cutiger said...
My dad has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 PCa..gleason 9, psa 23. He has 3 bone mets. He was a poster child for regular PSA screening so we are all surprised that within a year it would be so aggressive.
He has been on Casodex/Lupron and just finished his last Casodex pill. I realize that there are bad side effects of both but it seems pretty extreme with my dad. He has difficulty thinking clearly and is paralyzed with anxiety. He was given the standard Zoloft, Celexa and they both caused severe allergic reactions such as face swelling. He has been to MD Anderson for a second opinion and they confirmed his diagnosis.
My question for anyone who has dealt with these severe reactions is will his body get used to the Lupron or is this what it will be like as long as he is on the meds? He (and my mom) have no quality of life and our family is very concerned about BOTH of them.
I understand the fatigue as it is human castration but the altering of his mind is upsetting to him and to the rest of our family. His PSA decreased from 23 to 8 in just a few weeks which is good but again, the quality of life is our concern right now.
If he discontinues the Lupron will the cancer become even more aggressive?
If anyone has 2 cents, I am all ears! I respect all you men for fighting this disease! Press on in the fight!
Hey Cutiger,
Is your Dad's "difficulty thinking clearly and is paralyzed with anxiety" a result of the Lupron SEs or is from the PC diagnosis itself? I know I went through a lot of anxiety when I was first DXed and the Lupron SEs didn't help any. I do know that the HT did have it's physical and mental affects on me and one of the most noticeable(according to others who lived and worked with me) was my "short fuse" and inability to tolerate others......I did manage to get use to my hot flashes and I had some help with my inability to sleep.