Prostate Cancer possible Re-occurence

[Ken Shelmerdine]

Last week I had a PSA test at my dialysis cente. It's 2 years now since I had brachytherapy treatment which totally destroyed the small tumor which had emerged in my prostate. PSA went to zero then gradually had risen to 2.5 by September last. Now it is 30.5!!. The upshot is that this kind of rise would indicate that it might have spread to my bones and I am awaiting an appointment for a bone scan. I am absolutely devastated and fear the worst. I have taken time off sick from work as I just can't concentrate on anything properly with this at the back of my mind all the time. As if D isn't bad enough and now this. I am just hoping that its not what it seems as there are other reasons why PSA can rise so fast but being a pessimist by nature I'm bricking it.

[billybags]

Ken, what can I say, only hold on and try not to think the worse, as if that is easy. Having kidney disease is bad enough with out all the other sh** that goes with it. I will be thinking about you.

[monrein]

Horrid news Ken.  I'm coming down on the side of hoping it's not what it seems.   

[kristina]

I do hope it is not what it seems
and I wish you lots of strengths.

Best wishes from Kristina.

[boswife]

 i do hope it's not what it could be and there is some other explanation or 'mistake' that will change this news.  Terrable thing to bear in your mind though while your waiting.  Im so sorry and pray for comfort and peace and health... 

[okarol]

  I pray you're going to get through this just fine Ken. 

[MooseMom]

oh gosh, I can feel your panic all the way across the pond.  How long do you think you will have to wait for an appt?  I do understand why you are frightened; I understand the link between aggressive prostate cancer and a rapidly rising PSA, so I am not going to dismiss your concern.  As you know, I understand the ease with which the mind can travel down dark roads!  Shall we have a transatlantic panic attack together?

I hope you get some answers very soon. Dialysis patients' bodies are constantly inflammed; it goes with the territory.  Perhaps your PSA is evidence of more systemic inflammation.  You will keep us informed, won't you?  I am so very sorry that you are having to cope with this level of anxiety.

PS...I can see why you took time off work, but do you think that in a few days you might go back purely for the distraction?  I hate the idea of you having too much free time with which to worry.

[willowtreewren]

 

Not happy about this news, Ken.

Can you give the lab work your namesake?   

Truly, truly hoping that your worst fears are not realized.

And super hugs to you. 

Aleta

[paris]

My dear sweet Sir Ken ---- I am so unhappy for you.  You have come so far and gone through so much, that I can hardly think that this could happen to you.  I will be praying constantly.  You are never far from my thoughts.   Thinking back on the years here, you filled so many of my days with humor. I was new and scared to death and you were always there.   And you were always there for Goofynina.  We had some good laughs back then!!   So, now, we are here for you.   We will be surrounding you with our love and support.   You are a special man, Ken.  You are going to get through this.  Your lovely wife will be your right hand, and we will lend our shoulders for you to lean on.     Please dear God, take care of my friend.              

[Ken Shelmerdine]

Thank you for all you're kind thoughts. I received a letter today from the hospital and my bone scan is this coming Thursday 31 March. After the scan they send the results to the consultant who will then tell me the what happens next. Wish Me luck.

[MooseMom]

I wish you all of the good luck in the entire world!  I'll be thinking of you on Thursday.

[willowtreewren]

Wishing you MORE than luck, Ken. Wishing you the very best outcome. 

[galvo]

I'm sorry to hear this, Ken. Good luck, mate!

[lola]

prayers are being said Ken

[AguynamedKim]

Thinking of you Ken and hoping for the best.  For what it's worth, I found an article about rapid rising PSA and how it doesn't seem to be a reliable predictor of prostate cancer.  http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/650257.html

"According to the data, PSA velocity does not add any value, but it may add more anxiety," Lu-Yao said.

[paris]

Love, luck, good wishes, prayers --- all and more are what I am sending to you.       

[boswife]

wishing you more than luck, and  even more better,  prayers         Prayers for then, and prayers for now  and this too     And then someore 'be well' wishes... 

[Deanne]

Your scan should be over now. How soon will you get the results? Praying for good news!

[Ken Shelmerdine]

Had my bone scan Thursday and then sweated it out all weekend and got the results yesterday (Monday) The results of the bone scan are not good but the prognosis is good. The prostate cancer  which I was treated for 2 years ago has spread to two small areas one in the centre of my back just between my shoulder blades and on my left hip.

I am just gobsmacked! The original discovery of prostate cancer showed that the tumor was small and confined to the prostate had not broken out to surrounding areas and therefore completely curable. I asked the question that if that was the case and the tumor was completely destroyed 2 years ago (which subsequent scans revealed that it was) then how could it have mastastised to my bones. The doctor said that in a small number of cases some of the tumor can escape into the bloodstream and leave deposits on the bones and that it had probably happened before the first prostate diagnosis. Just my luck eh?

So it has been there years with no symptoms as yet. The upshot is that I now have to have hormone therapy given as an injection once a month which will give me many years of life yet but at what cost to quality of life? From the booklet I was given the side effects sound horrendous. The treatment amongst other things will make me MENOPAUSAL!! hot sweats mood swings fatigue WTF!

How this is going to interface with kidney dialysis God only knows!  I start the therapy on Monday at my GP surgery but this is all so quick. There are many things which I want to discuss with my GP before I start the therapy. For instance in spite of kidney failure and dialysis I'm in pretty good shape and am lucky enough up to now to dialyse for toxin removal only. No UF and haemoglobin levels are normal. I don't have any physical symptoms from the cancer as it has all been discovered very early. Even the newly discovered bone cancer could have been there a few years. I was told originally that the prostate cancer was very low grade and it would have been 10 to 15 years before I would start experiencing symptoms.

What I'm curious to know is, will the  bone cancer take the same amount of time to show symptoms and if so do I go ahead with this hormone treatment and blight my quality of life with all the side effects or face the music in several years time? And also, will dialysis stop the effectiveness of the treatment by filtering the hormone infusion from my body.

Thank you for all your support and I would welcome any information from someone on the forum who maybe is undergoing dialysis and, having prostate treatment too. 

[MooseMom]

Ken, I am really so very glad that the prognosis is good.

"Cancer" brings to mind so many horrible things, but the truth is that many cancers are like CKD...they're manageable through good treatment.

I don't have a prostate, but I did go through surgical menopause, and I also got "the booklet" laying out all of the possible side effects of this abrupt change of life.  I am not exaggerating when I tell you that those side effects took up two whole pages.  I thought I'd end up as an old prune vegetating in a dark corner somewhere.  Out of all of those side effects, I experienced exactly two of them, and those only for a short period of time.  My point is that they have to list every side effect ever experienced by anyone and everyone, but that doesn't mean they will all happen to you.

You have a lot of good questions, and when you find the answers, I'd really appreciate it if you'd share them with us because I'm a nosey cow and am curious.  You are not the only dialysis patient who has had to undergo cancer treatment, so I am sure the answers won't be difficult to uncover. 

Thank you so much for giving us this update.  Take good care of yourself, and let us keep supporting you.

[paul.karen]

Sorry to read this Ken.
I have no answers to your questions.

But whatever road you decide to travel with this new problem i wish you nothing but the best.

[cariad]

Ken, I am sorry to read that you were unlucky with the particular complication, but you do have options, and that is always good.

I agree with MM that they are telling you what might happen, not what will happen. Also, if the symptoms of menopause were that horrific, we would have no grandmothers on this planet. There are worse things, and perhaps you've even survived some of these worse things already. Prednisone is supposed to cause those symptoms as well, it is a hormone after all, but it only causes those symptoms in some people. I had mood swings I'm sure, but then I come from wretchedly moody stock, so who knows what was the drug and what was not. Prednisone is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs on earth, so you will be in good and ample company should you go ahead with treatment.

The way hormones work, I doubt dialysis will interfere with them to any great extent. Epo is a hormone - don't they usually administer that during dialysis? It's a good question, you should ask all of your questions to your GP before you make a decision.

If the hormone side effects are the worst of it from what you've heard, then if it were me, I would try the treatment. You can always stop. Before anything else, I'd probably grab a second opinion, hear another doctor's thoughts on your choices.

I am hoping for peace and clarity for you during this difficult time. Again, so sorry that you're having to face this.

[AguynamedKim]

I'm wishing you the best on this and hope the hormone therapy goes well if you choose to go down that path.

[Ken Shelmerdine]

Thinking of you Ken and hoping for the best.  For what it's worth, I found an article about rapid rising PSA and how it doesn't seem to be a reliable predictor of prostate cancer.  http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/650257.html

"According to the data, PSA velocity does not add any value, but it may add more anxiety," Lu-Yao said.

That was an interesting article Kim and gave me a much more positive feeling about this whole thing particularly the part about PSA velocity. It's made me think that maybe the spread of low stage not highly aggressive prostate cancer could be just as relatively benign in the part of the body it's spread to. Who knowes how long the secondary has been there and the fact that I am not suffering from it in any way might be an indicator that it will perhaps be many years before I do.

Before we had this early diagnosis PSA thing I can't help thinking that because so many men particularly in the sixty and over age group who may be at the first stage of developing low grade prostate cancer might be better off not being tested as they possibly would be symptom free for years and by not knowing at least would live several years in carefree retirement without the thought of Big C hanging over them.

After a DRE which revealed nothing abnormal in the size of my prostate I was offered a biopsy just to clear any doubt with no pressure to have it done but I went for it and and looking back I wish I hadn't. I would rather have had some worry free years. But then again only hindsight would have shown whether or not that decision was correct.

Moosemum you mentioned about going back to work to keep me distracted. I doubt whether my employer would allow that in view of the circumstances. Some parts of my job require absolute concentration and if I cocked up it would not only be bad for the company but for the team I work with having to do a huge rescue operation because of me.

I couldn't risk working knowing that I would be so distracted that I could let my team down . They have helped share my workload ever since I had to become part time because of haemo and have given me so much support not only for my renal situation but also for this latest problem.

If I am not to badly affected by the side effects of hormone therapy then I'll make a decision about a return to work.

[rsudock]

Thinking of you Ken and wishing you the best!
xo,
R