New member

Hi all,
Have been lurking for several weeks now and have really been inspired and given hope by many of you. Thank you for that. As you can see by my signature we are just starting this journey. Husband was diagnosed the beginning of September. Fortunately ( or unfortunately, not sure which) I am a Family Nurse Practitioner and actually had drawn my husbands blood for some pre-op tests he needed for a hernia repair and "thru in a PSA" because he was over due. (Is a farmer who was always too busy to have it done) unfortunately I was then the very first person to get the results. Talk about the bottom dropping out at that point. Even though I am a nurse practitioner my specialty is mostly women's health, so I had never seen a PSA that high!!!! Then had to leave work, drive home, find husband in the middle of corn field and break the news to him. Not a good day. Obviously lots of tears and emotions since then.
Feeling some better with the initial PSA response, but still have reservations until we see the next few. He is feeling well at this point, still working 12 hour days with some fatigue and back pain but for him not working is not an option in his opinion. Some days though knowing too much is not a good thing!!! Thanks again for all of your posts and encouragement.

Welcome! Sorry you have to be here, but there is much knowledge and experience out here. BTW I know a bit about your hubby's stance as a farmer as my father in law is a hog farmer here in S.E. Wisconsin!

Your signature didn't show up, so maybe try to address that so we can get all the details.

Hello Fnp and welcome. Sorry you have to be here but I'm sure you will get lots of support and advice. As Yooper said, your signature did not show up. Please check the "Include signature" box before you post and that will take care of it.

Jim

Thanks all for the help think I have it now even though it won't show in original post.

Welcome to HW Fnp256, from another G9 with stats similar to your husbands. Sorry you need to be here, but glad you found us and that you decided to post.

I was diagnosed just about two years ago and started with the same treatment as your husband.

Since that time, the CHAARTED clinical trial results have been published and it showed a significant survival improvement by starting docetaxel (taxotere) along with ADT (Lupron&Casodex) in advanced cases. I would have pushed my docs to consider adding docetaxel to my ADT right up front, had the results of this trial been available to me. Two years ago, chemo was being pushed as far back in the sequence of treatments as was possible (a last resort), that is starting to change as the results of this trial.
Here is just one article on the subject...
click → Chaarted Trial

My best to you and your husband,

Hello Fnp256....sorry that you are on this forum, but glad you found it....it is a wealth of information and knowledgeable guys who can and do provide first hand information....

I have benefited from this forum immensely and have made several friends along the way, also have lost a few of them to this disease.

I will post my husband's signature for you to see how long this battle has gone on for us. I am with "adjust" in his statement about docetaxel (taxotere), and would ask you to suggest the start of that treatment immediately for your husband, give that disease a swift kick before hand. Now I might have sounded a little "strong" on telling you to suggest this treatment to your doctor, but you have to be very pro-active and aggressive with this disease or it will start being the aggressor....and you have to be just as knowledgeable as the doctor, so you can be assured that the correct line of treatment is being given to your husband.

Just read everything that you can about this disease, set up alerts for new reports and monitor all available web sites that study prostate cancer.

sal

Good morning Fnp,

Just read your post over at caregiver's corner and looked for you here. My husband and I were given his diagnosis last February so I feel your pain and shock. I know if doesn't seem possible now, but life will calm down for both of you in the coming months...

So, welcome and keep coming back. The men and women on this forum are the best.

Lisa

Fnp256 said...
Thanks all for the help think I have it now even though it won't show in original post.

I don't start many threads, mostly respond to them. However, when I do start a thread I have the same issue which you can work around by immediately editing it and that gives you check signature box on an edit that was not there on the initial post.

I am G9 (4+5) and was just treated by SBRT radiation that ended last Monday.

Redwing already directed you to the thread for G9 crew and I see you posted to the Caregiver thread also.

Welcome.

LupronJim

Hi Fnp256,

Just wanted to chime in as someone else with a husband with kind of similar recent diagnosis.

My husband is holding off on the taxotere for now. He has <4 bone mets and the CHAARTED study everybody has mentioned may be less relevant to him. He is also very concerned about chemo SE.

The emotional side of it is really hard. And being on ADT doesn't help with that. The best advice I've gotten has been to try to avoid projecting out too much into the future. Staying busy is good.

It's so odd - every morning I wake up and feel ok for a couple sleepy minutes until I remember about PCa. Then I get busy, and it's ok again. At the same time things have been so intense what with doctors appointments and researching and just generally dealing with it, it seems like it's been going on forever, even though it's just a couple months.

Best of good wishes for you and your husband. Keep us posted on how you're doing.

Carolyn