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Some hope and some good news please

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Prostate Cancer
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Posted 7/12/2017 5:00 AM (GMT -5)
Hi all. Sorry for late reply- we got our results yesterday and praise the Lord- the bones are clean!!!- but obviously they said could be microscopic etc- which I don't want to think of now. We have been referred to a wonderful Oncologist - they say- here in South Africa- Dr Michaelis- its normally an extreme wait for him but think due to my husbands age- he said he would see us immediately. we are seeing him today. He is not very close to our home which is Joburg not Cape Town- so he will oversee it overall but will go for day to day treatment at a clinic that he oversees near us.
We unfortunately have been told that surgery is not an option for us- but the hormone treatment has been ordered. We will hear what this oncologist has to say today- here and there- the Urologist kept stating that its not good still - but I cant lose hope...And thanks Redwing/ Peter for the hope moving forward. It has its days- And guess its STILL not a reality yet to us.

Todd- that gives me great hope and I hope that we are able to testify to that same testimony one day......

Sorry I just said SA- its just force of habit. They are giving him the suprefact to commence from here- and from there- just have to see what is next. Thanks Halbert- we hope that this oncologist can walk this road with us and make it possible.
Posted 7/12/2017 5:38 AM (GMT -5)
LOML,

Surgery is not usually the primary treatment for G9 PC, simply because G9 tumors are rarely confined, commonly there are what are called "micrometasteses"--very small spots that aren't visible on scans but are there anyway.

Starting him on HT is the first step, it will stop things immediately. Most likely, they next step will be some form of radiation treatment...which will largely depend on what equipment they have available.

Others, I'm sure, will be checking in and can share with you how to deal with the changes that HT will bring to him, both physically and emotionally. It will affect you too. Please keep us posted.
Posted 7/12/2017 8:34 AM (GMT -5)
LOML,

I found Dr. Michaelis' page on his group's website. Not a lot of information there but his list of interests -- brachytherapy and stereotactic radiation -- represents exactly the sort of treatment that would probably work best for your husband. And his photo on his web page seems OK.

Also, it is not that unfortunate that you were told that surgery is off the table. Modern radiation treatments have a cure rate for all prostate cancers that is roughly the same as surgery, and for high-risk guys like your husband an me it beats surgery handily. Another thing: compared to surgery, RT has a better side-effect story.

PeterDA in NC*

*North Carolina (US of A)
Posted 7/12/2017 11:43 AM (GMT -5)
Great news about no bone mets, congratulations! Hope that you are feeling a little less shell shocked. I second the notion that having surgery off the table is not altogether bad. The radiation options - hopefully that will be a choice for you? - can be confusing enough, and tend (no guarantees!) to do better on side effects.

And you can be confident that starting hormone treatment will immediately start to kill off cancer cells - you should see evidence of this fairly soon, in your husband's PSA score.

Unfortunately the HT (hormone treatment) will also kill off a bunch of other stuff, so to speak. To be blunt, fatigue, hot flashes, loss of libido, muscle loss are all pretty much guaranteed, and depression is common. Exercise helps with the last two, and not everyone gets depressed - but it's really hard for a man when he's, well, not hard. Even the most enlightened guy in the world would find this really difficult so your support will be very important.

Let us know how it went at the oncologist, hope you hit it off!

-- Carolyn
Posted 7/13/2017 4:14 AM (GMT -5)
The appointment with the oncologist went really well- he really put us at ease and has a lot of hope- he explained in a vast amount of detail- what will happen with our lives from here- from the HT to the Brachy to side effects- everything. He is very optimistic that my husband will be ok- but also stated that it is a long road from here too- considering he got DVT from this too- but it is more than possible.
And yes I will definitely have to support his bad days and stand together- that is all we can do right now.

Thanks for the sharing regarding the surgery- Medicine as he said has come along way since.
As we go along will keep you posted. Thanks for the support- hope you all are doing great yourselves.

Lynn
Posted 7/13/2017 7:13 AM (GMT -5)
Lynn,

It sounds like you've gotten in with people who know what they're doing and are keeping up with the standards of care. Please keep us up to date as you walk the path.

And, feel free to share about the difficulties. We get it.
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