Still No Side Effects

Entry 46
March 26th


It's been a week since I started the Zoladex and tomorrow is the last day that I take the Casodex which limits the initial testosterone flare caused by Zoladex. Together, those drugs constitute the antiandrogen therapy that is intended to control my metastatic prostate cancer. I will be having Zoladex injections every three months for an as yet undetermined amount of time. We have a long list of possible side effects of the treatment with hot flashes, weight gain, and decreased energy at the top of the list. So far, I have had no apparent side effects (..touch wood). 


I've been getting decent exercise 5 to 6 days a week, alternating between indoor/gym and outdoor activity. Maybe that will minimize the potential for weight gain. Last Friday I enjoyed a long walk with a friend and now fellow prostate cancer patient, Brian Hatherly. Brian's surgery and catheter removal were more recent than mine. Excluding the fact that his recovery was complicated by the arrival of the flu, it was interesting to compare our recovery timelines.  Six weeks after his surgery, Brian had very little obvious trouble with our ~7 km walk.

We hope the side effects don't make an untimely appearance on our summer cruise to Alaska. Gayle Nikol, Primary Nurse at the Manitoba Prostate Centre, helped us adjust the timetable for the antiandrogen therapy to accommodate the cruise plans. The three month pattern of administration of the drug is followed fairly strictly within a safe margin of a week or less from the prescribed date. Margaret's mother is joining us on the trip and she had the same issue for a drug injection that she requires. We think we've got it sorted. 


Links:
My Brief Life as a Woman
Adverse Effects of ADT
Side Effects of Hormone Therapy


Contact: hdstimson @ shaw.ca

|  Before Surgery |  After Surgery  |  Before ADT  |  ADT/Hormone Therapy  |

Prostate Cancer in the News

Periodically, we're going to shift the links to media items from the right sidebar into the body of the blog.  The change will clear the sidebar a bit and at the same time help us preserve our search ability and links to this news. That's what happened today.

Experimental Treatment for Early Stage PC

Profound Medical signed with Siemens to conduct clinical trials of alternative, innovative treatment process

The PSA Test Debate

Even the scientist who discovered PSA has his doubts about PSA testing.

The Day I Found Out

Cancer patients talk about their disease. Several of them tell about discovering their prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer : New Test, Fast Results

Urine sample test that detects prostate cancer is being developed.

Prostate Cancer Genome to Be Decoded

$$20 million project in Canada announced

Drug May Slow Growth of Early Prostate Cancer

Men with early prostate cancer may be able to avoid being overtreated, study reveals

New Test May Guide Prostate Cancer Treatment

Test identifies which patients need aggressive treatment

Blood Test to Spot Cancer

J&J plans to bring liquid biopsy to market

Internet Weirdness: Mayor Dalton's Prostate

Rex Morgan is a comic strip. Mayor Dalton, one of its characters suffers from prostate cancer. Mayor Dalton's Prostate has its own Facebook page.

Contact: hdstimson @ shaw.ca

Clipart used with permission from http://www.phillipmartin.info/clipart/homepage.htm

Some Surprises

Entry 45
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

Androgen Deprivation Therapy

Katz, Anne. Cancer Care Manitoba/Manitoba Prostate Centre. Androgen Deprivation Therapy. Winnipeg: 2011. Printed brochure.

Contact: hdstimson @ shaw.ca

|  Before Surgery |  After Surgery  |  Before ADT  |  ADT/Hormone Therapy  |

Prostate Cancer Support Group

Entry 44

March 17

I didn't count how many people were at the support group meeting I went to on a blustery Thursday evening but I would estimate upwards of 30 people attended with about a quarter of those being women. Some of these folks had driven in from as far as Steinbach (~80 km) to take part.

The monthly meetings are structured into two one hour sessions. The two parts are separated by a coffee break during which people visit. In the initial hour, group members discussed issues related to the disease and/or their own personal experiences. I was asked to speak about this blog. The second hour featured a presentation by an expert.

The educational session for Thursday's meeting was by Dr. Ellen Lee of the University of Manitoba who presented on “Excercise After Prostate Cancer". It underlined the importance of trying to be as fit and active as you can, a belief I share.

The next meeting on April 21st will feature a naturopathic doctor who is talking about alternative therapies.  "Mistletoe injection therapies and intravenous Ascorbic Acid for the treatment of Prostate Cancer." 

Click to enlarge the above text

Manitoba Prostate Cancer Support Group
University of Manitoba:School of Medical Rehabilitation
Exercise May Improve Odds Against Prostate Cancer Death
Manitoba Naturopathic Association

|  Before Surgery |  After Surgery  |  Before ADT  |  ADT/Hormone Therapy  |

My GPS and Me

Entry 43
March 15


I went out for a hike on the snowshoes yesterday, probably the last such outing for the season since the temperatures are rising and the snow is rapidly deteriorating.  


My gps keeps track of the details of my daily walks, many of which have exceeded 10 kilometers. Psychologically, the gps prods me to go further than I might otherwise. The distance on Monday was 5.97 kilometers, much of it on crusty snow and almost none of it in neat straight lines because I was in open fields or copses of trees.  You can see that our dog, Gracie and I stayed alongside the railway tracks for a bit and then broke trail to reach a nearby forest.  Here's the map from yesterday.

Contact : hdstimson @ shaw.ca

|  Before Surgery |  After Surgery  |  Before ADT  |  ADT/Hormone Therapy  |

PC Patients Have Choices

Entry 42
March 12


Last summer's biopsy indicated that the volume of cancer in my prostate was high. Because of that, reasonably prompt treatment was necessary and the treatment options were limited. If you ask me if I made the right choice between the radiation and the surgery, I would say it's a "qualified yes". I chose to have a radical prostatectomy. Now I'm on hormone therapy. I felt good a couple of weeks after the surgery and still feel good three months later. Given that the pre-surgery CT scan and bone scan showed no cancer outside the prostate, could I have known any sooner that the cancer had spread beyond the prostate had I not selected surgery? 


"A study published last year in The Journal of Clinical Oncology tracked the treatment of 11,892 men given a prostate cancer diagnosis. About half the men opted for surgery. Among the remaining men, 14 percent were given hormone therapy; 13 percent were given radioactive seed implants; 12 percent had external-beam radiation; 5 percent had cryoablation, which destroys prostate tissue through freezing; and about 7 percent selected active surveillance, in which the cancer is closely monitored for changes, but no treatment is given."
Parker-Pope, Tara. "Hospitals with Robots Do More Prostate Surgery." New York Times 11 03 2011: Web. 13 Mar 2011. <http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/hospitals-with-robots-do-more-prostate-cancer-surgery/>.

Go to http://www.prostate-cancer.com/ for the full interactive chart

Video:
Prostate Cancer: A Conversation About PSA Screening, Active Surveillance, and Treatment Options

Contact: hdstimson @ shaw.ca

|  Before Surgery |  After Surgery  |  Before ADT  |  ADT/Hormone Therapy  |

Coffee and a Skate

Entry 41
March 9


We met Brian Sprott for coffee and an enjoyable visit at the Forks today. Brian is the Chair of the Manitoba Prostate Cancer Support Group. Using a variety of ways including monthly meetings, speakers, a newsletter and an annual seminar, the MPCSG offers support to those affected by prostate cancer. 


After a quick lunch, Margaret and I skated around the Forks and up the Red River to take a few pictures of the warming huts before they are removed from alongside the skating trails.

Harry and Margaret standing on the ice bridge. Click to enlarge.

Arctic Glacier Winter Park at the Forks and Warming Huts (Warming Huts v.2011: An Art + Architecture Competition on Ice)

|  Before Surgery |  After Surgery  |  Before ADT  |  ADT/Hormone Therapy  |

Here's the Kicker

Entry 39
February 28

As recommended by my urologist, I opted for the ADT/ hormone therapy as the next treatment for my advanced prostate cancer.  Starting today I took my first of 28 Casodex (Bicalutamide) antiandrogen pills. Zoladex injections will be administered on March 21st and subsequently every three months. I'll also be taking vitamin D and calcium.

You may find this interesting. The pharmacist at Costco where I picked up my Casodex prescription was very comprehensive in wanting to know what other drugs or supplements I was taking. I take Glucosamine Chondroitin Sulfate and an Omega 3 Fish Oil. She insisted on consulting a frequently-updated, subscription-only site they use all the time and giving me copies of the information on natural medicines and their potential for conflict with other medications and illnesses.  She spoke highly of the database which is called the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. 

Here's the kicker. Under a section about chondroitin called 'Special Precautions and Warnings'

"Prostate Cancer - Preliminary research suggests that chondroitin may cause the spread or reoccurence of prostate cancer. This effect has not been shown with chondroitin sulfate supplements. Still, until more is known, don't take chondroitin sulfate if you have prostate cancer or are at high risk for developing it."

I have been taking 2 of those Glucosamine Chondroitin Sulfate pills a day since I ripped my knee up 7 or so years ago while heli-skiing. I wonder?


Vitamin  D
Casodex Fact Sheet
ChemoCare : Casodex

Email contact: hdstimson @ shaw.ca

|  Before Surgery |  After Surgery  |  Before ADT  |  ADT/Hormone Therapy  |