New here, worries daughter.

Hi Lozzymuss, and a warm welcome to the forum, I am so sorry to read about your dad, but please understand none of us are professionals and react differently to therapies and medications, I can tell you mine,  3 years ago, aged 56, at diagnosis Gleason 10, spread to 5 organs and 8 lymph nodes, but all localised,  so surgery not an option, like you started on hormone therapy HT pills, "1 month of bicalutamide," quickly followed by 3 monthly HT injections Prostap3,, and aggressive radiotherapy 10 months later to the whole pelvic area, the unusually long wait,  due to other health issues and needing a TURP,  results 18  months on from RT, cancer detectable in 1 lymph node only. 

Lozzymuss, as I did 18 months ago, can I suggest you contact your GP, and get a  referral to your hospice and their palliative care team, "they are NOT for end of life only,"  and your district nurses, they will support dad and his family, helping with pain management and any specialist nurses or equipment your dad may need to be as comfortable as he can be, so as to make the most of his time, best wishes.

Eddie 

Hello Lozzymuss and welcome from a wife whose husband was diagnosed in July 2020 with advanced metastatic prostate cancer spread to distant lymph nodes and viscera and he is still going strong. Even in this time treatment protocols have changed and new drugs have become available. The protocols are tailored for each patient but for your father I would think that they will try and hit it hard and fast provided they think he is fit enough to cope with it so the first thing you can do is to encourage your dad to get as fit as possible and preferably with some muscle strengthening exercises to combat the loss which the hormone therapy can cause. The hormone therapy puts the cancer into hibernation giving the experts time to sort out a plan but you may have to be politely assertive to make sure that your dad gets treatment in a timely manner. The HT can also reduce some of his symptoms, as can exercise. There is one treatment for men who have widespread metastases called Triplet Therapy which is a combination of Hormone injections, chemotherapy and hormone tablets but it is important to start the treatment within 12 weeks of first starting hormone therapy. No one will give a prognosis because treatments have improved considerably plus each type of prostate cancer can react differently to treatment, as can each individual. Our oncologist said at the beginning that he could do 50%, the other 50% was down to us in terms of exercise and lifestyle such as diet and attitude. We are not medically trained but we can help guide through our own experience. It is not easy and if you read my profile by clicking on the photo by my name you will see what a rollercoaster it is but you have to be positive.

I have attached a link to a free book which you can download which will give you some background information.

https://issuu.com/magazineproduction/docs/js_prostate_cancer_guide_for_patients_ezine

Please ask any questions, nothing is too small or silly as we have all been where you are now and know how scary and frightening it is but things do get better once you have a plan.

Good Morning Lozzymuss 

Another warm welcome to the Macmillan Online Prostate Community, although I am so sorry to find you here. - I am Brian one of the Community Champions here at Macmillan, I am also on just starting my 4th year on my personal Prostate Cancer journey.

Every single person with a Prostate Cancer diagnosis has a personal journey and no two people are alike - I am a Gleason 9 and Type 2 diabetic although on diagnosis I had no spread and the little blighters were only just about to embark on a "walkabout". At the outset can I say use trusted sources for your information - Prostate Cancer UK, Cancer research UK and Macmillan - not Dr Google.

I don't believe in a prognosis - we are all different and 98% of men with Prostate Cancer die WITH it not OF it and we have Community members here who are treatable but not curable living normal lives - I don't fight cancer I live with it.

As Alwayshope has said in her post above the best way to sort dad out is to keep him fit and hit the cancer hard and fast with Triplet Therapy if that's possible - ask at your oncology meeting.

On this journey - you have to advocate for yourself so ensure you get an appointment with the oncologist and if it's a few weeks off - ring up and accept any cancellation - once you know when it is come back to us for advice on questions to ask.

As a group we are here for you - it's all new - we have all "been there - done that" - just ask any questions - however trivial - you will get answers.

Best wishes - Brian