi Sarah

So sorry to hear and read of your personal issues. Like you I have been there, got the T Shirt. I found (as I am under 3 hospitals) that FULL access to your NHS records on the NHS App is a boon as you can keep an eye on what's going on -of course that's England only.

As for your Father in Law. if he's going on HT make sure he is also prescribed Calcium and Vitamin D Tablets to keep his bone profile as strong as possible. It's often missed and you have to ask.

Best Wishes

Brian.

Thanks Brian

Thats very useful to know, and not something I would have been aware of regarding bone health, so thank you for that.  I’m in England and since I’ve been dealing with my own cancer have almost filled in the hospital bingo card in Sheffield and  Nottinghamshire. So far my tally is 5 hospitals over the 2 counties and I just need the dental hospital in Sheffield for a full set there!

Sarah xx

Hi Sarah  we really hope you get some answers very soon!  February 'til now is an interminable wait.  Although the fact that your father in law had his pre-op 2 weeks ago is a positive, as this indicates his operation is imminent.  Apparently pre-ops are only viable for 6 weeks.   Fingers crossed.

Hi Sned 

Thank you. Yes, I’ve had to get pre ops redone myself because they went “out of date” so I was hopeful when he had it. But if he needs more scans before surgery as I did myself, it delays things even longer and then risks the pre op having to be done again.  It’s just never ending! 

Sarah xx