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Mitu S.
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- Delhi
- India
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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 every…
Profile Information
- Have you been diagnosed with prostate cancer?
- No
- What brings you to the New Prostate Cancer InfoLink social network?
- My father has high-grade hormone resistance prostate cancer. I am very concerned about him.
- Would you help us grow the network? Would you tell others about it?
- Absolutely. I have been searching for something like this for quite a while.
- About Me:
- I am very worried about my dad. He means the world to me. He went through radical surgery, and we thought he'd been "cured." In fact, the doctors were quite confident that he was, until it returned, within three months. I cannot put into words the sadness and disappointment we felt. His cancer is classified as "high grade" (high Gleason rate). He went through a round f hormone therapy and developed resistance to it. He has been incredibly brave, though his PSA is rising fast (he is still asymptomatic). I have joined this network because I do not know what comes next, and how we shall manage it... I find that there isn't a lot of information out there, and the doctors seemed puzzled as to what to do, or perhaps, they aren't telling us the truth. We're in India, but have consulted doctors in Mumbai, Delhi and also the US (at Memorial Sloan Kettering). The reports I've dug up from the internet spell doom, and this is very difficult to take. I would very much appreciate hearing from people on this site who have a condition similar to my dad's. Let's fight this together. The more light the better.
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Comment Wall (15 comments)
- At 10:30am on December 12, 2009,
E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott said…
- Dear Mitu:
I regret to have to tell you that it is true that Taxotere is only going to work for a while. Everyone becomes resistant to it after a while, but for a small percentage of patients it can work for 2 years or even more.
I am glad to hear that ylour dad's PSA is dropping. It may continue to do that for several weeks during the treatment. Hopefully it will then stabilized at a significantly lower level than it was initially.
- At 8:59pm on November 18, 2009,
E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott said…
- Mitu: In the case of someone like your Dad, so-called "spot radiation" to specific areas where there are significant metastases MAY be able to lower PSA levels some, but what is more important is that the radiation may temporarily be able to reduce the size of (and sometimes even eliminate) the metastasis, thus setting back disease progression for a while and alleviating symptoms such as pain associated with specific metastases.
- At 5:06pm on November 18, 2009,
E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott said…
- Hi Mitu. Glad to here the first infusion went well.
It must be specially hard with you being so far away from home.
Just yell if you need someone to talk to.
- At 11:19am on November 17, 2009,
E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott said…
- Mitu:
The side effects associated with Taxotere are not as bad as with some other forms of chemotherapy, and individual patients' responses can vary a great deal.
Two things: (1) Make sure your Dad is getting supportive care drugs to prevent nausea and vomiting. (2) Make sure that your Dad uses some mechanisms to keep his fingers and toes chilled while he is getting the Taxotere infusions. That helps to prevent the risk of losing finger- and toenails during chemotherapy, which is a well-known side effect of Taxotere chemotherapy. Click on this link for some suggestions about how to keep the nails chilled.
Mitu ... Your Dad will be OK on the Taxotere. It will be difficult but not impossible. The real question is going to be how well he can respond to the therapy. I know this is hard, but you need to be strong for him and perhaps even more for your Mom.
- At 1:45am on November 17, 2009,
Cosmina Morar said…
- Dear Mitu.
Thank you, you're very thoughtful.
Dad is not well lately, getting weak, he lost 6 kg, he's doing palliative radiotherapy.He will start Taxotere on January, I think.
I hope your dad will regain the strength he needs to go on with his treatment. Be there for him, help me and talk to him. I see how much this helps.
I don't know if you believe in things like acupuncture or herbal drugs. I am very sceptical myself, but I try to help dad as much as I can and I visited an oncologist who deals with complementary therapies and recommended dad few acupuncture sessions and herbal nutrition medicine. I guess it can help me, of course it won't cure him and we keep with the other treatments: Zometa, radiotherapy and soon Taxotere, Tramal for the pains. It would be foolish to ever think that natural ingredients can cure a very far-advanced cancer already. But it can give him some strength. I see them as sort of vitamins.
So Mitu explore other options to improve your dad's condition.
Be strong for him. I'm sending you my best thoughts for better and healthy days.
Take, care, Mitu.
- At 7:48am on October 12, 2009,
E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott said…
- Mitu:
I don't know if your father has other male friends and patients who he knows who he can talk with about his situation, but I thought you might like to be sure to see Sudhanshu Gour's page. Mr Gour lives in Mumbai and is going to have similar problems to your father over time.
- At 6:50pm on October 5, 2009,
E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott said…
- Dear Mitu:
I have read enough to be familiar with the concept of the Indian father as family patriarch -- even here in America!
Control is an important issue for men -- and often it isn't worth fighting it. It is easier to just say one's piece once and let it go. It may feel hard, but "you can't fight City Hall" (if you are familiar with that phrase) and so sometimes one just needs to go with the flow.
You Dad isn't going to blame you or your mother for the decisions he makes. And some of his anger is certainly being augmented by the effects of the hormone therapy.
- At 8:24pm on September 30, 2009,
E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott said…
- Mitu:
So here's the thing regarding the heart surgery ... If your dad wants to do it, and he understands the risks, then let him. Having had a heart attack myself in the past, I know that one can recover from these sorts of problems.
ALL hormonal drugs for prostate cancer can have cardiovascular side effects, so your Dad's cardiologist and his prostate cancer doc need to talk to each other about the risks and benefits of the various treatment options, then talk with your Dad and you, and then your Dad needs to make his own decision.
At the end of the day, there will be some risks, but your Dad sounds like the sort of patient who is willing to take some, and there is no completely safe AND completely effective option that won't come with some risks. I think this is one of those situations when youi are going to have to listen carefully to what you Dad wants to do and then help him to do it -- even if YOU might make a different decision yourself. Sometimes what is important is for the patient to feel he is in charge opf the decision process!
Mike
- At 8:09pm on September 30, 2009,
E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott said…
- Oh ... and Mitu:
The clinical trials for MDV3100 started last week, so that is yet another drug your Dad will be eligible for the trials of in due course (but only after Taxotere).
- At 8:07pm on September 30, 2009,
E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott said…
- Dear Mitu:
Angela asked me to write to you about "next steps" if your Dad really is starting to fail on estramustine (Emcyt), as you mentioned on the Daughters abnd Grandaughters group.
You said that someone has suggested a drug you spelled as Megass -- I think you are referring to Megace (megestrol acetate), which is another form of hormone therapy, and it might drop your Dad's PSA back down for a little while, but again, it's effects will be limited. Another drug to talk to the doctor about before you need to try Taxotere is ketoconazole. Even after Taxotere, there is an oplder drug called mitoxantrone, which can also help to manage his PSA for a while, so there are several possible options to go yet.
Hang in there, and remember what I wrote below. Just take things one day at a time.
Mike
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