March 21
Today I had my first ADT (androgen deprivation therapy/hormone therapy) time-release injection.
In her usual cheery manner, Gayle Nikol, the Primary Nurse at the Manitoba Prostate Centre explained the side effects of the Zoladex (weight gain, hot flashes, etc) as she tore apart the drug company's packaging to expose the ready-to-use syringe. Margaret wasted no time getting out the camera to take its picture.
My first surprise was that I had to stay upright for the injection. A sitting position made it easier for Gayle to pinch some of my abdominal skin for the subcutaneous shot. The second surprise was that the shot was fast, simple, and surprisingly to me, gave very little discomfort - much easier than described in some of the stuff I had read.
The third and biggest surprise was to learn that the cost of this treatment is covered if you have it at the Manitoba Prostate Centre. Otherwise the cost is $1200 per injection times four injections annually for a total of $4800 in a year. For patients who are facing androgen deprivation therapy, it may be advisable to ask someone on their medical team about the options for obtaining the drug and its cost coverage. It seems that the issue of fair coverage has been a matter of some debate in our community.
I walked for two hours this afternoon. We've loaded my iTouch with lots of free podcasts from iTunes including some interesting podcasts from CancerCare Connect. (You can also hear some of those by going to the Cancercare.org site.) Listening to podcasts and music makes the walk go by quickly.
Anyway, I'm going to go into the family room and practise my mood swings. I figure if I can time them so they happen between the hot flashes I can maximize the sympathy quotient ; )
Click above image to enlarge it
Katz, Anne. Cancer Care Manitoba/Manitoba Prostate Centre. Androgen Deprivation Therapy. Winnipeg: 2011. Printed brochure.
Contact: hdstimson @ shaw.ca
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