Treatment
Seventeen days into the treatment, I’ve escaped some of the side effects but not others.
When I started this androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), I was hoping to find myself in the 33 percentile of men who experience no side effects with this treatment. While I didn’t make that mark, I believe I am fortunate thus far, and am probably somewhere in the 45-50 percentile.
So far I have been able to avoid the discomfort of having regular night sweats and knock-you-over, drag-you-to-the floor hot flashes. While I can’t predict if these episodic trappings of Lupron are permanently off my dance card, or if they might still work their way into my life, I am grateful that, as of yet, I only experience occasional warm flushes in my face during the day. I am also experiencing some tenderness on the sides of my breast tissue, but it is minor.
The two big side effects I am experiencing are fatigue and some mood swings. At the start of this treatment we reviewed with our teenage sons what I might experience in the process. “Great,” they sighed with a healthy dose of resignation. “Dad with mood swings? We’re really in for it now…” The next thing we know, they’ll be promoting a movie script for The Devil IS Dad.
Really, I am rather proud of how I have been able to handle my moods in this new life. Yes, I feel I have been shorter with my patience at times. And, my personal physical space in times of stress has become ever more important. It was only one day, last Tuesday that I felt totally “hormonal.” It was quite odd to feel like I was two persons in one: there was the person I know myself to be, and the person I felt was running out ahead of me, ready to disturb the peace and throttle anyone who might dare challenge me. Fortunately, this rather unlikeable character with whom I had to share my mental space only visited for about 18 hours. Should Mr. Lew Pron make another unwanted visit, I’ll be ready for him, with his initial shock value greatly diminished.
During Mr. Pron’s visit, I shared with my wife and several female colleagues and friends what I was feeling. It was like being in a scene from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants… I had entered their world and was given full rights of initiation and privilege. Their sympathies flowed. I was given hugs as they each echoed similar sentiments of… “I’m so sorry for you! Now you know what’s it’s like..”
Our late Dan Fogelberg was right when he told his wife that every man should have to live a stint without testosterone to see what it’s like. If our female counterparts have had to endure these emotional swings since puberty, they are deserving of our greatest understanding and praise. They are definitely entitled to a subscription to a good Wine of the Month Club.
My biggest challenge and greatest source of frustration as a result of my androgen blockade has been the fatigue I am experiencing. If I try to take an aggressive walk, after five blocks an overwhelming sense of building exhaustion filled with almost pre-flu-like symptoms and a slight light-headedness takes hold. The sensation lasts for several hours. I get the same feeling every day between 2 and 3 in the afternoon. By the end of the day I drag my tired butt home and need to crash.
It’s the fatigue that gets me down the most. I can try to gain control over my emotions, but I absolutely can’t control the physical challenge.
Yesterday, as MaryEllen and I walked to Starbucks for my soy milk latte, the fatigue hit. I found myself resenting its intrusion and was overcome with personal disappointment. Here I was trying to maintain my exercise and weight loss program (46 pounds down to date), and my other therapy was stepping in my way, challenging my success.
I haven’t had any feelings of depression–another possible side effect that my surgeon, Dr. Matsunaga, warned me about. I’m just ”majorly bummed” about this recurring fatigue. I am told that I might get past this obstacle as my therapy continues. I remain hopeful.
This week I am scheduled for a bone density scan to establish a baseline as ADT can foster bone loss and increased risk of fractures. I have already started taking daily calcium and Vitamin D supplements to help ward off this possible complication. Although my cholesterol is way down as a result of my improved diet, I will remain on statins to ensure my cholesterol remains as low as possible. Current thinking is that prostate cancer cells are less happy with lower levels of cholesterol. Preliminary studies conducted by PCF-supported researchers also indicate that statins may actually play a role in reducing the growth of some cancer cells and lowering PSA levels.
In balance, my life on Lupron is a mixed bag. I am lucky to not have experienced all possible side effects or to have had a severe reaction to it. A severe reaction would require an intermittent therapy schedule. That sounds much less effective to me. However, I am reminded every day, sometimes hourly, that I am living a new reality.
Yesterday, I had a bit of an epiphany. I had started this treatment pleased that it was “just” Lupron and not the more widely dreaded chemotherapy. I now appreciate my ADT for what it is. Like chemotherapy, it is a systemic depth charge that can wreck havoc and create collateral damage to do some good.
My next injection is in two weeks, on August 30. Like someone who is stuck in a bad relationship, I will take it willingly in spite of how it might decide to treat me. In fact, I am not certain I could live without it.
When I started this androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), I was hoping to find myself in the 33 percentile of men who experience no side effects with this treatment. While I didn’t make that mark, I believe I am fortunate thus far, and am probably somewhere in the 45-50 percentile.
So far I have been able to avoid the discomfort of having regular night sweats and knock-you-over, drag-you-to-the floor hot flashes. While I can’t predict if these episodic trappings of Lupron are permanently off my dance card, or if they might still work their way into my life, I am grateful that, as of yet, I only experience occasional warm flushes in my face during the day. I am also experiencing some tenderness on the sides of my breast tissue, but it is minor.
The two big side effects I am experiencing are fatigue and some mood swings. At the start of this treatment we reviewed with our teenage sons what I might experience in the process. “Great,” they sighed with a healthy dose of resignation. “Dad with mood swings? We’re really in for it now…” The next thing we know, they’ll be promoting a movie script for The Devil IS Dad.
Really, I am rather proud of how I have been able to handle my moods in this new life. Yes, I feel I have been shorter with my patience at times. And, my personal physical space in times of stress has become ever more important. It was only one day, last Tuesday that I felt totally “hormonal.” It was quite odd to feel like I was two persons in one: there was the person I know myself to be, and the person I felt was running out ahead of me, ready to disturb the peace and throttle anyone who might dare challenge me. Fortunately, this rather unlikeable character with whom I had to share my mental space only visited for about 18 hours. Should Mr. Lew Pron make another unwanted visit, I’ll be ready for him, with his initial shock value greatly diminished.
During Mr. Pron’s visit, I shared with my wife and several female colleagues and friends what I was feeling. It was like being in a scene from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants… I had entered their world and was given full rights of initiation and privilege. Their sympathies flowed. I was given hugs as they each echoed similar sentiments of… “I’m so sorry for you! Now you know what’s it’s like..”
Our late Dan Fogelberg was right when he told his wife that every man should have to live a stint without testosterone to see what it’s like. If our female counterparts have had to endure these emotional swings since puberty, they are deserving of our greatest understanding and praise. They are definitely entitled to a subscription to a good Wine of the Month Club.
My biggest challenge and greatest source of frustration as a result of my androgen blockade has been the fatigue I am experiencing. If I try to take an aggressive walk, after five blocks an overwhelming sense of building exhaustion filled with almost pre-flu-like symptoms and a slight light-headedness takes hold. The sensation lasts for several hours. I get the same feeling every day between 2 and 3 in the afternoon. By the end of the day I drag my tired butt home and need to crash.
It’s the fatigue that gets me down the most. I can try to gain control over my emotions, but I absolutely can’t control the physical challenge.
Yesterday, as MaryEllen and I walked to Starbucks for my soy milk latte, the fatigue hit. I found myself resenting its intrusion and was overcome with personal disappointment. Here I was trying to maintain my exercise and weight loss program (46 pounds down to date), and my other therapy was stepping in my way, challenging my success.
I haven’t had any feelings of depression–another possible side effect that my surgeon, Dr. Matsunaga, warned me about. I’m just ”majorly bummed” about this recurring fatigue. I am told that I might get past this obstacle as my therapy continues. I remain hopeful.
This week I am scheduled for a bone density scan to establish a baseline as ADT can foster bone loss and increased risk of fractures. I have already started taking daily calcium and Vitamin D supplements to help ward off this possible complication. Although my cholesterol is way down as a result of my improved diet, I will remain on statins to ensure my cholesterol remains as low as possible. Current thinking is that prostate cancer cells are less happy with lower levels of cholesterol. Preliminary studies conducted by PCF-supported researchers also indicate that statins may actually play a role in reducing the growth of some cancer cells and lowering PSA levels.
In balance, my life on Lupron is a mixed bag. I am lucky to not have experienced all possible side effects or to have had a severe reaction to it. A severe reaction would require an intermittent therapy schedule. That sounds much less effective to me. However, I am reminded every day, sometimes hourly, that I am living a new reality.
Yesterday, I had a bit of an epiphany. I had started this treatment pleased that it was “just” Lupron and not the more widely dreaded chemotherapy. I now appreciate my ADT for what it is. Like chemotherapy, it is a systemic depth charge that can wreck havoc and create collateral damage to do some good.
My next injection is in two weeks, on August 30. Like someone who is stuck in a bad relationship, I will take it willingly in spite of how it might decide to treat me. In fact, I am not certain I could live without it.