Mental Health Complications

quick synopsis of my father. 73 year old. Gleason 8, cancer isolated to prostate. 2 months of radiation completed on March 26, continued hormone therapy every three/four months.
Here is the issue now. The day after my father finished radiation, he experienced and change in his mental state. He is afraid of everything. holding in his pee for so long and always having a full bladder messed him up. He's afraid to use the washroom. He barely sleeps anymore because he keeps getting up to go to the bathroom but nothing comes out. Than his body finally shuts down and he falls asleep and he wets the bed. He's in a state of confusion sometimes. Can't remember if he has taken his meds, asks if he has eaten breakfast. things like that. he was fine right up until his last day of radiation. he drove himself to and from everyday for two months. he cooks, cleans, drives, shops, etc.... Never had an issue. one day later and everything is upside down. THis is scary. I have no idea what to do. I have never seen anything like this before. Has anyone had experience with this or something similar? Don't even know where to start looking for help.

Thank you for the response. He was very excited on the day of his last treatment. He was happy when he came home. It was the next day everything went down hill. We are meeting with his oncologist this afternoon. The cancer clinic we go to has a mental health care until. I truly hope they can assist us in some way. This is something we never expected and don't know how to deal with it.

Sorry your dad's got problems. Hope we can help.

Radiation also causes fatigue that lasts weeks to months after it is finished. Usually guys drag around for about six weeks. That plus the Lupron kicking in would certainly not help if he got down in the dumps. Like the tall one said, there are meds that help with the irritation and incontinence that are not-that-rare lingering side effects after radiation.

It's not that unusual for men to get depressed after treatment. Before and during treatment a man may have problems but he also has a plan of action to fix things. He has stuff to do. After treatment he still has problems but all he's got for a plan is to see his doctor in three months to see how he's recovering.

Since his incontinence problem seems to mainly happen at night he might try sleeping in a pair of depends until it resolves. Chances are his bladder problems are caused by radiation cystitis. If that's what it is there are treatments for it and it will tend to go away. It will also often revisit a man occasionally for a few years after radiation but not forever.

He should be aggressive in dealing with his cognitive issues. Therapy is good but don't forget to talk to his doctors about drugs. Hormone therapy can cause depressive symptoms that can be treated with antidepressants. I am on two of them to try to keep my mighty brain from seizing up while I am on the hormones.

I think he has a had a relapse due to the whole pca trauma to the mind and the body. The radiation in his mind , and hopefully true , is the end of the treatment he will need to endure. He endured it and a kinda of , where do you go after the big dance, sets in. Temporary depression is almost a common reaction in endurance athletes, who have trained, worked hard to accomplish a task, and when the task is over, there is a let down. I hope I am not minimizing his condition. The urinray problems, loss of sleep, the drugs all play into it. You both need a sit down with his professional caregiver for some ideas to get over what is not a routine event in a 73 y/o mans life. It will take some time. Yoe will help him thru this with encouraging words, making sure he gets the rest and recreation, i.e. exercise and fill him with good healthy food. This imo opinion is an acute and not a chronic problem. He is in recovery from a traumatic, mental and physical challenge. Take it one day at a time and look for improvements over time, I be live he will rise to this shock to his system and overcome….
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He definitely should see a psychiatrist . He may be suffering from debilitating clinical depression. I've been there and it can cripple you!
Bob

A good Psychopharmacologist can work wonders. Did for me. There is no point to enduring mental pain. With PC it can make it worse due to its effect on the immune system.

thank you everyone for your support. My dad is still in the hospital and his mental state is not much better, but we are ruling things out. First, his prostate cancer did not spread to brain. There is no tumor. He does not show any sign of stroke or brain damage. His reflexes are good. He is depressed and convinced he is dying. He barely speaks, refuses to eat (no food in two days). won't get up. When he does talk he says its over and to leave him alone and let him die. Someone is trying to kill him. There is something wrong but no one can find it, or we know and don't want to tell him. Started him on an IV last night for the bacterial infection. This morning, he still feels the same. I think i'm hoping for too much too soon. he is definitely dehydrated, has a uti, no food in him. all kinds of things could be causing this. I'm sorry to post here in the prostate cancer forum. I just wanted to send an update. Thanks everyone.

NeedAdvice,

Your dad has been treated and is being treated for prostate cancer. The hormone therapy drugs he is on for his prostate cancer have common congitive and mood-related side effects, although nothing like as serious as you describe. There is absolutely no reason for you to be sorry to post here. You aren't wasting our time or our attention. That's why we are all here. None of us are doctors here and what you describe is outside of the range of stuff we usually hear, but hopefully we can keep you from feeling quite so all alone with your dad's troubles.

I'd give the antibiotics a bit more time. Infections can make older people confused. I have a favorite aunt who went completely batty all of a sudden five years ago. Family members captured her and dragged her off to a hospital where she was eventually diagnosed with a UTI. It took about 36 hours for her to return to reality but she has been fine since.

I know Alziemers can create symptoms like you describe, paranoia, depression. I have a friend with parkinsons and and alziemers, whose symptoms are like your Dads. I can't believe it would be that. Too quick an onset, He sounds like he is just giving up. we know he shouldn't, Has no medical reason to. He thinks he is dying, he isn't. Im hoping time will take care of it. He is in the steps katherine Ross refers to in her book on dyin. He ain't but thinks he is, so he is in pissed off at god stage, when he gets to the acceptance stage, he may snap out of it. Otherwise, you may get to a point that you get so mad at him, you tell him off so as to get his mind off himself, and on to his loved ones. This is a tough one. As a father, over the years, is he distant with his feelings or fairly open and gregarious. Im talking pre pca diagnosis. You don't have to answer that, Im sorry. Im.getting way beyond my pay grade and would concur with those who recommend mental care. The stigma is gone on that but some still have it.. I hope he is with a top notch medical team and not the life long GP and urologist. He needs more than a local podunk setting for treatment on all the issues.imo. Do't get me wrong, Ilike small towns , rural. but there is a saying in hawaii. When in pain take a plane. Tho Queens in HNL has a topnotch breast cancer center, tho.

Does he interact positively with the rad/onc. Sorry about all the questions, just trying to solve the puzzle. How are you holding up with all of this ? I actually think/hope that he will snap out of it, and am believing he will and praying right now, that he will Thats the best I can do. I say that not with a sigh, but with triumph. Keep us in the loop. Oh, where are you guys at. I ask cause I will be in the Indianapolis area and the chapel hill NC area.n 2 t0 3 weeks. Wouldn,t mind meeting your Dad. You might want to contact a pca support group in your area explain the situation they may be able to help Thinking of you and yours, Logo. ps no thank you's, I hear your heart, plus I'm one of dem tuff guy's man's man too, tho am not immune to salt in the eyes.

Yes, give the antibiotics time to work. Dehydration, and UTI's can cause that much confusion. A mental health consult sounds like a good idea too. An anti-depressant might help.

Susan

So the mri came back clean and they did a lumbar tap and found nothing of concern. Seems to be confusion and depression. Antibiotics for a few more days and than psych assessment early next week. May need anti depressants. He's still not talking and barely ever gets out of bed. Need to give him time and support. I hope everyone else is doing well.