Autumnal Equinox and Gary is holding his own

What an exhausting last few weeks! We took a short trip on Labor Day weekend to see Gary's dad and he was feeling good, eating well, and less fatigued. Then out of the blue his appetite declined to less than a couple hundred calories a day and stamina was so low he could barely walk from bed to bathroom without getting short of breath. I assumed that we would soon need hospice and told the MO as much. Then I discovered he had thrush when he was complaining his throat hurt to swallow. Once we got that cleared up he was eating again and getting back his stamina. Then last weekend he developed a VERY painful UTI. At his regularly scheduled visit to MO, we found that his PSA had risen to 804 and his weight had fallen to 109! His MO speculated the rise was due to prostatitis, and not failure of mitoxantrone. (Seems like a big jump for prostatitis). So Gary chose to go ahead with the chemo and lupron injection, and the MO is finally ordering an echocardiogram (due to potential heart damage from chemo regimen) and some light PT, with a visit from home health care occasionally. He is still fighting the UTI with cipro, but it's getting better. He is back to eating and less short of breath when getting about. Meanwhile, I'm getting someone to come to the house and prepare meals for Gary while I'm at work so he can eat small amounts throughout the day to try to regain some of the lost weight, now that his appetite is back. He turns 58 in two weeks!
Beth for Gary

Is he taking pyridium? That will stain everything it touches - make sure his underwear isn't white. At least you found something to laugh at at his rainbow pee.

I guess the chemo and prednisone really knocks the sit out of his immune system, making him susceptible to thrush and UTIs. Is there any kind of immune booster he can take - Provenge, Leukine, low dose cyclophosphamide, IL-2? Yeah, prostatitis can send his PSA soaring - it can do that even when the prostate is full of healthy tissue.

I'm sorry you both are going through one thing after another, but for now he seems to be stable.

- Allen

You are both so very brave Beth. It is incredibly hard to hear of Gary's struggles with all these setbacks, and my heart goes out to you both. He is such a trooper (as are you), and I'm just wishing and hoping for a meaningful reprieve for you both. Sending hugs from across the miles, Jaybee.

Well I like the prostatitus idea -- fingers crossed that this is a blip and this therapy continues to work. I think your plan to make it easy for him to eat whenever he can is a great idea.

You guys are so strong! Hang in there and sending good thoughts up the California coast!

So sorry to hear this. Prayers sent up for the both of you.

Thank you all for prayers and well wishes. We are hoping Gary feels well enough to make a visit to his Mom in Colorado mid-October. Aspen are turning.
@TA...I did a little Google search on Leukine. That sounds promising. Gary doesn't qualify for provenge. He's on a fentanyl patch.
Beth