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Mitu S.'s Discussions
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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 eve...
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 Esr...
Hi Mary, Thanks for this. What route did your dad follow after he became resistant to the hormones? Did anything work? It's interesting that your dad deferred active treatment for 4-5 years. My dad was not given that option at all. Best, M.
Hi Mary
I'm glad to hear from you. I've been very worried about how aggressive my dad's cancer is. That seems to be a major factor in how the disease progresses. It's very encouraging to know that you had seven years with your dad after the initia...
Hi Cosmina, Well, my dad's cancer was diagnosed at an early stage. They expected a "cure" after the radical prostatectomy, but it came back. Dad was on various hormones, and then tried ketoconezole, which did not work. My dad's PSA is now around 9...
Cosmina and Nat, Nice to meet you both. My dad was diagnosed with PC in late 2005, and went through a radical prostectomy in early 2006. His cancer is very aggressive, and unfortunately it came back. He was on hormones for a while, but they appear...
A group for women whose fathers/grandfathers have been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Comment Wall (10 comments)
- 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
- At 8:17am on June 20, 2009,
E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott said…
- Dear Mitu:
There is very considerable variation in long-term survival of men who are diagnosed with metastatic, hormone-refractory prostate cancer.There are men who live for just months after such a diagnosis, and there are men who live for years. It all depends on exactly how aggressive the cancer is, and how the patient can manage the situation. So far we haven't been able to determine that really well for individual patients, but some of it is most certainly "all in the mind."
So ... I don't think being focused on how long your father is going to live is the best way to look at this. The much better way to look at it is to consider how he -- and you -- can take each day at a time, and work out how to make sure that he does as many of the things that he would like to do as he can in whatever time is available.
If he enjoys travel, and is well enough to do this, I think you should encourage him. If he sits around at home worrying about his illness and not doing things he would like to do, he will become depressed on top of everything else. If his metastases are manageable, and his pain is under control, help him to do what he can and wants to do.
In the end we are all going to die. It is one of life's few absolute certainties. The important thing for your father will be whether he has been able to do as many of the things as he wanted to achieve as are possible, and whether he has been able to put things in place to assure a degree of financial security for his family. The important thing for you will be whether your memories of your father later in life are positive ones -- of helping him to enjoy even the last few days of life, whenever they come.
Someone once wrote, "Live each day as if it might be your last." This is one of the wiser pieces of wisdom I have ever come across. Whether your father lives another 6 months or another 6 years, he -- and you -- should set out to enjoy them and not fear the inevitable long-term consequence.
There will certainly come a point in time when your father is unable to do all the things he would like to do -- but even then you will need to be able to make him smile, and the more good memories you have accumulated to share with each other then, the better!
Mike
- At 1:06am on June 10, 2009,
Angela Jenkins said… - Mitu, welcome my dear. Seventeen years ago, when my father was diagnosed, there was no site like this. I felt helpless and uneducated about this disease. This is an excellent site for good, valid information from professionals and a place to find support and hope from other survivors. Take a look around - join us in the Daughters and Granddaughters group, if you'd like. Most of all, know we care about you and your father and the journey you now find yourselves on. Thanks for joining us.
- At 11:20pm on June 9, 2009,
E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott said…
- Mitu: If you have more questions, just ask any time.
- At 7:39pm on June 9, 2009,
Darryl said… - Namaste Mitu For your Dad, may I recommend reading the articles on advancedprostatecancer.net and malecare.com He is also welcome to join the other prostate cancer survivors from around the world on cancermatch.org I am in New York City, so please feel encouraged to contact me at darryl@malecare.com , the next time you all visit MSKCC
- At 7:14am on June 8, 2009,
E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott said…
- Welcome to the site Mitu. I have also responded to the message you left on Cosmina's discussion about her Dad and Estracyt.
The doctors at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York will know whether it is possible to get your Dad into clinical trials of the drugs like abiraterone and MDV3100. They may also be able to treat him with Provenge when it comes available next year.
I know this is hard, but I can also tell you that things are a lot more promising today that they were even 5 years ago.
Mike
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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