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Posted 4/29/2011 4:55 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone, I am new to this forum and have so many questions I don't even know where to begin.  Last night my fiancee and I took his father to the emergency room because he stated he was vomiting, couldn't eat or hold fluids down and had really bad pains in his back.  After a CAT scan, the doctor said he had cancer in his entire pelvic area.  My fiancee's dad admitted then that he was told last year that he had prostate cancer but opted not to get it treated because he believed that with excercise, vitamins and good eating habits it would go away on its own.  (background on him: he is from Panama, 68, and does not believe in doctors or medicine).  I had to leave them at the hospital to take my son to school this morning but my fiancee said that the doctor told him in private that though they only scanned his midscection/pelvic area and he believed that the cancer could possibly be in other areas and that it was pretty severe.  He also referred him to an oncologist but warned him that it would be difficult to find someone willing to treat his dad because of the severity of the cancer.  We do not have much information except what the doctor said pending a visit to the oncologist next week.  Has anybody ever heard of non-treatment due to severity of cancer? What are the odds of surviving prostate cancer when it is severe? Does anyone have any recommendations of oncologists in the Charlotte, NC area? Can anyone recommend any resources for someone who knows nothing about cancer? Thank you for any assistance or advice you can give.
Posted 4/29/2011 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
Susie, very sorry to about your father-in-law. There are many here that can provide you with advice and resources. However, it sounds like you father-in-law needs immediate treatment. He needs to be seem ASAP by the best medical ocnologist that you can find. Hormone treatments can be effective on even very advances prostate cancer. I am from the Northeast and cannot help with Doctors in Charlotte, but I sure other can. BB
Posted 4/29/2011 5:11 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Suzy,
You took a good step when you found this website. There are a lot of very experienced prostate cancer survivors. But first I want to defer to your fiance. If his fathers cancer is prostate cancer then your fiance is at risk of developing the disease also and he should request the screening tests on him as well.

Your future father in law needs to understand that there are conventional therapies for prostate cancer and there are alternative or complimentary therapies for the disease. He should not resist the help he can get. Without it he will not do well. If he wants to continue his current regimen of alternative therapies he needs to consider how well they worked thus far. And if his disease is progressing to distant organs and areas then he may in fact be facing a terminal situation. But that does not mean he can't try to do some things that have been known to work well and for a long time. That stated he shouldn't have any problem in finding an oncologist willing to treat him. I don't understand why the doctor at the hospital would say such a thing.

We need some information to he of assistance.
What is his PSA?
What is his Gleason Grade?
What scans are being planned?
Where is the disease at in the body?

Suzy I have seen some pretty extreme cases come by me as a support group leader and as a cyber advocate of prostate cancer awareness. He can do well as long as he sticks to the plan. Treating prostate cancer is a science and he needs the best scientists.

Tony
Posted 4/29/2011 5:58 PM (GMT 0)
Suzie - sorry for the bad news.  Of course, it is your father in law's decision regarding whether he wants, or does not want, treatment for his prostate cancer.  If he does want treatment, he will find, easily, on oncologist who will treat him.  The notion that he will have trouble finding an oncologist because his case may be advanced is utter nonsense.  There might be a particular oncologist who would say that, but it will not be the norm (unless his case were obviously, and imminently, terminal, in which case an oncologist might refer him to hospice). 

Even if he does not want agressive treatment, he might want paliative treatment.  There are treatments for advanced prostate cancer that are intended to reduce pain and symptoms.  Some people who do not think they want treatment -- because they do not want heroic efforts to prolong their lives -- are nonetheless very happy to receive paliative treatments. 

Best wishes,

Medved

Posted 4/29/2011 7:36 PM (GMT 0)
SuzyQ --- You have lots of good advice, and questions above, but I wanted to add my voice to saying you've come to a good place and if your "father-in-law" to be wants to follow a scientific program there are options.

I wish you, your fiancee, and F-I-L all the best and I hope you'll continue to post here and let us know what he decides to do, and how he's doing.

Sheldon AKA Sleepless
Posted 4/29/2011 8:22 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all, I have been on the internet all day trying to get as much information as I can. Tony, I do not have that info yet. I spoke with a urologist today and they said the gleason would be determined after a biopsy and based on the what she was able to pull from hospital report it did not look like a psa was done. The only thing she saw was a urine test, blood test and cat scan results the cat scan was of his pelvic area and my fiancee said the doctor told him that it was pretty severe and in his bones. We have an appointment scheduled for Monday so I should have some more information soon.
Posted 4/29/2011 8:38 PM (GMT 0)
Good job, Suzy,
Stay positive and calm. I have seen this before and many can live years with metastatic prostate cancer. There have been some great new therapy breakthroughs particularly for the advanced case guys. I want to put you in touch with another member here ~ David Emerson. He is a year under my age and was discovered to have metastatic prostate cancer to the bones and elsewhere ~ 6 years ago. He is a real trooper always willing to help. Here is his webpage:

prostatecancerat42.blogspot.com

You can comment to him in one of his blogs and he will return the message. For now get as much information as possible. PSA, PAP, FreePSA, Testosterone Levels, bone scans, xrays, etc. These things will help assess options.

You may also have to research doctors. Note that 50% of all doctors are below average. And if you want a top gun, the search can take a while. This does not mean that your FIL needs to wait to start a hormonal therapy or such. It is just a starting point that works very well. He should be told that there are side effects that he would have to understand but they are tolerable.

Good luck in the coming days.

Tony
Posted 4/29/2011 8:41 PM (GMT 0)
Suzy,

I'm very sorry to hear about your future father-in-law.  I understand you are hungry for information about prostate cancer, and hopefully I can point you to some reliable resources.  As you might already realize, there is a very wide spectrum of case characteristics...from the very serious cases all the way down to the cases which might not even need treatment at all.  In fact, some men do successfully treat their "low risk" cases with diet and exercise...but with what we know about his case, it is not "low risk."  In fact, with news that it is in the prostate bed area, we already know it would be called "locally advanced", and doctors will be looking for indications whether it is also "distant advanced."

There is a book, available via Amazon (could be shipped today and arrive by Monday), which is considered by most to be the "Bible" of prostate cancer called "Dr Patrick Walsh's Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer."  The book is a very complete reference book, with good sections on advanced prostate cancer (PC). 

There are many good online resources, too.  The NCCN, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, publishes the treatment guidelines for doctors.  They publish a free online patient version which has good details for someone coming up to speed, in addition to their flowchart for treatment.  Go HERE for the PC Guidelines.

I hope that this helps you get started.

best wishes... 

 

Posted 4/29/2011 9:27 PM (GMT 0)
Suzie Q,
You are getting good advice. I will add one thing: Get your fiance screened. There is a genetic component to PCa. Make sure your fiance knows his PSA - soon. His Dad gave him a priceless warning. Don't let him waste it.

Good luck to all of you.
Jeff
Posted 5/1/2011 8:13 PM (GMT 0)
Suzie, even in very advanced cases that have not been treated, HT, Hormone Therapy can achieve dramatic results..

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink....
Posted 5/1/2011 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome SuzieQ. patrick walshes book on cancer is arguably the best, Heck they are all good,I dont have titile's but authors Scardino, Strum , meyers. I only read Walshes at your point and will give you the info you need at this stage
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