my husband had prostate cancer that went into bone cancer. It's in his ribs, shoulders, spine and now moved to his head. He's not in too much pain and has had no headaches,just rib and shoulder pain. My question is and I know everyone is different, I just want to know what to expect. He's had cancer since April 2002, got PSA down to .01 and then cancer came back in 2006 and developed into bone cancer in october 2007. I just want to be prepared and to know about what to expect. The doctor has him on Casadex, Zometa and oxcycodne and said if his psa don't come down, think about Chemo, which frightens both of us. If no chemo, what are the things I need to look for? The dr also said he will never be curedbut will try to help him cope with his condition. Just want to know what to expect,something
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Shavaun Rigler with the Prostate Cancer Foundation in California also offered these resources with the below note.
We have information about prostate cancer that spreads to the bones (aka
"bone metastases") here:
http://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/BoneMetastases
It includes information about the best treatment strategy,
http://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/metastases/treatment
complications
http://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/metastases/complications,
and pain management:
http://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/metastases/pain .
Shavaun also mentioned the website www.ustoo.org.
"Many wives find it helpful to be able to talk frankly with other women (as you well know!) about the disease."
Were you able to find out more through the past links?
June 11, 2008 - 9:18amThis Comment
Dear Tina
June 18, 2008 - 4:56pmthe websites you forward to me were God sent. I am really into them heavily and is learning so much more and things aren't as stressed as they were. I plan to go to a prostate group meetings they have scheduled here at a local hospital. Education is the key. Thank you for all your help,I was losing it big time. No man is an island and I can't stand alone, and it doesn't hurt to ask fot help if you feel you need it,. I'm really glad I found this website.You have been very very helpful-God bless you. Until the next time, be bless and thanks
shaken 6555
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Shaken,
I am so sorry that both you and your husband are going through this.
I cannot tell you what to expect because each person is so different.
The one thing to remember is hope. There is always hope.
Your husband has you by his side to support him. That is so important. You need to make sure you take care of yourself so that you can continue to be there for him.
I will see what resources we can find for you. As soon as I contact some other women who have faced what you are facing with your husband. I will let you know.
In the meantime let's see if we can find you a cancer support group. Maybe they can help you as well.
My heart goes out to you. You are so strong to even come to our site and ask the tough question and share your story with us.
I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers.
Michelle
June 8, 2008 - 8:42amThis Comment
Shaken, I admire your strength to reach out to others for answers as you go through this very trying time. Knowledge and information can be very powerful tools in understanding what to expect and in aiding our battles.
And I certainly understand your concern about chemotherapy. I don't think anyone who has undergone chemo will say it's easy. However, a National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship survey of more than 300 patients found while those patients had been fearful of undergoing chemotherapy, most also said the treatments were much less trying than they had expected. And 90 percent said the treatments had given them real hope for survival.
Here are some other findings ...
* Around eight out of 10 cancer survivors said they had been fearful prior to starting chemotherapy, with most (76 percent) worried primarily about side effects such as hair loss, nausea and fatigue.
* Looking back, almost two-thirds (62 percent) said those fears were unjustified. Just 14 percent described their side effects as "very difficult," and about a third (32 percent) had a "somewhat easy" or "very easy" experience with treatment.
* Almost all (87 percent) of survivors said that new supportive care products made the side effects that they did experience much more manageable than they had expected.
* Eighty-seven percent of survivors who had experienced side effects said that chemotherapy was worth going through.
The NCCS strongly advises that patients also get written "Treatment Plans" from their health-care team before they begin chemotherapy -- a document that outlines the interventions they will receive; potential side effects; and ways to manage those side effects.
If you'd like to read more about the survey, you can check out this link ...
https://www.empowher.com/news/08/04/04/most-cancer-survivors-say-chemo-f...
And while we have posed your specific question to experts and hope to have an answer for you in the next few days, after some research, we wanted to pass along some resources related to your question about what to look out for and what to expect:
National Prostate Cancer Coalition
Provides information, counseling, support and educational meetings to help men with prostate disease in making decisions about their treatment
www.pcacoalition.org
Prostate Cancer Foundation
A leading philanthropy supporting prostate cancer research
www.prostatecancerfoundation.org
US-Too
Offers information, counseling, and educational meetings to men with prostate disease to help them make decisions about their treatment and support
www.ustoo.com
The National Cancer Institute also has an extensive amount of information.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancer_information/cancer_type/prostate
Stay strong.
June 7, 2008 - 6:17amThis Comment
thank you, thank you, thank you. It is soooooo hard but I must rely on my faith,prayer and good people such as you and those who wrote back. It's the unknown that frightens me. I will check out all those websites you suggested. I was so blessed to find this website(found by accident)but I do believe I was lead to find it by a higher intervention.
June 7, 2008 - 6:12pmIf the Casadex and Lupron don't slow the cancer down, the Dr. is talking about Chemo. He takes a PSA test the end of July.
Thank you for caring, it brought tears to my eyes(I had to cry) and some relief, knowing someone out there was kind enough to write back to me.
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Thank you for sharing your story. What you and your husband are going through can't be easy and I'm sure the fear of the unknown is very hard to deal with.
We'll look into getting you some answers that will hopefully alleviate some of the frustration you both are going through.
If there's anything else we should know about your husband's health that would help us get you more accurate answers please reply back.
You're both in my thoughts and prayers.
-Todd
June 6, 2008 - 10:30pmThis Comment
thank you for your reply back to my question.My husband will take a PSA test the end of July. The doctor was up front and told us there is no cure and we have to do the best we can until they find more answers or better treatments to help prolong life for Cancer patients. He said there are trial treatments if my husband wanted to try those also.
June 7, 2008 - 6:28pmOur faith and prayers is keeping our heads somewhat together. My husband spirits are very high, Im the one losing it. The C word is very scary. Again thanks for writing back to me, it brought tears to know someone somewhere is thinking and praying for you, Thanks, Shaken6555
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Shaken,
I can't even imagine what you're going through. I'm not a medical expert, and can't answer your question of what to expect. I read your post and just want to reach out to you.
I can understand how the prospect of chemo would be frightening. I've had people close to me go through that, and it seems dreadful. What did the doctor say about the impact that chemo would have on him?
My heart goes out to you. I'm so glad you landed on our site. I know that our medical experts will get the best information to you shortly.
Warmest regards,
Kristin
Kristin Davis
June 6, 2008 - 10:08pmThis Comment
Dear Kristin
June 7, 2008 - 6:18pmThank you so much for even getting back to me. I am so glad I came across this website. It is the unknown that frightenes me. The doctor will break everything down but they don't tell it all. He told us to think about the Chemo if the hormone treatment fails. Again thanks for reaching back to me. shaken6555
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