Robert, thanks for your commentary. I'm turning 81 in a couple of weeks and am facing a similar situation. I went through 44 radiation treatments two years ago with what appeared to be a successful treatment of a fairly aggressive PC contained in the prostate. Upon followup PSA checks I went from 0 to 3.7 in 6 months and my urologist scheduled a PET scan which revealed it had moved to the bone in 9 areas the brightest spot being on my lower spine. That lead to an excellent radiation oncologist deciding to treat all with a much higher intensity radiation in eight sessions. I'm currently on shots of Eligard every 6 months and Xgeva every 3 months until the end I assume.
A fairly new drug Abiraterone daily(1000mg) for a year. Minimal side effects so far. I've always been athletically active and still play tennis, hike and mountain bike desert trails and am hoping to experience minimal fatigue side effects.
It now appears to be an aggresive stage 4 with an optimistic 4-5 years of a functional life as I'm currently living. I view life and death very much the same and am lucky to still feel comfortable physically and will pursue a similar ending when the time comes. My favorite saying has always been..'damn the torpedoes...' and am in that mode currently being aware in each moment with acceptance of life
as it presents itself. Memento Mori and Amor Fati. Ron Stark..this is my wife's addy.
Comments
Robert, thanks for your commentary. I'm turning 81 in a couple of weeks and am facing a similar situation. I went through 44 radiation treatments two years ago with what appeared to be a successful treatment of a fairly aggressive PC contained in the prostate. Upon followup PSA checks I went from 0 to 3.7 in 6 months and my urologist scheduled a PET scan which revealed it had moved to the bone in 9 areas the brightest spot being on my lower spine. That lead to an excellent radiation oncologist deciding to treat all with a much higher intensity radiation in eight sessions. I'm currently on shots of Eligard every 6 months and Xgeva every 3 months until the end I assume. A fairly new drug Abiraterone daily(1000mg) for a year. Minimal side effects so far. I've always been athletically active and still play tennis, hike and mountain bike desert trails and am hoping to experience minimal fatigue side effects. It now appears to be an aggresive stage 4 with an optimistic 4-5 years of a functional life as I'm currently living. I view life and death very much the same and am lucky to still feel comfortable physically and will pursue a similar ending when the time comes. My favorite saying has always been..'damn the torpedoes...' and am in that mode currently being aware in each moment with acceptance of life as it presents itself. Memento Mori and Amor Fati. Ron Stark..this is my wife's addy.
Post: My Death Odyssey
Link to comment from May 22, 2024