Month from Hell

Hi all
Thought I would check in. Appears there has been a steady stream of new people in the past few weeks. My thoughts and prayers go out to each and every one of you.

My last posting was approximately May 24, this is when Michael had a series of strokes and was in the hospital. They still have no found out why he had these strokes but seem to think that it wont happen again. But in the process of trying to find out why, they sent him to a hemotolgist. based on blood tests and a abdominal ultrasound, they have found a cyst and a few questionable spots on his liver. The radiologist is a friend of ours so Michael called him to get his thoughts and he said they are a bit concerned that even though his PSAs have been undetectable it could be cancer on the liver. More tests to follow. I know they are just being thorough, but would cancer on the liver have come from PSa cells that escaped in someway, and now not showing on tests???? Seems odd to me.

We got Michael home from the hospital and I went back to work for 3 days, on the 4th day, our 11 year old son was up all night complaining about stomach pain. In the morning I took him to DR and they sent us to the ER. He ended up having an emergency appendectomy. Went home the next day. Appeared to be doing well, a week later, he is hospitalized for an infection due to the surgery. He has just gotten better from that.

THursday at around noon, Michael calls, our 9 year old has hurt his knee at camp and the camp director, who happens to be a veterinarian, is telling him his knee is badly swollen and it could be a torn ACL or a broken bone. He leaves his physical therapy to rush to get our son and take him to the ER. I am at work, which is an hour away from home. Keep in mind I havent worked a full week in 3 weeks, I am sure my boss is pissed. I leave immediately and drive to ER. When I get there, the knee is slightly swollen and a bit bruised, but nothing like it was made out to be. Ends up he has just badly bruised his knee, nothing torn or broken. Whew!!!

Michael has occupational and physical therapy 2 times per week. He is working on regaining use of his left arm/hand and getting strength and balance back with his left leg. he is on a leave of absence from work till the end of August.

The good news. His testosterone level has been brought back into normal range with the first shot I gave him on May 24 (the night he had the first stroke) Now we get to deal with whatever this cyst and spots on his liver mean, oh yeah and his white blood cell count is fairly high!!! God, please help us!!!

I will keep you updated, hopefully it is not related to the PCa, would be a strange twist if it were. Thanks for letting me vent.

Hugs
Susan

I am hoping and actually think that " bit concerned " is actually exactly what they mean .Concerned on its own has not yet reached the point of worry, a "bit" so even less,but does reach the level of prudence. They need to check it out. As you have learned after a cancer diagnosis/treatment, every thing that happens is like, good lord, whats next. You instinctively know this, which is why its a "month" from hell. Not even a season. We get skittish, which is why Peter Waites message on mindfulness is very apt, though and ironically I have to say the concept has been around for centuries, if not millennia. Most of the major religions hold this view and always have. It matters not how the msg is pkged as long as it is presented for the good. Sorry for the tangent. Is it possible the spots are self resolved cysts, since active cyststh have been identified, but self resolved cysts,, leaving a marks/scars. Pca can Metatazie anywhere, I suppose, but it would increase the psa, arguably. As you know it would be pca, not liver cancer. though I suppose it could be a synchronetic case of live cancer. Personally I am confident the liver situation will prove benign. So I would be a "bit" concerned but certainly no more than that. You guys enjoy you're weekend and celebrate the victories you have had and prepare yourselves for more. It really is only today that any of us have to be a " bit concerned" Regards. Logo

Seems to me a contrast CT scan will provide more information - quite detailed information. If I remember correctly a contrast CT scan of a liver can "see" cancer. Also, I'd ask about the AFP. It is an easy way to see if there is a red flag that would require a liver biopsy.

Susan,

You've certainly had more than a plate full!

Will keep you in thoughts and prayers for smoother sailing ahead.

Hugs...

Susan, no thoughts on your medical questions, but I just had to say how sorry I am that you and your family are under so much stress. You really HAVE had a time of it. My thoughts are with you...

Juliet

Thinking about you both...
Think positive, I know the feeling of finding 'something' and worrying about it.
Before my SRT, a bone scan showed a suspicious spot. The only thing they wanted to do was start ADT to see if it shrank in 3 months... Well that was 3 months of worry for nothing. It ended up being a benign 'bone island'. I didn't get that 3 months of worry back.
So, stay positive.

Susan,
How much can one family take in a month? Sorry you are going through so much at one time.
Sending hugs to all of you.

Bill from Florida

Poor you, poor  your whole crew!  "Month from hell" is no exaggeration.  Sorry you've been going through this, and I hope for less eventful days ahead.

I can't improve on the advice everyone else has already offered.  Before our diagnosis, I was a worrier, and always wanted to know -- what's next, what's likely to happen, how can I improve the outcome.  A terrible prognosis (the initial info shared was worse than the reality has turned out) cured that pretty quickly.  I hope that's true for you too, so that to some extent you can avoid borrowing trouble.  Try not to worry.  Doctors have to be vigilant and cautious.  I'm hoping and expecting you'll get good news after they do all the due diligence. 

I appreciate all the good thoughts and prayers.....I believe it has to get better from here, and ultimately it couldve been MUCH worse. Will update when I have more info. He goes back to our PCM on Wednesday and from there he will get the referral for the CT with and without contrast. KNowing the radiologist, he said he would fit him in immediately. Its good to have friends!!!

Thanks again, Hope you are all doing well.
Hugs
Susan

that is a tough month. Don't they all seem to get tougher and tougher as we get older?

Glad your younger son has only a bruised knee.

The docs are probably just doing their due diligence a la Americana. spots most often are just spots and, for what its worth, I find it hard to see a connection to the PCa given his PSA numbers.

but that's the thing about this disease and the doom we see once we've been introduced to it. Everything seems connected to it in our minds. I just cut short a 5 mile run because my right shin is KILLING me. I know it's a shin splint but not 5 min goes by without me wondering if there is a connection to my PCa.

Hope you get some very reassuring news on all fronts in the next few weeks and that you can enjoy a relatively calm summer.

Hugs and wishing for the best for you, Susan.
Henry

Susan, so sorry you guys are going through all of that - talk about a rough month, yup!!!!

And BTW to your comment "Thanks for letting me vent" - no thanks required as you are one of the gals here that always has and ear and shoulder for those that do vent!

Best to you and yours Susan. . . .

Susan , Michael and sons - so sorry to hear of the continuing trauma to you and your family - here's to a settling down of events - and some peace of mind and spirit
- maybe your "month of hell" could be made into a tv-movie - with Susan Lucci starring as you...
( humour can help in the darker times)...
-sincere healing hugs,
Bronson