Xofigo, radium223, treatment #3

Hi all, time for an update on my Xofigo treatment. First off I'll have to say that my 3 person team on this is made up of my RO, his radiological nurse who sets the IV and does the lions share of the work (Yay Marsha), and the nuclear safety physicist, Kathy, all get gold stars for their wonderful care and consistently professional follow through on each treatment. As I have remarked earlier in this journey I am on a rather high dose of Opiods due to both Ortho-A and full body pain caused by HT. In consultation with both my MO and RO we titrated this dosage down 50% so as to not mask the palliative action of the Xofigo. When asked by my RO about my pain I was happy to tell him that it was down and that I think that I will be able to remain at my much lower opioid dosage . . . Cheers all around. My PSA went down 10 points during the preceding two weeks, from 160 to 150 so the Tx continues to be a roller-coaster ride on that marker. As far as SEs go, increased fatigue is still there but hasn't gotten any worse since the first injection. GI issues are non-existent and my blood counts remain within normal range. It's still too soon to tell about the success of this, for me, proactive Tx, but the lowered pain level and relative lack of SEs say good things about undergoing the Tx at my stage. A couple of our brothers had to discontinue Tx due to low blood counts but their PSAs are a magnitude higher or more than my current 150. I think that this should be taken into consideration before undergoing this Tx . . . Q

Thanks for the kind thoughts Arthur. It sure does help to progress when you know that those that are helping you really care . . . Q

Hi Sue,
I don't think you need to worry about it leeching into the air, they pack the four of us into a small private room, smaller than n exam room, to do the Tx and no one seems concerned. So sorry to hear about Dave's blood counts, it's the platelets this time, am I right? I read your post about how you feel that Dave's treatment has been improperly sequenced and I wanted to tell you that I agree with you. I am not totally up on his complete program but from his signature and your posts it just doesn't seem right.

That happened to a friend of mines husband last year as far as I'm concerned and I truthfully feel like it shortened his life by years. He was Dxed at age 60 with PSA 350 and a G-7 with minor mets. Those are better numbers than I had at my Dx. They immediately started him on chemo, doxatel, for I don't know how many treatments but it really knocked out his immune system. Only when that didn't lower his PSA did they put him on HT. I was started on HT 8 years ago and am still on it. My friends PSA dropped to I think 37 on the HT but his immune system left him so weak that the mets spread. Long story short, Rudy died 7 months after Dx. I really think that if they would have started out with HT he would have lasted longer, they shouldn't have brought out the big chemo guns right off. I know that when I was Dxed my MO was adamantly against going to chemo right away. Keep up your campaign and I think that when you come back to this life you will make a great Oncologist . . . Q