Very Anxious

Hello Irish Terrier 

A very warm welcome to the online Prostate Community - I know you wish you were somewhere else but this is a great place for help and advice.

I would honestly say your husbands condition is very treatable (let's ditch the other "T" word) as we have plenty of Community members on here who have been diagnosed with a much higher initial PSA and are doing well after treatment.

"Triplet Therapy" that your husband is on is fairly new and is aimed at hitting the cancer hard - the  HT is aimed at putting the cancer to sleep by removing it's food source (Testosterone) and the Chemotherapy is aimed at stopping and reducing the spread.

I am sure that during the weekend you will receive some replies from Community members with the same or similar diagnosis as your husband. I  have put two links below to two very good guides on Advances Prostate Cancer from Prostate Cancer UK-

https://shop.prostatecanceruk.org/our-publications/all-publications/advanced-prostate-cancer

https://shop.prostatecanceruk.org/our-publications/all-publications/advanced-prostate-cancer-managing-symptoms

I hope the above helps - please use trusted sources for your information not Dr Google.

Best wishes - Brian.

Thank you for the reply, I'm feeling pretty isolated at the moment, We have 4 wonderful children but don't want to burden them to much and brother's and sisters but they all have their own problems and live far away.

I have read loads on here and it does help abit but have had the cancer journey before with our grandson who died of AML leukaemia 13 years ago.

Thanks again. 

Hello Irish Terrier 

It's no problem - that's what we are all here for - it's OUR Community and YOU are more than welcome - each and everyone of us has been affected in some way or other by Prostate Cancer and we all have a very different story to tell - but that one thing Prostate Cancer is the common bond.

I can understand your feelings having already lost a grandson to cancer at the age of 13 and I am so sorry for you - that's awful.

We have 4 adult children - we had no choice but to tell ours as I ended up in hospital over Christmas and New year  - so I missed the celebrations and also they missed me!! (click my avatar for the full story). Having told them they have without exception been an amazing source of support. - but we all have our own family circumstances.

We are a great bunch on here - feel free to join in - ask any questions you want and be part of our family - my latest motto is "stronger together" and we are all here for you and your husband.

Best wishes - Brian.

Thank you for your reply,  

We told our children straight away, we don't believe in hiding things and we told the rest of the family once we knew more. The children and grandchildren were all here last Saturday to celebrate my Birthday before Phillip started his chemotherapy and I know they are only a phone call away.

Hi Irish Terrier .

A warm welcome from a wife whose husband has advanced metastatic prostate cancer. Hubby was also told he possibly only had possibly 6 months when he was initially diagnosed in July 2020. It is a real shock and we had the tears and fears. I think the 6 months is given because the experts don't know how the cancer is going to react to treatment as each mans cancer is different and also some men cope better with it than others. The thing to remember is that there are a whole range of different hormone therapies, chemotherapy, radiotherapy treatments available and if the first one doesn't work well, then there is another one waiting in the wings. From experience it can be a bumpy ride but a positive attitude is essential, as is staying as fit as possible. It can be exhausting and emotional for both of you but support is available if you need it. This prostate cancer family is here to help you and will answer any of your questions so please ask away. We can honestly say that we still have a good quality of life and have become closer as a couple.

Hi Irish Terrier 

A very good morning to you and welcome to our prostate cancer family we have got many men and women who will be able to offer you help/support/advice.

Yes I was diagnosed last June 2023 with Terminal Prostate Cancer (Advanced)

My PSA was 1000+ and I was put on Hormone Therapy (tablets and injections) my PSA now stands at 0.9 which is "crazy"

That's great that you're husband has already started treatment with the Hormone Therapy putting the Cancer into hibernation!!!

As you can see above mine has well and truly gone into hibernation and it had better stay that way!!!

I have always been a very positive person and I am up for the fight with my Cancer so it had better be ready!!!!

Please please let me know if there is anything that I can help/support you with??

"Stay Strong"

Prostate Worrier 

Hello Irish Terrier, I am so sorry to read your husbands diagnosis but I can see that others have already been able to give you reassurance and hope in bucketfuls! I hope the chemo goes well and, combined with the hormones, I really hope that this darned cancer is controlled and managed for many years to come. 

we have 4 adult children and told them straight away and every time there is any development they get a ‘Dad update’. This means 2 things. First they give us support when we need it and, second, we were able to alert them to the need for getting mammograms ( daughters) and PSA checks annually due to the high 8ncidence of breast and prostate cancer in my husbands family.

It sounds as if you are a close- knit family but cancer knows no discrimination and has no respect for our love for family members. I  was really very very sorry to hear about your grandson. That is so very hard to bear and your husband’s diagnosis must be like rubbing salt into the wound.

i hope the treatment goes well for your husband and you know where to find us if you need any info or support x

Hi Irish Terrier,

I am so sorry to hear about the diagnosis and the very sad and upsetting death of your grandson.

My husband diagnosed just over 6 months ago and I totally understand how you feel and the level of anxiety. My husband also is treatable but not curable. I can only tell you from our experience that my husband life is almost normal. He does everything he did a year ago. It took few weeks to sink in and then the treatment started and we relaxed into the routine. Advanced prostate cancer is not a death sentence. There are so many different routes of treatment and options. Yes, the HT caused fatigue and hot flashes but it is tolerable in most cases.

We are both optimistic and full of hope. I told my children and our best friends within the first few days about the diagnosis. Not for him but I needed the support and to share. Our children that are very busy with careers and young families find now the time to see us much more and to be more visible and contactable which is a good thing. Also the HT soften my husband a lot. He was hard core before and keeping any emotions hide. He is much open now and believe it or not a nicer person to be with. ( although I will take the pre cancer version back with both hands!).

What I am trying to say that life carry on in a normal way. We live around Brighton and today is a beautiful day, there was the children parade and the beach was full of joy and good food.

Keep living and fighting at the same time. And the important thing, this community is amazing, people are very kind, sharing, knowledgeable and all done with fantastic humor and laughter. So stay in touch.

Lots of love

Danfa