Hi, my name is Sallie and I am new to the forum. My father (63 years old) was diagnosed two years ago with S4 Pca. PSA was 12, and after 8 months of radiation and hormone therapy, it has dropped below 1. The doctors advised us that the cancer wasn't gone, but it was at a managable state and we would just have to keep an eye on it. That was in April 2016. A month later he began complaining of severe back pain- all of his doctors, oncologist included, advised him that it was likely a result of stress and he should take OTC pain meds and get a massage. In July 2016, he called me one night in severe pain and I had an ambulance go pick him up to take him into the hospital. When they were ready to release him from the ER, he was unable to move/feel his body from the chest down. After scans were done, they diagnosed his cancer metastatic with mets on his spinal cord and ribcage, causing spinal cord compression and the paralysis. They did emergency intense radiation, and he spent over 5+ months in three different hospitals. His compression was relieved, and he has recently regained slight movement in his feet and feelings throughout his body.
In February this year, his PSA had jumped from 3 (when he was residing in the hospital on Xtandi, Xgeva and Lupron injections) to 8. They stopped the Xtandi and prescribed him Zytiga (+ Prednisone) in it's place since the PSA kept rising. He had been seemingly doing better and even participating in intense physical therapy to help with mobility increase. However, in May his PSA was up to 39. He was scheduled to do full body scans to reevaluate his condition two weeks ago, but was hospitalized after a UTI and severe chest pains. They did a chest CT and from that alone could tell that the mets in his chest had grown and a few had popped in his lungs as well. Needless to say, it was heartbreaking news.
Since the oncologist suggested that the only available option left was chemotherapy, and he refuses to do chemo, he has stopped all of the cancer fighting drugs/injections. It's been almost a week since he has stopped them and he is on at home hospice for pain management and sever nausea.
Sorry for the long winded back story, but my mom and I are looking into alternative options. He had been doing small doses of CBD oil, but we are looking into increasing this and adding any other natural fighters to keep him around as long as we can. Does anybody have any positive experience from natural treatments?
Thanks in advance for sharing.
Sallie xox
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>my mom and I are looking into alternative options. ... we are looking into increasing this and >adding any other natural fighters to keep him around as long as we can.
I hope you and your Mom do stay in touch with what your Father wants, and his values, toward the end of his life. Once entering hospice, medical doctors stop giving treatments that have a curative or life-prolonging intent, and switch to comfort and palliative care, with the assistance of the hospice team and any others.
Even with Alternatives, trying "to keep him around as long as we can" my run at cross purposes to what your Father may want, and the usual hospice practice, which is, for the most part, to allow the path to his natural death with his disease to proceed, with palliative rather than futile curative or life/suffering-prolonging treatments.
In any event, it is hard... very hard, to be living through it.
Absolutely. Not trying to have him around for selfish purposes. He has already signed a DNR, and we have agreed to let him go peacefully when the time does come. Just not going to give up until then, keeping him comfortable and as healthy as he possibly can be in his condition. Thank you for your thoughts <3
Firstly, may I say, that your dad looks the best! He has a kind, gentle face that I would turn to in a crowd if I was looking for help. I do hope that he has enjoyed his life until he got the devastating news of his condition. I am more or less in the same boat but I am now on chemo, last year my first go at chemo was a disaster but this time round it is going well. It is a gentle chemo, Mitoxanthrone, which has not thrown up any major side effects. I get the feeling that your dad has had enough of medical intervention and he knows his own body better than anyone. He's lucky having a daughter such as you to see him through these trying times. I can't recommend any natural treatments because I don't think they would make the slightest bit of difference in cancer so advanced. I wish you and your father well.
Thank you Will. I appreciate your thoughts, and I don't think natural treatments are going to cause some miracle either. It has more to do with me feeling helpless and seeking answers, but I'm slowly accepting that there may not be any, and maybe that is okay.
I would just say to you that in life, it's not how long you lived but how you lived.
We all have to accept limitations, you may feel helpless but you are helping your father in so many ways, even his doctors can't cure him, so don't beat yourself up because you can't take away his cancer. I have been quite moved by your post, maybe because one day I will be in your dad's position or maybe it's because your dad is so young to be struck down with this pernicious disease. You are both in my thoughts. Wm.
I think your father has made a wise decision seemingly towards the end of his battle. Bone mets going to the extent of causing spinal chord compression and paralysis and may be he is not willing to face the brunt of more aggressive treatments with possibly more painful disaster. I agree with willstain on the futility of using natural treatments in a dire situation like this. All the same it is a matter for regret that the doctors apparently have not paid serious attention to a 63 year old diagnosed only 2 years ago although his PCa was S4. Anyway, under the circumstances fate and time will be the more likely decisive factors.
I appreciate you and your mother not giving up hopes for his well being as long as his life can continue. And..........
You dad does have a kind face, as Willstain says. 😊
I wish I had some alternative therapies to recommend, but others are much more qualified to advise on this. And clearly your dad has worked very hard over the last couple of years fighting this disease. He obviously has lots to live for, including a loving daughter and wife.
My apologies if I'm too forward with this suggestion, but is there a reason he does not want to try chemo? It's not the 'chemo' of 40-years ago. And as others noted above, they can control the dosage. In my case, I had few side effects. (I know others have different experiences, but you can always stop it.) It might not only offer relief, but also extend quality time he has with you.
Anyway, just to make sure all options are considered. I may feel the same way as your dad some day. But I find that sometimes we all need someone to push us to consider more options than we think we can handle.
Thank you James. I want to respect his wishes, but obviously would personally prefer he went through with every treatment option possible. Just taking it day to day as he is suffering with severe nausea at the moment, but maybe I can talk to him about it when his health is more stable.
Salli I was dxd at 67 with stage 4, Gleason 4+5 and 12 biopsy cores all cancerous. Mets around 40 in bones and others in pelvic girdle lymohs , seminal vesicles etc. Had 8 months chemo and almost completely clear of mets now. Zytiga keeping PSA at O.04. Chemo no side effects. Whatever your father's choice just help him and love him as you do. I am now 71 and in good, sensible health. Time will tell.
Thanks scruffy, excellent and most encouraging experiential advice to anyone! I hope Sallie will look at this more seriously to push her father though against his preferred option. He is still in early sixties.
Hi Sallie, I have been using many natural treatments as I will not take chemo. Please look into Oxygen therapy using either 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide or ozone therapy thru a naturopath. I also take Cell Forte IP6 + inositol, a powder mixed with water and easy to take no side effects. Please investigate the oxygen therapy, it has been successful for many years for some.
I don't mean to sound harsh but, I would beg him to go through a chemo session. It will extend his life. I went through chemo and didn't even notice it was in my system. They have drugs to counter act the chemo effects should an effect occur. Look him in the eyes and ask him to do it for you. When I was first diagnosed, I flew from Michigan to NYC to tell my daughter. It was the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life and I fought as an Army Ranger in Vietnam. Do whatever you have to do in order for him to start chemo NOW. He has a lot of life left if he reconsiders treatment options. He can make a comeback.
I really appreciate that advice as it is something that I have been struggling with- respecting his wishes v. using my influence to push him into further treatment. My dad is also a veteran, 20 yr. retired Army major. I hope the VA has been as good to you as they have been to my father and my family.
Whatever you decide to do will be right. My heart bleeds for you. The VA is treating me great as my stage 4 cancer was caused by my exposure to Agent Orange. I'm being selfless, but do me a favor and tell your father that an old Lurp (LRRP) from Vietnam says keep fighting. He will know what a Lurp was. Best of luck to your family, I wish you all nothing but the best.
My father also has advanced Stage 4 cancer, nameless9999 said it best regarding treatment. Chemo could be of benefit and extend life, my father who is 70 has endured 6 cycles of taxotere plus 5 of jevtana + carboplatin. While it it wasn't easy he is still alive and working every day in our family business. Shifting his care to a leading research hospital (MD Anderson) was also one of the best decisions we have made. Chemo isn't easy and does affect the quality of life if your older with an advanced disease and choosing not to take is also fully understandable. If you can knock the disease down, supplements and diet could be of some benefit. I wish you and your father the best. Its ultimately of course his decision.
It is ultimately his decision, and I'm afraid he has just given up on the fighting after a hard two years of life changing circumstances. If he begins to even slightly thrive under hospice care, I will definitely try to convince further treatment options.
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