This is the story about my struggle with prostate cancer. The PSA test is helpful in diagnosing prostate cancer. A normal, non cancerous PSA score is 0. Anything above 0 might indicate the possibility of cancer. In the spring of 2011, at a routine check up, my PSA score for prostate cancer was 1.4. My doctor suggested I go see a Urologist but I never got around to it. Two years later, quite by accident, I had my PSA taken and it was 11.4. I then went to see a Urologist, two years late, had 14 biopsies on my prostate and all 14 tested positive for cancer.
So, in February 2013, I marked off sick from the railroad and started my treatment. I started with 41 radiation treatments. Since prostate cancer is fueled by testosterone, I underwent 3 years of hormone treatment that reduced my testosterone to castration levels. After my last hormone shot in 2016, all my numbers looked great and we were hopeful that the cancer was eliminated. As that last 3 month shot wore off, my testosterone levels started to rise. (Normal levels for testosterone is 270 to 400) By my December 2016 appointment with my Urologist, my PSA was 0.9 and my testosterone was still less than 200. We were ecstatic hearing this news.
My next Urologist appointment was in August 2017. My testosterone was over 300 buy my PSA was 10.4. Here we go again. My Urologist referred me to an excellent Oncologist. We waited a month to make sure it wasn't an anomaly and in that time the PSA increased to 15.8. I had numerous scans and tests and it turned out that my prostate cancer was Stage 4 and metastasized in the bone, lymph node and saliva gland in my left jaw, and in the bone in both hips, my backbone and ninth rib. The biopsies all came back positive for prostate cancer.
So, I began getting hormone (Lupron) shots but that wasn't enough this time. Testosterone is also produced by the adrenal gland and by the cancer itself. So I began taking 4 Zytiga tablets a day along with a couple other drugs. It takes care of that other testosterone.
My doctor told me that this treatment will someday quit working. If and when that happens, we will have to try something else, like chemotherapy. Three months ago, when I had my 3 month check up, my PSA was up from 1.6 to 4.6. It scared me to death. I went through a number of scans and tests again. I had changed my diet by eliminating dairy, white potatoes, white rice and white flour. I had read that these help feed hormonal cancers like prostate. My doctor had me return to my normal diet and a week later my PSA was 4.3 but my testosterone was still under 3 and my scans showed an improvement over 2016. I have my next three month check up and shots next week and I'm very nervous about what my treatments will be now.
Of all the pain and discomfort that I have experienced, nothing compares to the stress. Prostate cancer is stressful. Stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer is extremely hard to cope with. Every time you feel a new pain, you think the cancer has spread. A friend of mine, my Tuesday night golf partner developed prostate cancer after I did. His metastasized into the bone and while he was being treated for that, they found a mass on his lung and he passed away two weeks later. When mine metastasized, that was all I could think of. The month after my cancer returned and I got the final results were horribly stressful. Now that I'm on Medicare, its stressful in a different way. Even though I enrolled into the best Part D prescription plan there is, the co-pay for my Zytiga tables went from $1.67 to $2883 a month.
So, my life is lived in 3 month increments. The last two weeks before my appointment, I'm scared to death I'll receive bad news. I'm dealing with it the best I can.
So far, I've been fortunate that I haven't needed chemotherapy yet. That's where it really gets scary. I can't begin to understand what one goes through, the harsh chemicals, hair loss and horrible side effects.
My family and I pray that I don't have that fight.
