Hormone therapy

Is anyone going thru Hormone therapy after surgery and Radiation? My husband is VERY, VERY active and is scared to death of having to have Hormone therapy because the Dr said it would make him lazy and not want to do anything?
Sorry, he had his Prostate out 3 years ago, Gleason score of 7. 3 years of 0 on his PSA test, then they started going up. March of this year it was 0.35. He had 7 weeks of Radiation at Mayo in Rochester, Mn. Just had the first PSA since the Dr said wait for 6 months. It was 0.45. They said 6 months ago that if it didn't work Hormone Therahpy would be next. The Dr. Said this is nothing to worry about & give it more time. Freaking me out though. Shouldn't it be going down, not up to be good?

Post Edited (Gunner lLizzie) : 10/8/2015 2:46:52 PM (GMT-6)

I didn't have surgery, radiation and HT, but I did have radiation and HT. IMO, hormone therapy is rather bothersome, but it's nothing to be scared about. It *can* zap your energy, but the common wisdom there is that you can minimize that by virtue of being active--particular involving anything that can help you keep up your muscle mass, such as weights. To me, the far more significant side effects were the hot flashes and loss of libido. Again, they are bothersome, as opposed to debilitating.

Overall, not a walk in the park by any means, but it's something that most of us manage to power through it.

Gunner lLizzie said...
Is anyone going thru Hormone therapy after surgery and Radiation? My husband is VERY, VERY active and is scared to death of having to have Hormone therapy because the Dr said it would make him lazy and not want to do anything?

Surgery and radiation?......what was the surgery and type of radiation?

HT effects everyone differently. I would be upset with a doctor who made the claim that it makes him lazy.

Fatigue is a possible side effect of HT, but doesn't effect everyone. While my dataset is smaller than most, 10 weeks into HT, I have had 2 episodes of night sweats. No fatigue, no depression. But I eat well, and most important I stay active. Everyone goes through "fatigue", you can choose to give in and make an excuse, or you can have a positive attitude and power through and force yourself to be active and live the life you are being given.

It does effect everyone different, but with so much else going on in the body, between other treatments, cancer, again, I'm not sure how HT can be the sole cause.

So my advice is not to dread it, that mental approach makes a big difference in both recovery and side effects.

PeterDisAbelard. said...
The hormones also tend to blunt a man's enjoyment of things that used to be fun. The hormones get the first bite of every candy bar and the first lick of his every Popsicle. But if a man can stubbornly drag himself out to do the things that used to be fun he will usually find that -- somewhat unexpectedly -- he will have a good time after all.

Thanks for that. It is exactly what I am discovering now and you described it perfectly.

The posts of Peter DisAbelard and jpenn44 describe my experiences quite well. But as with almost everything related to prostate cancer, your experiences may be (somewhat?) different.

Hello !

I'm starting my third year of hormone therapy shots, because I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer when I was in my 40s.

I can honestly say that I am fortunate, because I still have all my drive and energy each day. I go to work full-time every day and I burn the candle at both ends. I kept up a full schedule, for the most part, even when I added chemo treatments to the hormone shots.

I have kept up all my usual activities and projects. I know that I am fortunate to still have 100% of my energy, and I do have a lot of gratitude for that. I think a big key for keeping my drive and energy intact is keeping very focused on my career, staying active, and exercising a bit each evening. I've dropped the junk food and I drink mostly water each day --- can't hurt, might help, I say.

When I started my battle, my initial PSA was over 100. With hormone shots, I watched that sobering PSA number work its way down to low decimal values. I have to be grateful for that, because I'm still here and facing forward. Sure, we all know that there are side effects, but I am still here to greet another new day tomorrow.

I figured I would chime in, since I'm starting my third full year of continuous hormone shots. My doctors have stated that hormone shots will continue for me indefinitely, so I don't think I will ever have one of those hormone shot "vacations" in my future. Thankfully, I haven't experienced the feeling of lethargy that others have endured. I am thankful for my blessings and VERY mindful of what others face in their treatments.

Stay strong, my friends !
Cyclone

Gunner Ilizzie,

Here is what I can share. Your hubby's mileage my vary.

I am undergoing hormone therapy (androgen deprivation) and I am about halfway the plan for 18 months.
I did not have prostatectomy, but I underwent HDR/Brachytherapy and just finished IG-IMRT.

So I am getting 3-month doses of Lupron. Plus Casodex the first 30 days
And this is how it affected me:

a. The very first time I went through a horrible night. No sleep at all. All kinds of hot flashes, sweating and gastro-intestinal symptoms. Over the next few days adapted to it apparently. All "menopause-like" like symptoms of hot flashes, sweating and periodic fatigue.
Next injections was less of an event.

b. It seems the fatigue is partly chicken-and-egg cycle since I never had a non-interrupted sleep yet since I started on hormone therapy. There were nights I had to change 2 or more times because I was literally dripping in sweat. So I would wake up tired, and the cycle goes on.

c. Eventually with RT, fatigue worsened. I would fell asleep on the couch even watching football (ok - maybe because I am watching NY teams). But again, RT brought other sleep interruptions at night - as urgency to void cannot be helped.

d. So here is what I have done - I started exercising minimally 3x to 5x a week. On days/nights I would have run 3 miles+ (5km). I would sweat it off and seems it allowed me to sleep better, i.e. none to less sweats.
When RT caused more fatigue, I upped the ante on the exercises (even doing 10 Km per session).
I would still get up at night due to the side effects of RT on the urination pattern.

But basically, for me, the more I fight the fatigue with exercise, the more it became better.
Higher quality sleep according even to Fitbit monitor.
I get deep sleep longer and yes, no more sweats significant enough to interrupt my sleep.

e. I continue to do this today even as the colder days set in.
e.g. Ran just under 13 miles the other Sunday. (This is aside from the weeknight runs).
Ran 7.5 miles last weekend. Just a bit longer than a lap around Central Park.
Normally, you will not catch me walking around in this horrible Northeastern weather.

f. On other days, I do some moderate weights at the gym.

Overall, today, my energy level is actually higher than a year ago.
Still dealing with lingering side effects of other therapies but I think I have adapted to the HT.
Lost about 15 pounds too while doing these exercises,
which allows me to be active, e.g. walk more or use stairs more.
My BMI is actually back to 24.4 (normal) now.

Life goes on. Oncologist will start to monitor and check my PSA sometime in Feb.
The HT could mask a bit the PSA results so they do not want to do it too soon.

Michael_T said...
I didn't have surgery, radiation and HT, but I did have radiation and HT. IMO, hormone therapy is rather bothersome, but it's nothing to be scared about. It *can* zap your energy, but the common wisdom there is that you can minimize that by virtue of being active--particular involving anything that can help you keep up your muscle mass, such as weights. To me, the far more significant side effects were the hot flashes and loss of libido. Again, they are bothersome, as opposed to debilitating.

My experience was exactly the opposite. Its been 3 years since my 9 months of Hormone therapy and radiation and I have yet to regain my pre-treatment energy level. The hot flashes were nothing compared to having to spend a day in a bed after very mild exercise at my loading bench. The 3 month shot did not seem to have the dramatic effect that the 6 month had. Doubt if I will ever fully recover.

I’ve been on Eligard for over a year now. Hot flashes were pretty bad to begin with but have gotten better over time. Exercise definitely made a difference. MM seems to reduce the severity as well for me. I haven’t had night sweats in a while. Much more just an annoyance now.

The hormone therapy did take most of my drive. I have to plan every day to get out of the recliner and get going.

Post Edited (Biker 911) : 1/29/2020 4:06:52 PM (GMT-7)