Daughters and Granddaughters

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Comment by Lucy Luusah-Mutuku on October 28, 2009 at 11:23am

hello, I will be supportive to your views and feelings as you share about your fathers and grandfathers.

Comment by JRN on October 5, 2009 at 8:07pm

not that I am aware of tramadol and paracetemol (acetaminophen) actually make ultracet. We put my dad on Norco and it seems to be working well so for. He again tried to argue with me but I won this time and he now thanks me. Not only is he taking fewer pills at a time but says that he is managing better.

Comment by Mitu S. on October 5, 2009 at 12:02pm

Hi JRN, Yes, thank you for the message on Megace. I haven't been online in a few days as there's always some problem with the internet here. My dad too is suffering from bone pain. He takes Zometa too. Is Tramadol a form of paracetemol? I hope everyone's dad is doing well. Mitu

Comment by Cosmina Morar on October 5, 2009 at 11:56am

Dear JRN,

Thank you for the info regarding Megace.

My father is dealing with bone mets stage IV and I see how severe are the bone pains . He takes Tramadol(Tramal 200 mg), this is the way he handles the pain. He's on Zometa also and this is good for him.
It's very important to manage the pain. I hope your father will find a good drug to help him through the rough days.
Best wishes, JRN.

Cosmina

Comment by JRN on September 30, 2009 at 8:20pm

Dear Mitu,
Below I have pasted the insert, from WebMD, on Megace. I thinks this is what you are trying to say your dad is going to be placed on. The generic name is megestrol. I have used this medication in woman with breastg Ca. and to help peoply gain wt. I have never taken care of anyone diagnosed with prostate Ca that took it. I don't know a lot about the medication except that it is supose to simulate the bodies normal progesterone. I can say that the people I have taken care of never showed any adverse reaction to the medication. I hope you and your father come to a decision that is right for him as for as treatment.

My father is dealing with a great deal of pain.. He may have a day or two that are good and then he has several bad days. Had my son's wedding this past weekend. Watched my dad stumble around due to the pain and he almost fell. Thank God I was there and broke the fall. At that point he broke down because of the pain and was taken back to the hotel. Did or does anyone's father have a lot of bone pain? If so what if anything are they taking to minimize the pain? Currently he takes Vicodin usually 2 every 6 hours. I can't get him to take any more because he is so worried about getting hooked. I have tried totell him that is the least of his worries, he is 71, but can't get him to listen to me. We return for his next Zometa treatment Thurs. and I'm going to try to talkg to the Dr. for something strong or at least for the bad days.


This medication is used to treat cancer of the breast or uterus. It may be used alone or with other treatments, including surgery and radiation, to stop the growth of your tumor.

It may also be used to increase your appetite and to prevent or reverse significant weight loss (e.g., muscle wasting in cancer or AIDS). This can result in an increase in your sense of well-being and your physical ability.

Megestrol is similar to a natural substance made by the body called progesterone. It is not known how megestrol helps appetite or stops tumor growth.

OTHER USES: This section contains uses of this drug that are not listed in the approved professional labeling for the drug but that may be prescribed by your health care professional. Use this drug for a condition that is listed in this section only if it has been so prescribed by your health care professional.

This medication may also be used to treat prostate cancer or certain conditions of the female reproductive system (e.g., endometriosis).

How to use Megace Oral
Take this medication by mouth, exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Your dosage is based on your medical condition and response to therapy.

Use this medication regularly in order to get the most benefit from it. To help you remember, take it at the same times each day. It may take several weeks of continued use to see a benefit. Inform your doctor if your condition does not improve or if it worsens.

Comment by Cosmina Morar on September 29, 2009 at 11:45am

Dear Mitu,

I understand you perfectly since my dad is in the same stage as yours: not responding to Estracyt anymore. This is the way this disease goes: first you start the hormone therapy-Casodex, Estracyt,..The following step is Taxotere+ Prednisone= chemo. My dad fears chemo, so do I, we kind of postponing it. But as Mike said to me it's a very personal decision. Read Sergio's diary.
I don't know about the drug you mentioned. How's your dad? Is he active? Strong? Feeling good?
It's very important also to see how his quality of live is.
Discuss with the doctors all the options and talk about chemo side-effects, make more investigations about your dad's health and then take the decision.

About my dad's experience with Estracyt:
My dad started it first last year in May and he's been taking it till this August, but with months of pause between two treatments.
Estracyt is a very temporary treatment though-6 weeks and then stop. My dad pushed it more.

I don't know any other step after Estracyt than Taxotere.
Best wishes and good health to yor father!

Let us know what you'll decide.

Take care, Mitu,

Cosmina

Comment by Mitu S. on September 28, 2009 at 8:24pm

Hello everyone. I have been silent for a while, but have been following everyone's threads, more or less. I've been very worried about my dad. He has high-grade cancer (Gleason score of 9), which is now in a hormone resistance stage. He was on Esracyt/Estramustine for about 3 months. This lowered his PSA by half (from 90 to 45), but very recently, it has started to rise again. Obviously, it too has failed, which is very disheartening news. I was wondering if others have gone through this and what steps their doctors have taken next. They're talking about Taxotere next, but also about a drug called 'Megass' if anyone has heard of it? It is all very unnerving, and so few people one can share it all with. I just read Blossom's comment about her dad and was so moved. I feel for you Blossom, and thank you for sharing your story.

Comment by JRN on August 30, 2009 at 6:17pm

Hi everyone, kinda down today. Visited my dad yesterday, seems to be doing fair. He had 2 good days of little pain and 1 day of absolutly no pain. Said he just about cried when he stood up out of bed and didin't hurt. He is looking really old and weak, somethint I'm not use to seeing. He informed me that he has completed 2 of the 6 things he had on his list. I was not aware of the list until yesterday. He has been working on this old truck, actually paying someone to fix it up. It's my truck but I let him put around town in it. He has been keeping it a suprise but I bet he has spent $5,000.00 on this truck. He has it all souped up and decked out. It's kind of funny. He also paid someone to refinish the huge cedar porch on the front of my parents home. He informed me that he wants to be around to see my youngest son's wedding, he is getting maried the end of Sept., to spend another Christmas with my granddaughter and to see his 50th wedding aniversary. It is Feb. 20th. I called my sisters and we are going to throw them a party of the anv. I hope he does well for it, he has more friends than a normal person could imagine. He is like Norm on Cheers, everybody knows him, doesn't matter what town you are in. I pray he is alive for a long time, but I'm not sure, as he is starting to get short of breath and really really looks weak. His PSA has continued to drop is 4. something now, but the Zometa seems to wipe him out for some reason. Well enough about us hope everyone else is having a good period. Enjoy labor day with your loved ones.

Comment by Blossom Rabinowitz on August 30, 2009 at 2:23am

Dear Cosmina,
Thank you for your warm thoughts.I really do feel my father with me all the time, it just takes time to adjust to the fact that its not a physical presence but rather a spiritual one. I still want to call and talk to him on the phone and spend Shabbat with both my parents.

As for any tension between you and your father,I have two comments.First we are all human beings we aren't angels. In human relationships we have disagreements. Thats just the way it is. However, from where I'm sitting now you realize how petty it all is. Ask yourself what is it thats causing tension between you and your father.you'll probably see that most of it was silly and not worth the disagreement. The time with our parents is so precious. Families with someone with advanced prostate cancer are living on borrowed time, Hopefully that time will be quite long but as in my fathers case he didn't even live the minimum that his oncologist expected.so please ask yourself is this something worth having adisagreement about.Love more argue less. Iknow that is hard sometimes as human nature is what it is. Think about how you want our last conversation with your Dad to sound and make your time with your father as wonderful as it can be.
Please stay in touchi still need all of my friends
and don't hesitate to call on me for anything. Please keep me updated on your father,

Blossom

Comment by Cosmina Morar on August 25, 2009 at 7:35am

Dear Blossom,

I am very sorry.When I saw the message from you, my heart started to beat faster and I kind of felt it was something bad. I am sorry, Blossom. But I think your father passed away peacefully and somehow being content, surrounded by so much love coming from all you being there with him.I loved every word you wrote, there are so much emotion and love, Blossom. I was very impressed by all your Jewish tradition and I mostly liked the part with your father blessing you.You know I kind of feel guilty when I think about tension situation that happen sometimes between me and my dad and I feel that he deserves only the best.
Blossom, your father was so much loved by your family and friends and I guess this made him accept easily his death.
Don't lose the love that's in your heart. I think your father's spirit embraces the eternal serenity now.

Take care, dear Blossom.

Cosmina

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