Our Walk With Stage IV Prostate Cancer: May 2013

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Beautiful Sunday....

Today is just a gorgeous day here in the mountains. I think I'll go to the mall. It's 60 miles away, but I think I'll go anyway.

My eye is doing better each day. On my followup visit to the doctor, they took the left lens out of my glasses to see if that would help me and I was still adjusting, so that didn't really help. But this morning I put those glasses on and tried again and I think they will do the trick until I can get new glasses. So everything is progressing nicely.

Marshall's visit to the Cancer Center on Thursday went well. We saw the Nurse Practitioner (I think I told you that we don't see the oncologist any more ... he has put us in the hands of his Nurse Practitioner and we will only see him if there are problems -- let's hope we never see him again).

She did lab work and said that all of Marshall's tests are good. His alkaline phosphate (phosphatase??) gets lower every time. I have no idea what that is, but she said that (1) it means his PSA is likely continuing to go down; and (2) his bones are doing good. Excellent news.

So he headed off on his trip. Today he is at my daughter's house in St. Louis. He expects to get to his sister's in Ohio on Monday. He is having a great time. And so am I. It's a win-win.

He and Tricia were out and about and came across the mascot for St. Louis' KSHE Radio. I understand his name is Sweet Meat??

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

I had my cataract surgery today and I guess it will take a few days (or weeks) to see if it was successful. Right now I don't notice any difference in vision and my eye feels gritty. I'm sure that's all normal.

Marshall continues to feel good and tomorrow is his next monitoring appointment up at the University Hospital. He is going to pack up his bike tonight and after his appointment tomorrow he will head off for a 2-week trip to Ohio and maybe South Dakota to visit family and friends. I have my followup appointment with the ophthalmologist tomorrow so I won't be at Marshall's appointment, but I think I will be able to be there by speaker phone.

That's all for now. Pretty good, isn't it?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Regular daily life

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Busy Busy Busy

Marshall continues to feel good and it feels like all we do is go-go-go. He is itching for the weather to finally settle into spring and summer so he can start his bike trips. If all goes well, he plans to leave here on May 23rd and head to Ohio for a week or so.

In the meantime, I am getting ready for cataract surgery next week and I can't wait to get that over with.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Snow in the middle of May

We are having a typical Colorado month of May.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

53 days pain-free and another exciting checkup

Still pain free and enjoying life. Planning a busy summer.

Today was another 2-week checkup. All lab work was right where it should be. But the high point of the visit was learning that the PSA has now gone down to 5.1. What a great day.

Also, the nurse practitioner told us about another patient who in 2008 had a PSA of 750 with lots of pain. They started this guy on Zytiga (the drug that is working miracles with Marshall) and his pain went away and his PSA came down to the 100s and has stayed there consistently for over four years. He has stayed pain free That is a great story to hear.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Marshall's Story (condensed)

On 3/14/12 went to emergency room with severe chest pain (turned out to be bone pain)
3/17/12 diagnosed with Stage IV Prostate Cancer (metastasized to the bones), PSA was 49
3/29/12 Biopsy confirmed advanced cancer, with a Gleason Score of 8, PSA had risen to 95
3/29/12 Received a double injection of Firmagon hormone therapy (very painful!)
Early April 2012, within less than a week, bone pain subsided, and he was out of bed!!
4/30/12, PSA had gone down to 9! Hormone therapy changed from Firmagon to Lupron (a 3-month injection) Side effects: fatigue & hot flashes
6/11/12, PSA now down to 3.9! Considering a clinical trial.
6/19/12, decided against the clinical trial.
7/10/12, lab work done at request of VA regarding Agent Orange claim.
7/12/12, evaluation by a private doctor at request of VA.
7/26/12, visit to oncologist. PSA remains at 3.9!!! Very good news. Bone strengthener postponed for 6 weeks. Next appointment 9/13/12.
8/6/12, VA approved Agent Orange-prostate cancer benefits; Marshall is now considered 100% disabled. This decision will be reviewed again in six months.
9/4/12, passed out, chest pain, pale, sweating, clammy, rushed to hospital by Flight for Life. Doctors were unable to find a cause, but it wasn't cancer related. Left the hospital 9/6/12.
9/13/12, PSA went up to 6.6 ... depressing. CT scan, bone scan and another PSA test scheduled for 10/11/12.
10/11/12, Bone scan showed no change from prior bone scan; CT scan showed slight increase in "activity"; PSA up to 10.01. Casodex is started as well as megadoses of Vitamin D2.
10/18/12, Excruciating back pain, thought it was a Casodex side effect; oncologist says it is not SE. Went to clinic, got x-rays of spine, showed nothing, maybe hairline fracture, got injection of "aspirin" and started feeling better.

10/25/12, Lupron injection; Xgeva injection; flu shot. SE from Lupron was pain at injection site for several days.

11/21/12, PSA 10.22, Xgeva injection.

12/17/12, Kavanaugh (radiation oncologist)

12/20/12, 12/21/12, 12/22/12, first 3 radiation treatments

12/27/12, 12/28/12, last 2 radiation treatments

1/1/13, called 911, stomach pain, taking laxatives per instructions of Dr. Yeh, radiation oncologist. In hospital 3 days, diagnosed with radiation colitis. PSA 12.3. Colitis can't be treated, needs to resolve itself. Sent home 1/3. Advised that white blood cell count was low, get it retested.

1/7/13, went to clinic for lab work

1/8/13, appointment at clinic, white blood cell count heading back up but sugar very low and dehydrated. He was put on intravenous fluids for 40 minutes, felt better.

1/17/13, PSA 13.2, Vit D in normal range, Lupron shot, Xgeva shot, discontinue Casodex, white blood cell count almost back to normal after radiation.

1/28/13, went to emergency room with excruciating pain in right leg; no blood clot, no hairline fracture, no sciatica. Advised that fracture was imminent and to get wheelchair.

2/7/13, saw oncologist to get tests after emergency room visit. They do not agree that fracture is imminent and thought pain may be caused by withdrawal of Casodex. We go back on 3/1 for PSA test and discussion of clinical study of GTX (estrogen therapy) added to the treatment plan.

3/1/13, saw oncologist; PSA almost tripled to 31.06; started process to participate in clinical study for GTX-758.

3/4/13, not accepted in clinical study, bloodwork showed "low threshold" for clotting; will start Zytiga & prednisone on 3/12/13, started Zytiga with Prednisone;

3/17/13, FIRST PAIN FREE DAY IN MONTHS!

4/7/13, STILL PAIN FREE

4/8/13, visit to hospital for lab work; all good; PSA DOWN TO 10.23!!

4/22/13, visit to hospital for lab work; all good. Received Lupron shot. Xgeva will be stopped until calcium levels go up. STILL PAIN FREE.

5/8/13, lab work; all good. PSA down to 5.1. Got Xgeva shot.

6/12/13, lab work; PSA down to 1.45. Dehydrated, hemoglobin low. Need to come back in a week to re-check kidney function.

6/18/13, lab work, kidney function back to normal; need to start iron supplement for anemia caused by Zytiga.

7/9/13, PSA down to 1.04 !!!!!

7/31/13, PSA down to 0.88 (woo hoo!)

8/28/13, PSA 0.88, got Xgeva shot

10/7/13, PSA 1.28, Xgeva discontinued because of side effects

10/16/13, CT scan, bone scan, MRI

10/21/13, results of tests showed healing in the bones, no evidence of new metastatic disease

11/13/13, lab work normal, got referral to psychologist

12/11/13, PSA 2.16, doctor says not to worry

1/6/14, saw psychologist, went well

2/4/14, CT scan, bone scan

2/6/14, PSA 2.8, scans look good, CT showed healing, got Zolodex injection, still off of Xgeva

3/5/14, PSA 2.45, all lab work normal

4/7/14, PSA 4.64, lab work normal, doubling the antidepressant, saw psychologist

5/15/14, PSA 3.72, lab work normal

6/19/14, PSA 7.46, lab work normal, bone scan showed new activity in upper spine

7/17/14, PSA 9.4, repeat scans set for 8/12

8/14/14, PSA 11.23, cancer progressing slowly, may start chemo in a few months.

9/15/14, PSA 20.8, new scans set for 10/14, then we find out what happens next.

10/16/14, PSA 33, Zytiga discontinued; started on Cytoxan; radiation scheduled for early November.

11/18/14, PSA 35.6, Zoladex injection, could he be suffering from radiation "flare?" Radiation oncologist says no.

12/1/14, discontinued Cytoxan.

12/22/14, PSA 28.0, he is in nursing home for physical therapy.

1/15/15, PSA 33, scans scheduled for February

2/9/15, scans cancelled; emergency surgery to remove tumor wrapped around spine; PSA 40

3/9/15, PSA 43, spots found on liver

4/13/15, PSA 45.62, spots on liver are probably fatty tissue. We will watch closely. Continue on oral chemo Cytoxan.

5/13/15, PSA 64.9

6/4/15, PSA 65, got quarterly Zolodex injection

7/2/15, PSA 262, will get radiation and will try Zytiga again

7/9/15, Hospice.
7/22/15, R.I.P.