ADT and SRT Journey

Thanks John_TX, I think we have one of those leg pumps around here somewhere. I still have a lot of my groin that is numb and it has been over six months since surgery. I think the surgeon got so many nodes because I was participating in a study with a new contrast used in my PET scan. It must have lit me up like a Christmas tree. I was in surgery for about 7 hours while he got everything out. The surgeon was absolutely ecstatic everything came back negative, as was I.

AZ Guy, Garyi, Skypilot56, Zzarth, etc

Can I join your group ? I just took my first Casodex pill. The Lupron injection will be in 2 weeks (for 4 months). And Salvage Radiation should start 2 months from today. Thanks for sharing your stories. I've been reading about PCa nonstop for 2 months. It's time for action. And it's comforting to know that I'm not alone.

Bob

Skypilot56 said...
... had to give myself that shot for I think it was 36 days to prevent blood clots can't remember the name of it now it was in premeasured syringes.

That would probably be Lovenox. Yeah, I had that for a month or so back when my leg was worked on.

Hey -- are any of you guys taking any supplements during our treatment?

My RO told me it was OK that I was getting a 3 day vacation from SRT over the new years because he said my body needed to heal...

So -- I thought to myself... I said "Self... do you think maybe some supplements would help?"

I answered myself with a "I dunno.. I'll ask the guys on the board"....

So here I am...

I was thinking maybe Magnesium ... also, I heard that Vitamin-D was a good thing to take (cashlessclay diet) ... but then I heard the opposite that over use of Vitamin-D might actually be a cause of prostate cancer...

What are you guys taking?

Zzarth

Zzarth said...
Hey -- are any of you guys taking any supplements during our treatment?

... I was thinking maybe Magnesium ... also, I heard that Vitamin-D was a good thing to take (cashlessclay diet) ... but then I heard the opposite that over use of Vitamin-D might actually be a cause of prostate cancer... What are you guys taking?

I supplement magnesium off and on for RLS. Now doc has me taking tons of Gabapentin (see Lupron thread) and RLS is not an issue for now. Doc also told me to take 5000 units of vit D, which I felt was excessive, so I take 2000 as a compromise. This was before RT though.

The one thing to avoid during RT is antioxidants (mainly large doses of vit E, selenium and betacarotene, but also stuff like CoQ10). Apparently it counteracts the cellular mechanism that kills the cancer cells. Best article I've found on the subject is here: /academic.oup.com/jnci/article/100/11/773/895704.

Diane, given those PSA readings, thankfully you aren't even close to this journey. Hope you never are!

Jack & Diane said...
Does ADT always mean Lupron AND Casodex? The RO said we'd do 4 months of ADT if/when we start SRT and I just assumed that was Lupron.

I've been following this thread and am noticing you guys talking about Casodex. I guess I didn't realize that they automatically go together...or is that not automatic?

The two work differently and can be used individually or together. Casodex blocks testosterone from being absorbed by the prostate and the cancer cells. It is a pill that must be taken every day and can be toxic to other parts of the body.

Lupron tricks the body into thinking that there is already too much testosterone in the system, so hormone production becomes greatly reduced. It is a shot that is given a few times a year and continues to work for months, but with few side effects other than those discomforts (severe as they are) experienced by the patient.

In cases of higher PSA, the patient is typically started on Casodex for a week or two before starting Lupron to avoid the "Lupron flare" effect... a temporary surge in production before T levels stabilize. It's much easier to just give (or get) a shot now and then. If Casodex is used, there has to be blood monitoring and such, making it more complicated. There's more to it, but that's pretty much the basics.

AZ Guy said...
Had sex with my wife yesterday. It's been almost a month since my Lupron shot... so I feel good about that. However, it was certainly with less passion than usual. I can sense the libido is fading a bit so I was more focused on completing the act then just enjoying it. Overall I'm pleased with the ADT/SRT journey so far and feel ready to take on the challenges to come. Happy 2018 everybody!

I just turned 46 and I haven't had sex in 18 months.

I just read this which says antioxidants are fine to take during radiotherapy...
https://integrativeoncology-essentials.com/2013/03/hey-doc-can-i-take-antioxidants-during-chemo-and-radiation/

Im confused.

Zzarth said...
I just read this which says antioxidants are fine to take during radiotherapy...
/integrativeoncology-essentials.com/2013/03/hey-doc-can-i-take-antioxidants-during-chemo-and-radiation/
Im confused.

It probably won't hurt you. As the article I quoted earlier states, there are opinions on both sides. I think I first read about the antioxidant effect here in this HW forum. But it's like coffee... some say it will kill you, others say it prolongs life.

On the one hand, it makes sense about destroying the free radicals that kill the cancer cells, but on the other hand, nutritional support would strengthen the patients overall health. At least that's what I took from the article. The only conclusion they reached was that it "merits further study".

Just to be safe. I stopped the heavy antioxidants. I mean, I was taking them to prevent cancer, but now I already have that (or hopefully had cancer). So I figured just using what I called "cheap" basic vitamins wouldn't hurt and might even help. That was my thinking anyway.

Noggin2u2 said...
I take 81mg aspirin, Vit D-3 5000 MG, and a supplement call Protandim.

Just to be safe, you might want to run each of the herbals in this list past your oncology team...

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) extract (225 mg)
Bacopa (Bacopa monnieri) extract (150 mg)
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root (150 mg)
Green tea (Camellia sinensis) extract (75 mg)
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) extract (75 mg)

These are the ingredients of Protandim... and apparently nothing more.

If it were me, I'd be buying each one individually and not paying the MLM commissions. Just sayin'.

Skypilot56 said...
... time in the frozen north kinda affected my brain!!

Not your traditional ice cream brain freeze, but I'd suspect Lupron brain for the mental fog.

Hey Noggin, what part of No GA? I'm very familiar with the Cartersville area... driven I-75 between Cinci and Tampa many times. That area always made a convenient halfway point to stop overnight, or sometimes we'd stop around Forsythe, south of Atlanta. Never knew just WHAT we would encounter in and around Atlanta.... Lots of horror stories.