What is it like to die from prostate cancer?

..just another quick thought; you can tell from the number of replies and views that this is a hot topic...

for some of us, our experience with cancer is nothing more than an increase of a number on a blood test (okay, and results from a not very fun biopsy), and all the complaints and things we are dealing with are treatment side effects, because we are trying to stay ahead of this monster.

learning more about it is sometimes not so much a morbid interest in death and the debilitating, but a way to convince yourself that the side effects you are dealing with are MINOR, and a way to remember that this is something to never minimalize, because it CAN eventually eat your lunch.  i can better identify with the pain others are talking about, even though i haven't gone through that.  and i can certainly Seize the Day!

take care all,

bob

 

My PCa is stage4 and although I feel fine now, I will, at some point be face to face with this topic. I do not spend my days agonizing over how much suffering  I will endure. I try to enjoy the what I have now, my family, the health that I still possess and I focus on making many happy moments and memories for my family while its still possible.

I am inspired by the speech given by the great Coach Jimmy Valvano at the 1993 ESPY Awards, you can google it but have the tissues ready.

God Bless you all,

 

havit2 said...
I am inspired by the speech given by the great Coach Jimmy Valvano at the 1993 ESPY Awards, you can google it but have the tissues ready.

 

havit2,

Thanks for the reminder of that speech which was delivered at the first ESPY ceremony.  I watched it live (on TV) in 1993, and was in tears then, and I am in tears every time that I see the image of Coach K and Billy Packer helping Jimmy V to the podium.  I consider it one of the most moving speeches I've ever heard.

I haven't heard it in a while, but I remember his message:  If you do 3 things each and every day, you will live a full life — think, think hard and deeply about something; laugh, laugh hard from the gut, and cry, bring your emotions to tears.  You gotta hear it from Jimmy V to really appreciate it.

The speech was given about 2 months before he died.  Very inspiring!

Thanks for the reminder, havit2, and welcome to this site...

edit:  It was Dick Vitale, not Billy Packer, who (along with Coack K) helped Jimmy V to the ESPY podium.

 

Post Edited (Casey59) : 11/4/2010 3:46:08 PM (GMT-6)

Tilt,
It is a question I ponder from time to time. I have dreams about it. I wonder if the lung mets will get me or if it will be the much more painful bone mets. I wonder what the feeling of taking that last breath will be. Does it hurt when your heart beats it's last. ? Does it really matter? To die is to simply be reborn in my perspective. It is fall at the moment. I spent last weekend walking a path through a wooded area with my family catching leaves as they fell from the trees. How beautiful the colors of autumn. Just as the seasons change so also does our lives. In the spring the world is reborn in a burst of new life. Deer and elk drop their calves and fawns. A sea of green explodes from from the canopy above. This is much like our childhood years. Summer is our life and the beauty of fall resembles our latter years. Winter is death but even in the dead of winter is the promise of life. Cancer is a wasting disease. When the time comes I will most likely lose a great deal of bulk. I will most likely be less active. I will sleep more and stay awake for shorter periods of time. As the disease progresses my systems will begin to shut down. Usually it is the kidneys that go first. I will pass in a morphine induced coma. I am not afraid. I will walk through that door when it is my time but that will not be for another 30 years. Peace to you my brother. Todd

Yeah tho I walk thru the valley.............

Dave, a lot of soldering. I'll probably die of lead poisonong.

being strongly left handed, never had any one have the patience to teach me to solder, I have tried over the years, would love to get into stained glass

David:

I was referring to a number of answers not dealing with the question.

It is a very legitimate question.

Yes, hospice is wonderful; I would not hesitate to call them in when needed.

Mel

I think this is a good question. Before seeking treatment, I asked myself "what if I do nothing." Truth is, I didn't want to do anything. I was enjoying my life and did not want to face this "inconvenience." Instead, I asked the more obvious question, which treatment option am I going to pursue.

I am now 12 days post RP, and am fairly confident I will not die from PCa. I suppose if I was older I may consider the death from PCa option.

My father died at 79 from prostate cancer that metastasized in his bones. His last two weeks were bad with the last one he was in a morphine stupor. My brother died at 59 of pancreatic cancer. His death was far more lengthly and painful. Cancer is a rough way to die. Worrying about it does not change the outcome.

I posted this same information by link with Dr. Glode and his blog at my earlier post above at 4 Nov.

fulltlt said...
Does anyone have any second hand knowledge of what it's like to die from prostate cancer?
Obviously I can't ask for any first hand knowledge.


Diagnosed in Feb 2010 with 8.2 psa and 3+4=7, second opinion was 4+4=8.
had 5 weeks of EBRT in Apr-May-Jun 2010 and 91 seeds of palladium 103 in July 2010
3 months later in Oct 2010 the psa was 3.97

fullit---there are actually studies showing that the longer it takes you to reach nadir after radiation, the better off you are. It is the ultimate low point that counts, not the initial

Terry - your elephant in the room piece is excellent

As this thread has developed it has been possible to see that quite a few people are prepared to talk about it. My initial reply was somewhat over cautious as I thought it better to err on the side of caution that come straight out with the bare facts, as they are not pleasant.

It is important to emphasis two aspects:
One: We are all going to die one day, so at some point in one's life it as well to come to terms with this.
Two: not every one with PCa will die of PCa, therefore it may be better for one's peace of mind or quality of life not to dwell too much on the details of something that may not happen to you. It is yet another bridge in the PCa journey that is perhaps better crossed at the right time.

Dying may not be pleasant whatever the cause and again there are perhaps two situations.
One: "sudden" death due to a massive heart attack, stroke etc where a person may die a few minutes, hours or days after leading a normal relatively healthy existence, or
Two: a slow death from something like cancer doing nasty things to your insides over time until a point is reached where the body can longer function to support life.

With the "sudden" scenario it will be paramedics or emergency room staff dealing with you and it may all be a blur for both you and your relatives, which may be a good or a bad thing.

If you do find yourself confronted with the "slow" scenario, then what really matters is knowing that things like the hospice system exist to make you as comfortable as possible during this final part of your life. And "Making you comfortable" covers a multitude of things from straightforward pain medication to massages, treats, quality time, sorting out paperwork, supporting your relatives. It also has to be said that being kept physically comfortable (clean, warm, shaved etc) is also indeed part of it.

I know there is an elephant in the room, so rather than ignore it, try and accept it, but then put it to one side.
If you know that something like a hospice will take care of the problems as your condition deteriorates, then you don't really need to dwell too much on how that deterioration actually manifests itself. (Just as I didn't actually need to see a video of a Da Vinci operation as seen from inside the abdomen before coming to terms with the idea that I was going to have surgery)

Alf