Guest guest Posted July 26, 2004 Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 Louisa Thanks for the update on dad and mum and yourself. We very often concentrate on the patient but we also need to think of those close to him. Dad sounds to be putting up quite a fight and staying in good spirits I know you know what is inevitable at some stage so it is no use the group pointing this out, but I know too how supportive you are and what a great family you are. I hope dad can stay in good spirits and mum can cope with the staring of it all. Best wishes and prayers for you all PS Have you cooked the scones if I pop round for a cuppa in 10 minutes - if only we could! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 26, 2004 Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 Would muffins be ok? ;-) would be awesome to have you pop in !!! thanks, as always for your encouraging words, and prayers..Im so grateful for you in this group. Thankyou !! LoveLouisa > >Reply-To: ProstateCancerSupport >To: <ProstateCancerSupport > >Subject: RE: my Dad >Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2004 23:11:08 +0100 > >Louisa > >Thanks for the update on dad and mum and yourself. > >We very often concentrate on the patient but we also need to think of those >close to him. > >Dad sounds to be putting up quite a fight and staying in good spirits > >I know you know what is inevitable at some stage so it is no use the group >pointing this out, but I know too how supportive you are and what a great >family you are. > >I hope dad can stay in good spirits and mum can cope with the staring of it >all. > >Best wishes and prayers for you all > > > >PS Have you cooked the scones if I pop round for a cuppa in 10 minutes - if >only we could! Watch movie trailers online with the Xtra Broadband Channel ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 26, 2004 Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 Louisa -- There is a possibility that your dad could get Quadramet injections. This would deliver radiation directly to the sites where there are metastases on the bone. This is a palliative treatment to relieve bone pain, but it tends to lower the white blood cell count, so that has to be monitored. You can read about my late friend Young's experience with the Quadramet clinical trial he participated in on his Phoenix5 website at http://www.phoenix5.org/clinical/rvycj0330cllinical01.html <http://www.phoenix5.org/clinical/rvycj0330cllinical01.html> . It did make him feel better by his own report. It may help to consult with an expert medical oncologist in the US via email and see if there is any chemotherapy regimen that your dad might be able to tolerate that has been overlooked. Dr. (Snuffy) Myers, Dr. Israel Barken, Dr. Strum and Dr. Mark Scholz are among our best. If you would like contact information for any of these doctors, let me know and I'll put you in touch with them. And of course our prayers are with you all. Donna Pogliano Co-author of " A Primer on Prostate Cancer, The Empowered Patient's Guide " my Dad Hi everyone, from Wintery NZ.... My apologies in starting, for this long letter...as some of it will be repeated, and no doubt it will be waffly...:-) For background information, Im from NZ, and my dad who is only 56/57, was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer 3 yrs this month. I remember the shock, as dad has always been healthy...etc..and now, not only were we facing Cancer, but it was in the advanced stages then, and was terminal. HOw long we had, we didnt know, and we are thankful that we have had these 3 yrs so far !!!. The cancer had spread into his bones, and when they discovered this cancer, this is where they had found a lot of cancer. So an operation was not an option. Dad started on hormone tablets (have no idea of the names of pills..its enough to know all this info :-) ). However things progressed rather rapidly, and within the first year of the discovery, dad had to stop working, because the stress was causing things to advance rapidly too, as well as the pain and discomfort dad was in. Well, this last 6 months things have advanced rapidly again. As i have written before, his psa rate leapt hugely , doubling each month, until the lastest reading we saw was just a few off 1000. Telling us that the hormone treatment dad had become ammune to. Yep, he had tried a few..and these were the last ones he could try.. The latest thing we have had to deal with is, dad was starting to get numbness in his legs, and the hospice nurses (who visit mum and dad every day), said to keep an eye on, as this could be serious. One day, dad just fell (dad's spine is riddled with the cancer, so any fall could be disasterous also), when his legs just gave way, and they rushed him up to hospital, because he just couldnt feel anything, and he had lost bladder control. When they got him up there, they did an mri scan (something he hated immensly, as he hates the closed in tunnel, AND he was in constant pain, from his back) and they discovered new tumours growing on dads spine. Which they began giving him 5 treatments of radiation. The tumors on his spine, were blocking the nerves, and causing dad's legs to go numb etc etc....and if he kept trying to move..it could have damaged a lot more...anyways..he is in a wheelchair at the moment, and beginning to get movement back, as the radiation treatment seems to have be en successful. Dad's has been on morphine for a while now. 2 doses a day, and a top up if he needs it.He has been on stereoids to improve his appetite, which unfortunately without them he would have none...and the side affect of this is the puffiness. Which has a lot of other problems to go with it...the worse being that he is hardly recognisable..and makes him feel a bit upset :-(( But apparently he is very excited that he now has an electric bed, from the hospice !!! My mum has been completely amazing through all this. We are a pretty open family, and bawl and hug when we feel the need, ring each other up, emails etc...and this time next week i will be up visiting my mum and dad again (which of course I am very excited about..!!) Please, for any of you who pray, please pray for my mum. Because of the medication and stuff, dad gets forgetful and confused, and so mum is kinda following around behind picking up the pieces, as it were.. And understandibly, I am really worried about her. A lot of people ask how dad is...and rightly so, after all he is the one with cancer. But it also affects the family, and my concern is my mum. So please, if you wish to pray..to pray for mum as well would be greatly appreciated... After all this longgggg letter...and sorry if its a big negative...but surprisingly enough, dad is still in good spirits, fighting and laughing and very positive. He isnt unrealisitically positive. But he is grateful for the day he is in. Ok..i better go, before the blubbering here starts :-) Thanks again everyone for your ears/eyes..and patients Hugs for everyone who needs them, and for those who dont ;-) Louisa (New Zealand) Daughter of PC sufferererer <http://graphics.hotmail.com/i.p.emsmile.gif> _____ Surf the net and talk on the phone with Xtra JetStream! <http://g.msn.com/8HMBENNZ/2728??PS=47575> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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