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Posted 12/13/2013 8:37 PM (GMT 0)
Yea! UHC has now approved Provenge and I will be starting the process Tuesday 12/17.
They initially denied coverage because my Testos 3 mo after a Lupron shot was 209. Retest one mo after my next Lupron shot was <7 and they reversed their position. I am happy that I get to start Provenge with PSA under 5 and no bone mets, just two lymph nodes slightly enlarged.

Sam
Posted 12/13/2013 9:02 PM (GMT 0)
Congratulations. A lot of patients would like to be on Provenge. Good luck.
Posted 12/13/2013 10:27 PM (GMT 0)
Great victory, hoping it does the trick for you.

David
Posted 12/13/2013 10:45 PM (GMT 0)
Great news samham! I'll be in Bethesda, MD on Tuesday and I'll find out if i get in the immunotheraphy vaccine arm of a clinical trial. Hoping for some fighter T cells for the both of us!

Jim
Posted 12/14/2013 12:45 AM (GMT 0)
Best of luck.
Posted 12/14/2013 12:57 AM (GMT 0)
Way to go samham. I love it when we emerge victorious in our endeavors. Good job! Congrats...
Posted 12/14/2013 1:10 AM (GMT 0)
Great news Sam. Best wishes.

I just had a discussion with my uro and they have positioned me in their system so that I get Provenge at the first possible time. I certainly hope that my treatment so far keeps me well but I am glad that they are thinking ahead.

I hope you have a great result and that it buys you many more years.

Jack
Posted 12/14/2013 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all the good wishes. I have had 9 1/2 great years since PC DX and am looking forward to many more.

Sam
Posted 12/14/2013 10:07 PM (GMT 0)
Congratulations - we hear great things about Provenge from Todd and other. Glad you're getting your chance at it.

Andrew
Posted 12/17/2013 10:42 PM (GMT 0)
Had my first cell collection today. Went easier that I had expected. Took a little less than 3 hours. There were 2 other men there having cells collected also. The nurse said they are getting busier as more doctors learn about Provenge and that they are planning to grow from 3 beds to 5 beds.

Sam
Posted 12/20/2013 9:40 PM (GMT 0)
Got my first infusion of Provenge today. No problems at all.

Watch out cancer cells - those trained fighter cells are ready to kick some PC butt.

Sam
Posted 1/17/2014 10:23 PM (GMT 0)
Got my third infusion yesterday. Never got any reactions during the infusions but woke up during the night after the 2nd one with chills. Took 2 Benadryl and 1 Aleve and went back to sleep and was fine.

After the third infusion I could not warm up after I got home. Took 2 Benadryl and 1 Aleve again and went to bed at 5PM. Not a good night. I had other flu symptoms during the night. Just taking a lazy day today and am feeling better now.
Posted 2/11/2014 10:58 PM (GMT 0)
:-) 3 months from my last Lupron shot, 3 months on Casodex and Provenge completed on Jan 16th, my PSA is down from 4.95 3 months ago to 2.58 now.

I am a happy camper.
Posted 2/11/2014 11:12 PM (GMT 0)
Congratulations on the response. Reading your thread it appears you are tolerating things well except for a couple of small episodes. The numbers look good to me.

I hope it continues to work for you and buys you many more great years.

Sonny
Posted 2/12/2014 6:26 AM (GMT 0)
Sam,
Congratulations for winning the "endurance contest" and I'm sure that you will have the same results Todd is having..It's 0 degrees with 28 mph freezing winds here in Wisconsin; If you are camping you had better be in a
Southern state. All the best to you youngin--lol
Bill
Posted 2/12/2014 6:44 PM (GMT 0)
Sonny & Bill,

Thanks,

Sam
Posted 2/12/2014 8:02 PM (GMT 0)
Congratulation !

I hope you will report like 49packard that it is the easiest and best treatment you ever take during your PC journey and has been the best you've felt since dx.

I wish you don't need any other advanced prostate cancer therapies for many years ahead.

What is great that also after Provenge( with only 1 month duration of treatment ) if you don't continue to progress rapidly you can stay without Zytiga , Xtandi, Chemo and others drugs for many months or years and enjoy life without SE. Save all of these drugs for later.

Look forward to read your other reports.

My best Hope.
Posted 2/13/2014 12:29 AM (GMT 0)
I am not on Provenge yet but in my youth pre-PCa used to do a lot of Apheresis to donate platelets.

Get yourself a good movie and treatment and movie ended about same time.

Glad you won that first battle with insurance company and are now building up a army to aggressively fight the PCa from within.

If it were approved for men responding well to Lupron, I would much rather play offense with Provenge than defense with Lupron.

Guys like you and Todd are balzing a trail for the rest of us to follow some day.

LupronJim
Posted 2/13/2014 2:50 AM (GMT 0)
Congrats Sam on your results! It's great that you've got Provenge working for you.

I agree with LupronJim, I think these type of therapies should be used offensively, while Lupron is still working, and not waiting until HT begins to fail.

My best to you, and will be looking for more good reports...
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