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Posted 11/24/2006 4:28 AM (GMT -7)
what now

8 out of 8 biopsy cores 80to 100% involvement

psa 16.1

gleason 9

confused  

Posted 11/24/2006 5:19 AM (GMT -7)
kate12, now it's time for you to look at all the options, make a decision and get in the best shape of your life (or your other half's life). there are a lot of different experiences here so keep posting. take care, kat
Posted 11/24/2006 5:24 AM (GMT -7)
Your right it is my husband whom I love very much.4 months ago his bone scan and ct both came back clear now a new ct has found sclerotitic ? deposits in a few sites ..Does this thing grow so fast. He has been on hormone therapy for 3 months
Posted 11/25/2006 11:16 PM (GMT -7)
Hi Kate,



Take a deep breath.... and know that there are a lot of hugs coming at you right now…..



*&^%$ Special WARM HUGS for you *&^%$



Hormone therapy for 3 months…. Can you give us a little more information?

Knowing more would help us to understand where you’ve been and where you’re at right now.

How old is your honey?

General health at this time?

When was his first PSA and was it the 16.1 ?

When did he have his biopsy?

and any other information that will help to understand....



Know that we care and our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.

Please stay with us and let us all help you in the best way we can.



In New Friendship… Lee & Buddy
Posted 11/26/2006 12:35 AM (GMT -7)
age 70
1st psa 15.2 march 06
2nd psa 16.1 july 06
biopsy july 8/8 80-100% gleason 9
ct and bone scan clear
hormone therapy began october 06
new ct shows sclerotit deposits consistant with mets
on spine and hip 1.8 cm
Radiation feb07???
Posted 11/26/2006 9:43 PM (GMT -7)
Hi Kate & Loved One,



Thank you for your updated information. I’m not sure exactly what this means… “sclerotit deposits consistant with mets on spine and hip 1.8 cm”… so I really don’t know how to respond… but others will know and they will respond.



I will share with you that the most important thing you can do now is to keep your strength by taking care of yourself. This in turn will help you to help your honey to stay strong.



This is a journey filled with a lot of stepping-stones. And this journey is best traveled with friends…. So please make sure you stay with us… okay! We each have a special way of sharing with each other. Let us help you!



How is your husband taking this news?? Is he able to talk with you about his fears and concerns…. Remember…. This is a team journey and you need to pull from each others strength. Being scared is okay it’s part of the process….not knowing is what brings the fear.

Will you be seeing your doctor between now and February???



We will keep you close in our thoughts and prayers….

In New Friendship ~ Lee & Buddy
Posted 11/26/2006 11:08 PM (GMT -7)
Kate,

Bone reacts two ways to its enviornment. Bone will either make more of itself or remove some of itself. In slower progressive disorders the bone has time to mount a defense by trying to build more of itself around a leison. In faster growing leisons there may only be destruction of the bone.
Bone mets as a result of PCa try to mount a defense. This would be the lesser of the two evils.

This is an area I do know a little about given our son's history with bone tumors. His were not cancerous however they were fast growing creating basically holes where the leisons were found. The bone around the area was actually necrotic in his case.

Not a great explination but I think you can get the picture okay.
Hopefully the hormone treatment can put the cancer to sleep for a long long time!

God Bless, Swim
Posted 12/17/2006 11:47 PM (GMT -7)
thanks everyone for your help its good to know thats there is others out there going through the same thing . In the past three weeks hubbys psa has risen from 5.6 to 6.1 and is beginning to experience hip and lower back pain.Someone explained that his cancer is probably not living of the testosterone so even though he is on hormone therapy the cancer continues to grow.. Have you heard this before? thanks mad
Posted 12/18/2006 6:16 AM (GMT -7)
sorry Kate. I'm not sure. hopefully others who have experienced this will respond. kat
Posted 12/18/2006 6:32 AM (GMT -7)
Kate-It sounds like your husband's cancer is not responding to hormone therapy. It means that the cancer does not need the testosterone to live. Our doctor explained it as the cancer gets smart and learns to live and grow on it's own. My dad is also going thru this right now. I believe there are several things to try. it sounds like your doctor has opted for radiation treatments which is probably a good move. My dad is doing chemo in a clinical study, but he had two surgeries already and did not respond to hormone therapy. He is responding to chemo though-his PSA has dropped from 15.88 to 4.5 already. They have made great strides with advanced prostate cancer. There is hope and there are ways to control it. Also-get him on a low fat diet-lots of fruit and veggies and fish. I also recommend 8 ounces of pomegranate juice a day. They are doing a study on Pom juice for prostate cancer and are in phase 3 already-and it helps slow the cancer.
Stay strong...and positive...please keep us posted on his treatments and progress.
Posted 12/18/2006 11:39 PM (GMT -7)
Kate hi

for some reason prostate cancer doesn't respond to hormonal therapy for some people. My father was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer with lymph node involvement and bone metastases this November and he was immediately started with hormonal therapy however we don't know if it works. We have to wait for 3 months and see. Also even if in the beginning the hormonal therapy works, it usually stops working after a period of time (about 2 years I think) and this situation is called «Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer". According to what I ve read the options then are either chemotherapy or some kind of second line hormonal therapy. There is an interesting site about HRPC where you can find many information and possible treatments: http://www.hrpca.org/index.html
I wish all the best to your husband and you and I hope that any treatment he decides to follow will work. Keep his moral high, this is the half battle to be won and always hope.

Elena
Posted 12/19/2006 12:30 AM (GMT -7)
once again thank you so much, honestly sometimes I think talking to all of you is so much easier than the medical fraternity ( our doctor uroligist and oncologists are lovely but i,ts not always easy to take every thing in) I wish you all best and merry christmas
Kate
Posted 12/19/2006 12:09 PM (GMT -7)
Hi Kate & Hubby,



I was so happy to see you back posting!!! Please stay with us! Let us be your sounding board…. Being able to type it out and then see it in print ~ may help you when you are facing the medical profession! Throw out any questions you have that you know you want to talk about…. Someone will jump in with their thoughts. That’s what sharing is all about. Helping in all areas!



There are more members now with radiation treatments and therapy treatments…. And this is how we learn!! By sharing….. so let us travel this with you Kate ~ because we care!



I’m thinking you may need a little sunshine so will send a special mama bluebird rainbow sprinkled with sunshine just for you!



Keep it close ~ it really can help during those days that seem so dark…
Posted 12/19/2006 2:59 PM (GMT -7)
Hi kate

Please have hope. My husband had orginal PSA of 30 - 32 with a Gleason 9 and was had a hormone implant that was good for 1 year and had 40 + radiation treatments. It took a whole year but the hormones brought the PSA steadily down. He just got his new PSA results and he is at .08. Hopefully you will see it go downward also. This past result was the greatest news to get before Christmas. Here is wishing you and your's a joyous and healthy New Year.
Posted 12/19/2006 11:29 PM (GMT -7)
Im always hoping thats for sure
Pooks with your husbands psa of 32 was there any spread ie: bones or elsewhere? We are still in the process of talking with the medical specialists about the treatments that are now available and suitable for him. Gosh its such a lot to learn isnt it .
Merry xmas to all
Posted 12/20/2006 6:44 AM (GMT -7)
Hi, Kate. Like everyone says, with all the therapies out there, it's a matter of staying positive and knowing you'll find the right one. They say prostate cancer is a slow-grower in most cases, but there are many of us who know that it can also seem to simply explode. We all will carry positive thoughts and believe that you'll be guided in the right direction toward a cure!
Posted 12/20/2006 2:20 PM (GMT -7)
Kate

Orginally my husband's bone scan showed a couple of spots but all the doctor's confirmed that they didn't think it was anything other than either some old injury or arthritis. We are just hoping they are right. He was told that there was no cure for him and because of his orginal high PSA and the Gleason 9 he would be on some type of treatment forever. Surgery was not an option for him as the numbers indicated there is a good chance it was already outside the prostate. The hormone implant appears to be doing its job with very little side effects so far. He is going back to doctor this Friday to get another 12 month implant. Like I said before - the PSA was lower again this time - so for now - we are happy. There is also another message board on healthboards.com that seem to have more people with Gleason 9's. I've gotten alot of good info from both this board and the other.
Posted 12/21/2006 12:01 AM (GMT -7)
Pooks you have eased my mind a bit and I can tell you it was running overtime thats for sure. I,m so glad that your hubby is doing so well. It seems to be nearly the same as my hubbys so from now on its all positive thoughts . Thanks
Posted 2/6/2007 3:46 PM (GMT -7)
Hi Kate,

My husband was diagnosed almost two years ago (the day before his 57th birthday) with a PSA of 120, and Gleason 9. He has been on hormone therapy since then, and is feeling fine. His PSA is currently .3.

I have just joined this forum, and this is my first post. I just wanted to offer you some encouragement and support. Hang in there, and let us know how you are both doing.

Posted 2/6/2007 3:59 PM (GMT -7)
Wow, I will never again whine about hot flashes...

Best to all of you...

Jim
Posted 3/8/2007 4:38 AM (GMT -7)
Hi everyone , thought I would let you know that things have progressed from bad to worse.The radiation was cancelled as the new bone scan showed widespread metstasisto the spine, pelvis, ribs and legs, He recieved an Eligard injection which showed improvement for a couple of weeks. He now has some very off days where he is in pain and extremely tired, also days of belly pain and indigestion. Any thoughts would be helpful as I dont think the hormone treatment is of any use.His psa rose from 5.6 to 6.1 in a couple of weeks The oncologist explained that his cancer is not producing or attatching itself to the psa?? It has become a hybrid of sorts..
Posted 3/8/2007 4:41 AM (GMT -7)
I'm sorry to hear this Kate. I wish I knew the answer..... it sounds like this is not prostate cancer, but something else now. kat
Posted 3/8/2007 1:29 PM (GMT -7)
Hi Kate,

I wish I knew words of comfort to say to you. We are praying and hoping for you and your family. My dad had a very similar situation in the 80s and it was very hard for all of us in the family. We didn't have a forum of support like this and it really would have helped.

Keep searching for some light and take one step at a time...

Jim
Posted 3/8/2007 1:48 PM (GMT -7)
Kate I'm so sorry you and your husband have to go through this. There is a site where you can subscribe (free), send an email describing tje situation, ask for advice and get a response from a doctor specializing in Prostate Cancer. The site is called P2P -- Physician to Patient -- PCa specialists answer clinical questions and the address is http://www.prostatepointers.org/p2p/
I hope you can find some help there. You are in my heart and prayers
Elena
Posted 3/8/2007 2:06 PM (GMT -7)
Kate, I am sorry about your latest news. Have you considered going to MD Anderson for further opinions? My dad went there 2 or 3 times during his battle, and they always got him back on the right track. His PCa was spread throught his body when they found it. Chemo, as bad as it is, did help him. Good luck to you and your husband. Courtney
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