G9 with bone Mets

Dear all,

My father just got diagnosed with a g9 PCA,
He was diagnosed by case while doing a tran ureteral resection.
As he is the only family I have left, and I am still very young, I cam here to find hope and testimony of sucess in leading a good quality of
Life even with such a disease.
The first scintigraphy showed a fixation on the right hip but they first told us it was arthosis. We were so happy and excited...

Then an MRI SHOWED 4 supects lesions ( bone mets)
They decided radio hormonotherapy ( casodex and eligard).
And they want to do a pet scan choline.

Could you please tell me if there is any hope that he could possibly live
A few more years even with bone mets? Or bone mets means he is dying already?
I am beyond sadness, all empty inside and i just wanted to know about your experience.

Thanks a lot for you answer,

Love and bless to you all.

Modjo - Bone mets are not a death sentence, they are actually one of the most common areas that PCa will escape to. The HT should help eliminate the bone mets, once it knocks down the PSA.

Stay strong for your father and stay positive. Good mental outlook by him and those around him are very important. There are many inspirational stories from members here, I'm sure they will be around to share.

If you haven't already, please be sure to seek out a medical oncologist, don't be afraid to ask questions and get multiple opinions. You have many options going forward. Starting on the hormones is a great first start, but there are going to be several options open for the next steps, please don't be afraid to ask those here on the board for help.

Again, most of all, please stay positive, your father is in no immediate danger, and can still live a long meaningful life!

Jordan

coyotegirl1025 said...
Dear Modjo,
There are plenty of G9's on the forum who have done well for years (just do a search). The few bone mets are far from a death sentence as of yet. I am fortunate in that my husband is only a G7 and has done well post RRP, but I won't lie that the disease doesn't terrify me. It's like always living with an 800 lb gorilla. But be inspired by all the success stories on this board!
Coyotegirl

There was a thread about G9 successes that got so long, a second thread had to be started to avoid exceeding the forum capacity

www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&m=3182035

here is the original

www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&m=2863652

If you share his location either in a reply or by updating your forum profile, many can suggest solid medical oncologists in his area.

In my case I went outside of my area to Marina del Rey Dr. Jeffrey Turner who is an associate of Dr. Mark Scholz and Dr. Richard Lam., and also went fairly nearby to the Univ of Florida & Shands Metastatic Disease program Dr. Bruce Stechmiller.

The latest learning is that for men with multiple mets, starting Taxotere along with the hormone therapy adds to both length of life and quality of life. You should discuss this with his oncologist. Mention the "CHAARTED" study.

- Allen

Dear All,

I showed your answers to my father who is not really into internet and mostly lives in books or in its garden taking care of the trees and the flowers. He acted so strong in the last days that I was really surprised by his emotion while reading your threads. He said he felt less lonely and hopeless reguarding prognosis by reading it. It might seems little to you, but the smile I saw, the relief I noticed in him and the confort it gave to him was a real miracle.
Thank you again for this, it meant a lot to be read and to be answered with hope and encouragment.


Also I must say that after 45 days under casodex, and the Eligard injection, he looks tired and has a real tired voice. I wondered if you too did suffer from tiredness from HT? Or is it just cancer getting worse?
Did you also loose a lot of weight?

I don't know if I get this feeling because he is the only family I have, or if it's the same even when we have huge families, but I cannot imagine the world keeping on going without him.
he must have felt that because he told me something that shocked me and made me think a lot. he said I supported him as much as he supported me and hoped he could do so for as long as possible .
Do you also have the feeling that you support your kids, or your wifes as much as they support you?

I know it's a bit philosophical but it made me think a lot. I didnt realise at first that being around him, calling him every evening, taking him to the doctors, driving home to him every week end ( I live 300 miles away) , was actually something that I did for him in the first place but would prevent me for falling apart.
I don't live from the monday to the friday. I just live now for the week end and the two days we will spend together and forget about the cancer. But it feels there is never enough time when cancer has knock on your door.

Thanks again for the answers and for all the informations you gave me.

Cordelia.

Modjo...

Sorry to hear of your father's cancer. While I don't know enough about it, there's alot of wisdom and experience on this board (as you've already experienced).

Do keep us updated..

David