My vacation from HW is over again, not really proving a lot. I still have incredible amounts of time alone during the afternoons and nights due to my wife's work schedule.
Today, I had my first full out patient physical therapy session. Got my feelings hurt, thought I was doing better on my own, but when I was professionally accessed, the trainer said all my muscle tones were in terrible shape due to athropy after this last surgery. At first, I will be going 3x a week, later it will be moved to 5x as I build some strength and endurance. Good news, the therapy center is only about 4 blocks from the house. Every 3 months, they will see how I am doing, and extend for 3 months periods as needed, and for as long as needed.
I see my uro/surgeon on the 29th of the month. It will be the 2 month check up post surgery. I am thankful I am able to drive again at this time (though I am wasted after more than about 20 miles of driving), and I am hoping he will up my 5 pound weight limit. Even if he upped it to 10 lbs, it would be a big help.
I am back to doing all the lighter housework again, with the exception of vacuuming or mopping floors, both of them are way too much for me currently.
Only gained back 6 of the 41 lbs I lost rapidly. They are glad for that. Still not eating any sweets or junk foods, my body still doesnt seem to crave it anymore. Also, can't stand the thought of anything fried or spicy.
I think about my PSA still, despite putting off my November reading, but I am sticking to my plan to wait till Feb 2011 to get re-tested. Determined to have a nice holiday season this year, not for me, but for my family and grand kids. The last 2 seasons were miserable due to my medical woes, I want to give them all a break.
While my inclination is not to go to HT in the future if proven needed, I have been reading all I can on the subject. Until I have to make a decision, its easy to say what I would or wouldn't do. If the current thinking on Strong PSA Velocity cases hold true, then all I have done so far, i.e., Surgery and SRT, has been a waste from the start. In these cases, from what I have been learning on my own, and talking to another medical oncologist, it's highly likely that HT wouldn't last long with me even if I went that way, it would become refractory fairly fast.
What I have going on, is a much faster progression of PC then others, even though on paper I am a Gleason 7. Thus, emphasising the point that some Gleason 7 cases can be as dangerous or even more dangerous than even Gleason 8/9 cases. It may be the case of one of the agressive strands of PC that Zufus talks about.
My mind is not 100% made up, but I am still not inclined to want to go the HT route if my SRT fails. I hear a few positive storie s here at HW about QOL from some of you guys, but I read far more worse stories about side effects and QOL issues away from HW. Considering that both times that I underwent major radiation, I did terrible, I would not expect to do well under HT.
Pain I understand. I just came out of a year of daily, chronic, and severe pain related to the radiation damage. Meds can take care of a lot of pain. I don't want to end up not being the person I am, I don't want to be depressed because of HT, I don't want to deal with hot flashes, weight gain, bone deterioration, and all kinds of mental and emotional troubles. Its a choice each of us has to contemplate if faced with the prospect of advanced PC, where you know there is no possible cure left on the table.
For all those that are on HT, and doing well, and buying time, my hat is off to you. I don't think its wrong, its back to what is right for you, and trade offs a person is willing to take. One of the hardest formulas to balance in one's personal existence, is the classic quality of life vs. quantity of life. No easy or one-fit answer there either. So very personal. No right or wrong either.
David in SC