Biker90's Cancer Summary

And Continued well wishes, Jim,
You too have brought hope and courage to others including me. Your spirit and concern for others is admirable. Thanks to you!

God Bless,

Tony & Ruth

I'm happy and relieved that you are feeling better, Jim. The emotions sure get raw once in awhile, don't they? I don't think I've shed as many tears in my life as I have sitting here reading. I do it when nobody is around. My wife is asleep and the baby has not yet arrived.

I'm going shooting Monday with a buddy. He has a new Nighthawk Custom 1911 45ACP. I have a 1966 Browning Hi-Power that I bought new in '66.

You Hang in There, My Friend,

Bill

Hi Jim

WOW! You are like the longest running show on broadway that will never close down with 104 postings to this thread and 2171 views. You are obviously one of the back bones of this website. Keep up the great work and may your show never close down.

Best regards,

Dave

P.S. Loved the comment you made in Susan & Don's (myman) thread that I should be a doc. I must confess that I can't stand the sight of blood! When I looked at one of the videos of PC surgury my hair stood on end. Maybe in the next life I will be Dr. Dave!

Dear Jim *Our Biker & Mama Biker (MS)       Tears help cleans the spirit….~ Our special friend…. Ahhhhh…. Like a spring rain when everything looks so fresh ~ after a nice rainfall.   What a “POWERFUL” family of friends this forum has provided us!!!   Thank you!!!!   HealingWell / Mr.   Peter Waite, Founder/Editor   I reiterate what pcdave had to say…. Thank you Jim…   for a wonderful Thread        And the wonderful supporting cast on this thread : Bill, Kat, Tony & Ruth, Dave, Pete & Lisa, Vicki, Linda, Ed, Ben, Glen, Tamu, Daveed, Mike,   Dougroc, Green, Jay, George, Lee & Buddy.      ~ Did we say POWERFUL ~   Keeping all of you extra close in our lives!!!!! In Friendship ~ Lee & Buddy   P.S. I love seeing you guys use the Chat Room Post Edited (bluebird) : 1/1/2008 6:01:39 PM (GMT-7)

Dear Jim

Boy, do I feel like a heel! You are one of the most prolific posters here always offering good advice, encouragement, comfort and good wishes to everyone, including me. I had not been reading your thread lately because I thought everything was fine with you--your postings to others are always so upbeat. When I made my last post to your thread on 3/8/07 congratulating you on being the longest thread and most read thread here, I picked this up from the summary page. Tonight I started to read the recent postings to your thread. If I had only been aware that you had been going through a down period sooner, I would have been here to cheer you on. In the short time I have been a member here, I had already felt that you were practically part of my real family! I am glad to hear that things are looking up.

We all go through down periods in life and I have had too many to tell about. Depression, however, is much more serious than a temporary down period in life. No one knows depression more than those who have been there facing dark days and nights. Newsweek just had an article on "Men and Depression" that I happened to spot while awaiting one of my radiation treatments this week. They could well have been writing about me. I am not too proud to admit that after years and years of off and on moods of depression, I finally woke up one day and asked my doctor to prescribe an antidepressant for me when my depression, in recent years, started to really get me down. For the past two years I have been taking Lexapro and it has helped me greatly--I almost feel human again and think of all of the years that I suffered needlessly. Thank God that I was on this medication after I was diagnosed with PC or I might have gone into a tail spin. Instead, my adrenalin started to pump faster then ever. In fact, at times I seem to be in overdrive. This website has been a tremendous catharsis for me--by focusing on others in need, I don't have much time to think about my PC.

Any man who can freely admit that he has come to tears is truly a man in my opinion. We men tend to hold everything inside because we have been conditioned from birth to feel that it is unmanly to have emotions. We have all seen some men cry at one time or another, and know that it is healthy and normal to let it all out. Afterwards, we all feel a strong sense of relief.

I hope and pray that you will be back feeling great again. Just getting through prostate surgery and months of recovery are enough to overwhelm anyone. You are such a special part of this website--I always look forward to reading your postings and knowing that you are here. God Bless!

Dave

P.S. I hope the Prozac works for you. When I first took the Lexapro I felt like a zombie. It was so bad that I stopped taking it. Then I decided to take smaller doses and build up to the full dose--it finally kicked in after about a month and what a difference it has made in my life. There can still be ups and downs which are part of normal life, but not like true depression that lingers on and makes life seem so hopeless at times; your motivation drops to nil and you lose interest in everything.

Dear Pete

Many thanks for your kind words of appreciation--it certainly humbles me.  We all wonder why we were the chosen few to get PC and how it will influence the rest of our lives.  I am still trying to figure out the best impact I can have to help others with PC--this website is such a great start.  I rarely have time to think about myself and want so much to help others.  So many advances have been made in recent years in treating PC and substantially reducing the fatalities from PC.  The message is also getting out to healthy men to warn them to get those PSA tests and DRE's which will potentially save a lot of lives with men being diagnosed with PC at a much earlier stage. This website and its members phenominal!  Continued good luck to you.

Your Friend

Dave

P.S. I have enjoyed reading many of your posts since becoming a member.

You've said it all!

Low testosterone update.

I saw my family doc today and finally got my T results. My T level is 48 (normal 150 - 750) and my free T level is 0.5 (normal 5 - 25). These are numbers that are on the report.

The next step is to see my uro on 4/4 for the second PSA. At that time we will discuss T therapy for PCa patients where the cancer is all inside the prostate. My doc said there are some recent studies that might reverse the common thinking that tesosterone therapy is not good for PCa patients. I don't know enough about it right now and don't want to do anything to jeoprodize my recovery. However, this low T state is not what one would call a quality life. (Symptoms are depression, hot flashes, low energy, lack of strength, no sex drive and eventually more serious problems with osteoperosis etc.)

Prostate cancer attacks our quality of life big time. It makes us make tough decisions not only for treating the cancer but also for treating the after effects. Some guys here are on T replacement therapy after having undetectable PSA for a period of time. If that is a possibility that my uro recommends, I will do it.

Any advice from you folks will be greatly appreciated...

Jim

Hi Piano,

Not a problem. This thread is getting WAY too long keep up with.

I'm getting along a lot better with the low T since my doc gave me Prozac (generic). It doesn't stop the symptoms but I don't get so depressed and can actually function somewhat normally. Given the options, I feel pretty lucky to have non-detectable PSA and will hang in until I can get back on T therapy of some kind. If that is possible.

Good luck and go see a doc about the depression. I know, it is a come down to admit we get that way but its worth it if we can get help. I hated the idea of taking Prozac but it works.

The brews and vino got me in jail too many times so I leave that stuff alone anymore!!!

Jim

Hey Tony,

Thank you for the kind words. Your cheer and courage are an inspirition to all of us.

I was taking testosterone injections for years before PCa. Had to stop when I got dxed. I knew that the symptoms would return but didn't think it would be so bad. When I first started T shots, I had real low energy and no sex drive and the shots fixed me up. After the diagnosis, I was running on pure adrenalin for about 2 months, through the surgery and recovery. Then I hit the pits. Real sad all the time. Couldn't keep from crying like a baby every once in a while. Also lost my energy and had no joy of life anymore. I put off going to the doc (like a dummy) until I couldn't stand it any more. Should have known better because I expected the symptoms to return sooner or later.

I think that anyone who has life changing circumstances can expect some depression. It is impossible to not feel down about this stuff. When it stays on and interferes with normal activity is probably when to go to the doc. I tend to tell myself that it will soon get better and put off the trip to the doc. So I was miserable for probably 3 weeks longer than necessary. I hate pills. But they do help me function in more or less a normal fashion. Small tasks that seemed impossible to do now are more do-able. I really enjoy teaching, it energizes me every day when I am up to par. When I hit the floor, the thought of getting in front of a class terrified me.

Low testosterone is not a side effect of PCa unless one is taking hormone therapy. Mine was a pre-existing condition that I just have to live with until and if I can restart some sort of testosterone therapy. A small price to pay to be cancer free. I also don't know how low the level can go before the symptoms get bad. Mine is at 48 which is very low. Our friend Pete might have more info on that.

Anyway, good luck and don't be afraid to mention the symptoms to your doc if you start to get down. You don't have to suffer that stuff on top of everything else you are going through.

You are a hero to us all...

Jim

Hey Guys,
If I can answer any questions at all, please let them fly! If any of you don't know me or my story I'll try to make it short as possable. Radical surgery, then shortly after unbeknown to me my testosterone started dropping. They say it has nothing to do w/ PC treatment but I and quite a few others I've talked to are begining to wonder about that! When you start researching this subject you realize that although there have been some tests, there has been no major research done with the Testosterone vs P.C. conection and most doctor no less than you do! First my breasts started to get real sore and my nipples were so sensative, wearing a cotton T-shirt would bother them. I should have had that checked but blew it off as I had so many other health issues I was dealing with. I think that was the start of it. Then hot flashes and depression followed and with time I became so tired I would just sleep most of the day. The depression got so sevier over the next 3 years that I seriously concidered checking out. I mean nothing at all meant anything to me any more, I didn't do anything but cry, I didn't want to do anything, all my interests and hobbies were gone, sex was gone. I was unemployed and even my wife had given up on me. If this all sounds pretty bad to you, let me assure you it was even worse!
Then while in my doc's office, while crying my eyes out telling him that the 3rd anti depression drug he gave me wasn't working he suggested a blood test for testosterone. BINGO! I think it was at 150, not as low as my hero Jim's but, plenty low. Then I found this forum and my buddy Swimom who pointed me in the right direction and helped me understand exactly what had happened to me. I can't ever thank her enough!!! Thanks again Swim!!! It took a while but I found a doc that prescribed T replacement and the rest is history. Within a week I felt like a new man and although I took too much at the begining, I think I have it dialed in now. I am almost the old Pete again and thank God everyday for what I have. Since it had been over 3 years of 0 psa tests, my doc feels confident that we are doing the right thing. I will have my 1st psa test since starting TRT next month. I would have liked to have it sooner but the doc said it wouldn't make that much difference and my insurance wouldn't pay for it. Jim, I'm confident that your doc will agree and let you get back on the T. after those goose eggs keep rolling in. Hang in there buddy, there is light at the end of the tunnel!!
God bless you all,
Your friend,
Pete

Hi Jim

You are one of our true heros on this website. Your thread contains some very valuable information. It's great that we can feel very comfortable here in being totally open and honest about some of the most intimate things in our life, in hopes of helping each other. I have learned so much from this website--not only about PC, but about human nature and how fragile it can be at times when life presents us with major obstacles to overcome. As always, I wish all good things to come your way as you continue your recovery.

Dave