Hello.

Hello DavieDog 

A warm welcome to the club you didn't want to join. and i am so sorry to find you here, having said that this is a great bunch of people.

I will start you off with a couple of "pointers"

* Do you have a prescription for Calcium and Vitamin D tablets? Hormone Therapy can weaken your bone structure so these are good at being preventive.

* Fatigue - Do as much exercise as you can, walking and gym work to keep up your muscle strength - Pure Gym offer free 12 months membership if you have advanced prostate cancer.

* I had bad hot sweats at the start of my journey - I take Sage Tablets (Menoforce) and they have stopped completely although they don't work for everyone.

There's 3 for you - i am sure others will be along with advice.

Kind regards - Brian.

Thanks. Still negotiating my intake of tablets, etc.. Am on Tamsulosin, Omeprazole and Pravastatin at the moment but am having a face to face with my Oncologist in a couple of weeks and I'm compiling a list of questions for him. I've started eating more cereals for the calcium in the milk as a first step dietary intake with the worries about osteoporosis. I get out walking quite regularly planning my routes with the availability of toilets (which are sometimes in the pub when I'm thirsty) and convenient bushes.

I have a local Cancer Charity, Force, who I am now registered with and I believe I can get some exercise advice and plans from them with their inhouse physios including gym based activity and that's on my list to explore. They've already offered me some complementary treatments and I've had a counselling assessment with them. It's a lovely place on the edge of the hospital grounds and sometimes I can just pop in for some tea and biccys and a chill indoors or in their lovely courtyard garden with no pressure. It's a little sanctuary a couple of minutes from the hospital Oncology department without going out on the main road.

Hello DavieDog 

Thank you for the reply. You are pretty much up to speed with your journey and indeed it sounds like you have a great oncology team looking after you.

I am aware of the "Force" charity and even though I live in the "grim North West" amongst the "dark satanic mills" am aware you live in a lovely part of the country. Our local hospital has a "Maggie's" which is another cancer charity where you can just drop in and have a brew and a chat - away from the main hospital complex.

I thank you for adding some additional details to your profile, I hope you receive some good news regarding the other "issues" you are having.

Feel free to ask any questions, as i said we are a great bunch on here and nothing is too trivial or silly.

Best wishes - Brian.

Thanks again. The other issues are one, when they did the CT TAP and Bone scan with SPECT they found what looked like a lesion on my right lung. Had a biopsy which went a bit pear shaped in that I was discharged with an initially unrecognised pneumothorax. It was my Urology consultant who spotted it a few days later when reviewing my post biopsy X-ray leading to a couple of nights in the AMU opposite another patient who had mental health issues, not much sleep for me then. I was discharged when X-rays confirmed it had stabilised and then had to spend some time letting it heal itself.

When the Respiratory clinic confirmed it was healed they told me the test was "non diagnostic" and I needed a second biopsy. Bugger. The second one was an absolute doddle in comparison and the new doctor performing it said he wasn't convinced it was a lesion. Lab results came back as no sign of "definite cancer cells" but a further CT is recommended.

When I met the Oncologist I told him I had been suffering from day long headaches for quite some time. He sent me for a CT on the inside of my noggin (as the PC is already on the exterior of my skull). That came back as no sign of the cancer but there was what looked like a lesion behind the right eye socket so I had to go for an MRI, which I have now had. Hopefully I get the results of that when I see the Oncologist.

With all the blood tests my GP became concerned about my cholesterol. So now am on statins, which had to be changed from Atorvastatin to Pravastatin due to interaction with Enzalutamide. Given the chance of heart side effects from my medications I've just had an echo cardiogram and a CT of the ticker and am waiting for results.

As the saying goes - it's complicated.

So I'm off to start a course of Reflexology at Force this afternoon and will consider a gentle perambulation with the fear of an accidental trip and landing up in a beer garden.

Hello DavieDog 

Yes, you are getting value for money from the NHS But they are looking after you!!

DavieDog said:

As the saying goes - it's complicated.

Someone on the group said:

"Prostate Cancer - the gift that keeps on giving".

Have a great afternoon - now there's a man who takes after me:

DavieDog said:

an accidental trip and landing up in a beer garden.

I do like the "odd" pint of real ale although after 3.75 years on Hormone Therapy and adding 3,5 stone to my weight I am now on the weight loss drug "Ozempic".I still get out for a beer at least twice a week.

Best wishes - Brian.

Cheers.

So many ales to taste, not enough time.

Hello DavieDog, as a fellow stage 4 sufferer I welcome you to the blog. I don’t have any specific advice as I’ve only just started my journey (diagnosed March) but I congratulate you on your rapid psa drop which is very reassuring. I dropped my own from 39.9 to 1.9 in 6 weeks before starting radiation and I’ve been told this is an excellent sign, long may it continue. Best wishes 

Hello. So happy to hear you've got your PSA down. I'll be interested to know how you get on with being nuked. The only mention of it to me was some vague mention of it being a possibility in the future. I know mine is dotted all around my skeleton in at least 5 places so it might be hard to target.

One thing I've found that is helping me is retaining my sense of humour and exercising it out in the open regularly. I told a friend about the possibility of my growing boobies from my hormone therapy and his response was to tell me to start an OnlyFans page and he'd be my first subscriber. Gave me a right belly laugh which is excellent emotional therapy.