Hormone therapy completely took away my desire and ability, which upset my wife.
Hot flushes are something I just got to accept. I wear loose clothing, shorts etc and would rather feel cold to counteract the effect. Primrose oil was suggested, I am not sure it made any difference. E45 cream helped with skin problems. Fatigue was and still is the worst problem. I eventually started to force myself to do regular exercise, lots of walking and I bought a rowing machine. It was hard but eventually I felt much better and it helped control my weight uo to a couple of years ago
Just go with the flow! I was the sort of person who kept emotions bottled up. Now if I get upset, I will let it show and if people can't handle it that is their problem. I got depressed at first, why me? But after a while I just got around to living with the fact that my time is limited. I detest the idea of "bucket lists", and prefer a quiet life at home immersing myself into music which I love and lifts my spirit.
Complete loss of ability and desire to have sex which has been very hard for my wife to understand.
Yes
I would be dead otherwise. Ten years on from symptoms starting I am still here. So why would I not do it again?
I had 5 high dose treatments on a lesion in my femur, the main secondary that I had, apart from others in my lungs, kidneys, liver, ribs, sternum and spine. I had no side effects from the radiotherapy at all in fact I felt better quite quickly. I had not been able to walk for six months. This combined with the Degaralix trial I was put on, got me up and back walking my dogs within three months
Yes
With out the combined treatment I would have needed a hip and femur transplant. This was considered but a conference of specialists decided to put me on the Degaralix trial and radiotherapy. My femur completely healed, much to the amazement of my consultant and the specialists.
As for hormone injections
Increased hot sweats and fatigue, again I forced myself to exercis
Yes
I needed the bicalutamide to reduce my rising PSA. It worked up until mid 2022. Without it my cancer would have got out of control
No as I completely lost ability and desire to have sex
Again, although it is now absolutely exhausting I try to do as much walking as I can, I aim for at least 10000 steps a day
Sheer exhaustion, walking upstairs can leave me breathless and exhausted. In the first couple of months of the treatment I was really sick and felt lousy. Effects have eased off mostly now except for the exhaustion
Yes
Despite side effects it is necessary or my PSA would be uncontrolled
I really hit the internet, I exercised more and I started taking herbal supplements, grew broccoli sprouts, apricot kernels. I stopped eating red meat and processed foods. I eat organic wherever possible and avoid all vegetable oils except olive oil. I cook with that or animal fats or coconut oil. I felt much better and my consultant agrees that it has prolonged my life. I was given a couple of years in 2015 and I am still here, it will soon be 10 years from when symptoms got bad. I was told only one in a hundred diagnose with stage 4 prostate cancer survive 10 years. I and my consultant (who calls me her miracle patient) put my longevity down to my treatments and my regime combined. I will make that 10 years
Yes
I am convinced it is what has kept me alive and why standard treatments have been effective over much longer periods than normal
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