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Posted 10/15/2016 5:36 PM (GMT -5)
Hi All,
Been here before and the advice I get really helps. Not sure if my stats appear but a G9, year post RP. Positive margins, G9 at the margins. Two PSA checks at three and six months non-detectable. July, my PSA was .07. In late August, I started have pains in my lower abdomen, probably starting near my testes and moving up. Also started having pain in my lower back. At first, I kind of put this off as to over exertion from stacking wood - I live in Vermont and we need to do that for the winter - but as time moved on the pain was still there. And, what is a bit concerning to me is there was no pain when stressing those muscle at the time or now. No specifics, you know what I mean. Went to my primary care doctor and he really didn't say much but thought that it might be muscular and gave me a prescription.

The lower back pain and the abdominal pain comes and goes but it appears to be chronic. I am heading to my oncologist on Halloween - yup - and I am told my primary care doctor forwarded notes from my visit. Salvage radiation is what is on the docket and I have declined hormone therapy. Do you folks think a bone scan and MRI should also be scheduled?

Any advice would be appreciated.

J99
Posted 10/15/2016 5:48 PM (GMT -5)
It's not likely to show anything with a PSA that low. Why did you decline temporary hormone therapy with the salvage radiation? It improves the outcomes. Even just a year is better than nothing.

Perhaps you should talk to an orthopedist about the back pain. He may want to order an MRI or CT.
Posted 10/15/2016 6:53 PM (GMT -5)
Thanks for the reply.

Why no HT....I am pursing alternative medicine for this. I have a doctor who specializes in Chinese medicine which I think is the way to go for me. Might be a bad choice but I think that there might options for all of us outside of the proscribed treatment for PC.

I do appreciate your response.

J99
Posted 10/15/2016 6:53 PM (GMT -5)
When prostate cancer spreads outside the pelvic area, HT, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy may be only treatment options.
Posted 10/15/2016 7:52 PM (GMT -5)
This is an article, presented strictly for another perspective about alternative treatments. We all make our choices. One great feature of this forum is the sharing of experience and knowledge. Several times I've been to cancer support groups and met people quite convinced to pursue alternative therapies. My personal preference is to follow data-driven, study-supported standard medicine, but that's my preference.

So again, just for another perspective about such things:
www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/8841347/Steve-Jobs-regretted-trying-to-beat-cancer-with-alternative-medicine-for-so-long.html
Posted 10/16/2016 9:16 AM (GMT -5)
Johnny,

Chinese medicine huh? Well good for you if that's what you want. It's your cancer, your body, your decision. You can do what you want. It's very liberating.

It's liberating for me, too. Confident that you don't need to listen to me I can voice my opinions about what you should do without feeling particularly impolite.

I think you should reconsider the hormone therapy thing. If I read one of your last-years posts right you are 52 years old. We've seen younger guys here but that remains pretty young for this disease and you are going to have a long time to live with your decision. Adding a limited duration of androgen deprivation to your radiation will make a considerable difference in your chances it will do what you want.

Hormone therapy is my least favorite part of prostate cancer treatments. Surgery + radiation + hormone therapy is a three-scoop sh:t sandwich and the hormones are the most-flavorful ingredient. I looked up one of my old threads from when I was more-or-less where you are now and, if you glance through it you will see that I was not happy at all about the prospect.

Hormone Therapy, the Pod Person and the Plan

But, as a young guy who doesn't like the prospect of hormone therapy you might want to consider that by putting up with a year or two of it now you improve your chances of avoiding rest-of-your-life hormones if the radiation doesn't do the job. And, being only 52, the rest of your life can be a long time.
Posted 10/16/2016 10:24 AM (GMT -5)
With a G-9 cancer that might have metastasized, you can not depend on PSA alone to accurately reflect the cancer activity in your body..Ask about a PET / CT scan where they infuse a radioactive tracer that cancer cells absorb. Then about an hour later, they scan your body and see if anything lights up.... it will give your doctors a good picture of what's going on...if you combine HT with your upcoming SRT, it will give you a 50% better chance of success..A two year run of HT is not fun but dying of cancer is much less fun.....How old are you ? Married?

If "alternative treatments" worked, they would not be alternative. They would be the front line treatment......G9 and G10 guys are not in the same category, not in the same ball-park as the G6 and G7 guys..We have to use the most aggressive treatment available if we expect to live very long...Just my humble opinion.......
Posted 10/17/2016 8:25 AM (GMT -5)
J99,
I have to agree with PeterDA... Our opinions probably don't have a lot of weight in your decision making process. And I honestly think "alternative" treatment is an option for some either as early treatment in less serious cases or to alleviate symptoms of main stream treatments, but... And here's the but... You get one good shot to end this.
HT sucked. Don't get me wrong. I didn't like it but I will say the effects for me weren't as bad as some guys face. Everyone is different.
As a young man dx'd with PCa... The HT was only a bump in road that I look back at.
Do lots of research.
Good luck with the SRT no matter what decision you make.
Feel free to share your treatment plan, you never know, you could be on to something.
Posted 10/17/2016 11:22 AM (GMT -5)
J99,

Be sure to tell your radiation oncologist about any medications or supplements you are taking. Some may interfere with the effectiveness of the radiation. Antioxidants and free radical absorbers are particularly problematic.
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