PROSTRATE CANCER | CANCER TREATMENT | CANCER JOURNEY
My Husband’s Prostrate Cancer
And treatment plan
The prostate is a gland that makes seminal fluid. It is not something we women think much about until it affects a man in our lives.
The prostate is about the size of a walnut, below the bladder and in front of the rectum.
According to the CDC:
The most common risk factor is age. The older a man is, the greater the chance of getting prostate cancer.
Some men are at increased risk for prostate cancer. You are at increased risk for getting or dying from prostate cancer if you are African-American or have a family history of prostate cancer. — https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/prostate/basic_info/risk_factors.htm
About 1 man in 8 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.-https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
For years, my husband has been seeing a urologist to have his PSA levels checked three times a year, along with rectal exams.
Prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, is a protein produced by normal, as well as malignant, cells of the prostate gland. The PSA test measures the level of PSA in the blood. For this test, a blood sample is sent to a laboratory for analysis. — https://www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/psa-fact-sheet
This spring his PSA levels showed a sudden rise.
The doctor recommended he have a biopsy. My husband had no other symptoms that would have alerted him to a problem.
In May, on my husband’s 69th birthday, he had a biopsy on his prostate.
In June, the doctor shocked us by requesting a meeting in his office to discuss the biopsy results.
At the appointment, the doctor told us my husband had cancer.
The doctor explained to us about The Gleason Score.
My husband’s score was 8.
An aggressive cancer likely to spread more rapidly.
The doctor gave two options for treatment. Surgery to remove the prostate or radiation and hormone therapy.
My husband chose the second. And then we waited for more tests.
He had a bone scan to make sure the cancer had not spread to his bones. Thankfully, no cancer in his bones.
Last week, we met with the oncologist to go over the details of treatment.
The doctors wanted to move up the CT scan scheduled for September 11. They got on the phone and got him in that afternoon.
The scan will make sure the cancer hasn’t spread to lymph nodes.
Even if cancer doesn’t show up in his lymph nodes they still plan to include radiation to the ones closest to his prostate.
The doctor explained that if we thought about the prostrate as an apple. His cancer is also on the outside peeling.
My husband started hormone therapy a few days ago.
The doctor explained that he might talk to others, and they’d say they only had hormone therapy for 6 months. He explained it’s an individual plan for everyone. For my husband, he will be on hormone therapy for 18 months.
First, he starts with a few weeks of taking pills, then he will switch to having an injection every 3 months. The doctors have applied to have the cost of the medication covered. One injection is $1400.
The growth of prostate cancer cells depends on testosterone.
Hormone therapy involves taking testosterone away from the cancer cells so that they die or slow down and stop growing.
Blocking testosterone is called chemical castration.
Side effects include: fatigue, hot flashes, decreased sexual drive, erectile dysfunction, permanently-lowered testosterone levels, weight gain and muscle loss, osteoporosis, possible cardiovascular events such as stroke or heart attack, breast swelling and tenderness, mood changes, decrease in size of testicles, decrease in penis length, possible loss of body hair, and an increased risk of diabetes.
The cure doesn’t sound pleasant at all.
My husband’s spirits are high. He had HPV throat cancer 10 years previously. The radiation treatment had been a horrible experience, but he made it through. So we know a bit about what to expect with radiation. And that the effects are at its worse once treatments stop.
In two weeks, he will get a scan to tattoo dot markings on his hips and stomach for lining up the radiation beam.
He will have 20 rounds of radiation. Monday to Friday.
For each session, he must empty his bladder and then drink a certain amount of water. His bowels must also be empty. They want to not affect these organs as much as possible.
So, this journey begins.
This has been a life-changing summer for us. Besides his cancer diagnosis, our home flooded in July.
Taking one day at a time and, as it comes, is how we’re coping.
Please include us in your thoughts and prayers. And if a man in your life has gone through this, please share any insights from that experience.
Barbara Carter Artist and writer with a focus on healing from childhood trauma, alcohol addiction, and living her best authentic life.
Likes to take walks, read, watch TV dramas, and practice Qi-gong, and work on her memoir series BARBARA By The BAY.