ADT and SRT Journey Part 4

Hey all,

Hubby just had his first PSA test after his RT in the spring and ADT (last Lupron shot was in April, 2018). Happy to report PSA = 0.01 and T = 11.

His last 3 month Lupron shot was in April. He still has extreme hot flashes. He is also quite fatigued and emotional at times, but seems to be able to control it with tons of exercise and eating right.

Anyone else still have hot flashes (actually dripping with sweat) well after ADT?

scar1919 said...
His last 3 month Lupron shot was in April. He still has extreme hot flashes. He is also quite fatigued and emotional at times... Anyone else still have hot flashes (actually dripping with sweat) well after ADT?

Yes, my last six month shot was in January... eight months ago, so I was expecting the hot flashes to begin to subside. Actually, I believed that I had them under control, as I have been taking 150mg venlafaxine daily plus 600mg gabapentin at night.

But a recent course of prednisone (60mg/day) put my hot flashes on steroids, so to speak. I literally drip with sweat, and it's been very difficult getting comfortable at night. Fortunately I saw my doctor and it's looking more and more like I have another type of cancer now. Without the prednisone, I never would have known about it.

Thank heaven for small blessings. And when the hot flashes may actually end, who knows?

Yes the MRI/CT is standard at this point. Used as a baseline and for planning (programming).

At this point a lot of the waiting is just scheduling - waiting for machine/tech/doc time.

It's an endurance test - you'll make it.
Andrew

Thanks guys.
I have to decide by the time i do the sim, what time of day to schedule the treatments. I was thinking if i do it late afternoon, i could work half a day, then drive into the city (about an hour) or take the train in. But now i'm thinking maybe i schedule it for 7AM, i could be at work by 9:30-10am, and still work half a day then head home. Thinking by the afternoon i might be pretty wiped out.

I did the 7:00 am thing. The treatment center was right on my way to my office. Worked for me.

I almost went the afternoon route, but with my job it's always easier to arrive late than leave early.

One other early morning bonus for me was that parking at the treatment center was easy at 7:00 am, but by 11 the lots are full until about 4:00 so I avoided a parking headache. They did have a special permit for cancer patients, but some times even those spots were filled in the afternoon. These days I think they have a valet service for the cancer clinic patients. Something worth checking out when you do your sim visit.

Andrew

When I asked for 7am I was told the only problem was how long I'd have to wait for that time slot to open. Ended up waiting an extra week to start treatment.

Andrew

Most of my sessions were around 10am with one or two of them in early afternoon which worked great for me since I'm retired. I would have about four cups of coffee with breakfast and then about 40 ounces which worked out quite well for bladder volume. The problem I could see with a 7 am session is being hydrated enough.

Good Luck Pratoman

It all depends on how fast your body fills your bladder after you drink a bunch of water. Some guys it's 30 minutes - for me it was more like 90 minutes - everyone is different.

I'm not a morning person, and could have done 7AM, but would not have been happy. I was mid afternoon, and only had the treatment moved around once - no big deal.

If you're like most, the fatigue isn't a big deal until near the end of the process, and for the first few weeks after treatments. Don't think that at the end of the treatments you will immediately be 100%. Mine ended on May 7, and this weekend is the first time since then that my energy felt close to normal (well, a Lupron normal, but you get what I mean).

Rob

Just wondering how y’all are doing. Seems like a good time to remember my many friends here and check in.

My next Eligard injection is awaiting pickup by USPS in Portland, OR. My insurer, BC/BS — BC because they’re old as the Stone Age and BS because... — insists I get it from specialty drug purveyor CVS Caremark, which won’t ship the drug to Saipan because it needs refrigeration and it’ll take more than three days for the shipment to transit here. So my workaround is to have it shipped to a mail forwarder in Portland, who passes it along to me. All told, it’ll be about 10 days in transit. But it should be fine. Caremark packages it in heavy styrofoam with four frozen gel packs, and the goop isn’t supersensitive to temperature, just needs shielding from extremes. ... last time, I had it shipped to a hotel I was staying at in San Antonio and hand carried it home, 4 days total, the gel packs were still frozen when I got back to Saipan. Ah, the pleasures of living on a remote island halfway across the globe!

I meet with my RO on Guam Sept 18, will discuss how much longer to stay on the juice.

Cheers,

SP.

Richard wow that time goes fast!! It will be a year for me already on Oct. 11.. I'm thinking I'm gonna try getting something for these darn hot flashes getting terrilble!! Have to change shirts 2 to 3 times a day. Hope your meeting went good!!

Larry

Rich thanks for reactivating this thread and helping us get back to “business”

I had to put my simulation off by 2 days, due to the Jewish Holiday. So it’s set for Wednesday. I got the call about pre-sim prep, and picked up my “supplies today. I was surprised that among other things, they want me to start Metamucil daily, today, and continue daily until the end of my e0 treatments. What fun.

In an odd way, I’m looking forward to it, because the sooner I start, the sooner I finish. Still, when I got the call, the butterflies started. I guess it’s the realization that this is actually happening.

Pratoman said...
......I was surprised that among other things, they want me to start Metamucil daily, today, and continue daily until the end of my e0 treatments.

They obviously know what you're full of.

I'm trying to be good, but couldn't help myself on this easy one.