Hi everyone I expect to begin chemo shortly after tomorrows scans
My Boca Raton MO says we will go 6 rounds and check results
I’m taking Xtandi and lupron shots
I have been lifting weights 5 days a week for two months I not seeing the results I would have seen prior to being diagnosed in 2011.
I understand testosterone is necessary for muscle development.
If my testosterone is at #22 am I wasting my time?
Dennis
Not wasting your time at all. Without testosterone, muscles will waste away unless you do regular weight training. You won't see muscles build up without testosterone, but they won't waste away.
That’s a fact jack ! I’m working with about 25% of my original strength. I was 233 muscle , little fat.. after tubes ,follies , stints, ADT and RT targeted to obliterate prostate .and . Drs orders don’t lift over ten pounds. ...I was 165 at my lowest since jr high school. So yes, I wasted away, now with T =3 I’m 194. A good weight for me.. But I’m skin and bone , my skin hangs on me looks like chicken , no muscles really.. people say “ you look great “ people that saw me at 165 or didn’t know me before. So thin is in . Is a hell of an uphill battle to motivate much weight lifting. Breathing squats are great.
Keep going as stated you may not see big results but if you can physically do training it will help you get through the treatments, I am using lighter weight and faster pace to build cardio together, plus 8-10 miles a day on recumbent stationary bike, 5-6 days per week, seems to be working for me
Oohhh. Yaaah. ! That’s a great job being active. That oxygenates and C don’t like that. My philosophy is put all good stuff in and your chance of better results improve. Are you on the ahhcccss the shrooms. And cayenne, both good in my view.. you’re doing great .. keep it up .
Exercise is needed , and helps you to beat side effects . What are you doing to beat side effects of chemo. Number 1 have some one with. I always had a program where I soaked fingers in ice&water,to prevent fingernail prob and nueropathy, ice packs for feet to prevent nueropathy, and sucked ice chips I brought from home to preserve taste, I do not trust hospital ice so I walk in with a small rolling cooler ,with my own ice, cold drinks. Currently I have done 4 cycl jevtana and kept my hair this time after losing it after 2 rounds of docetaxol, only thing i am doing different is to rub vit e into hair and scalp day of chemo and day after. It is important to have someone watch you close during docetaxol, mainly in the first 15 minutes, watch for flushness and increased respiration, happens in like 3% of people , but it happened to me, we stopped did benydryl and continued chemo. Find out what premends you will be doing with chemo. I feared chemo the entire time since dx, and when I did it, it was a non event and I breezed right through. I wish you the best
Dan
Dan Thanks so much You say rub vit e into hair and scalp Can you expand Dennis
Great advice on the icing. After chemo I am left with pretty bad peripheral neuropathy in fingers and toes. And lost taste for 3 weeks following every infusion! Didn’t know of the icing and am upset nobody in the chemo clinic even mentioned it!!
They almost never do, That is what is so great about these support groups of Men and women who have been there and found out from those that went before us. Jim ,there is. Alot of info on this site for what to do once you get nueropathy, you may find it by searching the sidebar, or just make a post asking the group what helps, many have found relief and they will share
Yes , I put some on a comb from a small bottle and comb it in, I am not sure if that is the reason or the different chemo, They are both taxanes ,and both have that possible side effect of allopecia. I did pick that off a long ago HRPCA group asw a possible remedy, if it comes out , it will grow back, mine did just as thick minus the gray but very wavy this time as if it curled my hair.
And how is the neuropathy? We’re you able to avoid having issues because of the ice?
Debbie
I think it worked, I have absolutely no Nueropathy in fingers, very mild in toes, but hardly notice it, I did not start the icing of the feet till cycle 3,though I iced fingers and sucked ice chips from the start. I think it worked for me, I have been through 16 cycles of chemo in last 15 months, go for 17 Tomorrow
One side effect of docetaxol happens in the fingernails, in some cases they become brittle and Putrid puss oozes out, fingernails may fall off, the ice on fingers does prevent that also.
There is another side effect that happens in the tear ducts of the eyes , they can become blocked and cause watery eyes,to prevent use natural tears eye drops during chemo to rinse out the chemo in the eyes. I did not do this one, and I still have watery eyes, no biggy, but today someone asked if I was crying.
Dan, ever since chemo I have had watery eyes (and the right would get my glasses oily? On the inside) for a year until last week when an ophthalmologist gave me a sample of ALrex and a prescription for Neomycin. I tried each for two nights and solved this problem and my eye doesn’t weep and get my glasses oily. Don’t know what the cure was but one of the two worked. I am much relieved to say the least.
I already have some bad neauropathy ,and I haven’t even had the pleasure nor do I look forward to the Wonders of chemosabe ... I hope that you sail thru with flying colors and minimal side effects..
NO! You are not wasting your time. You are doing exactly what you should be doing. I'm 68 and have been lifting for nearly 50 years. 3.5 years ago I started Lupron. Casodex and chemo. It cost me 20% of my body strength. I can still bench my body weight 60 times in 12 minutes. not bad for an old man.
One of the side effects of the drugs you are and will be taking is thinning of your bones. Lifting combats that. Don't stop pumping.
Because you gentlemen are kind enough to share your exercise and training secrets I feel compelled to do the same
In my fifties prior to my prostatectomy and radiation I was lifting heavy weights three times a week
I have been on ADT drugs for 5 or 6 years My chest was moving south fast.
Last year I went to a plastic surgeon and had Lipo in my chest Call me vain but I was not accustomed to jiggling.
With out some time on the bench press
my 4K investment will be for not.
I don’t regret doing it
Dennis
Keep pumping Dennis. As well as maintaing muscle mass, regular exercise including weights/ resistance traing will help you avoid fatigue related side effects of chemo. I have just finished 7th dose of docetaxal, I play tennis 3 times a week and on other days I walk 8 km. It gets tougher each dose but I havent missed a day of tennis or walking yet, touch wood, the last thing you want to do is lie down in the snow because you will never get up.
No Frickem way Dennis. Do not quit on me or on yourself. I did 4 infusions of chemo and been on lupron zytega and prednisone for 8 months now. I go to the gym three days a week for an hour and a 20 minutes each time. Only wright training as my Dr advised. He told me "the guys who weight train do great on lupron and those don't, come in dragging". I don't waste time at the gym tho. I work each muscle group with lesser weight but at least three sets to exhaustion. Each time I swear will be my last. But it isn't. I feel great. I've lost 8 pounds and have more muscle than I ever had with testosterone in my body (of which I have zero). Do not quit my friend. Cut it to 3 days and make those days count. Even with my chemo I never missed one day. It saved me. Other than a few days like the flu (days 3-5 after chemo) I'd never even know I'm on these stupid Meds. Do not give in. You can create muscle with no testosterone. I'm living proof. And with Viagra I even maintain a sex life albeit not as often.
Schwah.
Great advice Thanks
And all this advise about chewing on ice and ice on fingers during infusion works too. I did it and had no long term side affects. Also freeze hats available out there to prevent hair loss which also worked.
Well... you might feel a lot worse if you didn't work out. I believe it helps unless you overdo it.
Keep moving! Even if it's a walk or weights a few times a week. You will not put on muscle, but should be able to keep muscle loss to a minimum.
I have been an athlete my whole life and I find the exercise therapeutic - a kind of respite from this crap we live with everyday. I'm not as strong as I used to be and don't have the stamina, but all things considered, still feel great. My T < 6. I still tell my younger brother who is Army special forces that I can kick his ass anytime anywhere :-).
Don’t think you will be buffed up for a long time but you can keep some of your muscle mass by keeping up your routine. I am regaining some of mine after chemo and Lupron with Xgeva shots. But lack of testesrone is making it impossible to regain the mass, or the hair on my upper lip 😜😜😜😜 not to mention under arm hair. Get ready for some changes. But stay on the right side of the grass.
If losing your hair is a concern, you can avoid that. My husband did six cycles of Taxotere last year and had no hair loss. I'm happy to share if you want info!
Keep lifting!!
TNCanuck Yes loosing hair is a concern
What worked for your husband? Dennis
Hi. I will send more information after work this afternoon. In the meantime, Google cooling caps.
Hello everyone! Before the detection of cancer, 9 months ago, I was in great physical shape. Some weight, running and hiking. I am 51 years old. But nowadays, the only thing I do is walk 7 miles a day.
I would like to do some strength but the doctor has made me fear. He says that my bones are very weak and I could franture.
But my body and mind would appreciate it.
I have a lot of metastasis in my bones.
What do you think?
Whoa! Sorry for these bone mets, keep walking.Seven is great! This is something that the books say we all will need to address. Maybe some bone meds. to strengthen . ?Others know the facts. How about yoga? & isometrics? Even walking is impact. My wife and I have an eliptigo on an indoor trainer, no impact and great cardio. We’re all in the same boat . Let me know what works so I might try it if needed. Bueans Suerte. Jc .
Do NOT give up, keep going. My husband is dealing w/same treatment (for past 2 months) and his workouts help him maintain muscles, but MORE IMPORTANTLY it helps his mental state...
Anything to help the mental state Amen !
to: pinejogave,
My only suggestion is that you maintain your 3 days a week weight lifting. My experience was when l pumped iron 7 days a week I was tearing down my muscles... you need time in between to build them up. I used to look so good that I was once voted "MR. SPEEDBUMP".
Good Luck and Good health.
j-o-h-n Tuesday 05/08/2018 11:56 AM EDT
75 and worked out 3x week for decades. Finished 6 rounds of taxotere and now on lupron and XTandi. I've lost muscle mass - may not get it all back, but persevere My gym buddies help - they encourage me and I them.
I've been on Zometa and calcium supplements for bone loss - that concerned me as some of my exercises put heavy stress on my spine. That combo seems to have worked. But it won't do it by itself. Calcium, Vit. D and Zometa are the building blocks but exercise is what actually builds muscle mass.
Keep at it. The amount of iron you pump is not near as important as keeping at it regularly. Persistence, persistence, persistence. And keep laughing!
Yes the key to all of us young men .. persist ,in living and laughing......Thanks
Share your thoughts, but after 2 years of T at 12, I have kept up daily visits to LA Fitness and made no (maybe a little) advancement. I walk a mile on treadmill at 3 to 3.3 MPH do various upper body and crunch exercises and then go another mile. Like I say - 2 years of riding a roller coaster of hormone therapy but keeping exercise as a constant, I am now happy that I haven't let myself go the the fatigue I feel. I use different upper body exercises each day to avoid muscle wear. Just my way of dealing with this change of life we are all experiencing. Keeping the blood circulating is my goal. My dog takes me for a walk for a mile or two each evening also. Just find a way to stay in shape and try and control weight.
Mans best friend ... they need walking too...
This is just my opinion but I feel with the circumstance that we are in, stamina is more of what we need as to all out muscle, so this is the focus of my workout overall long term conditioning. as a young man I worked a lot of construction and big muscles look great but they usually didn't get you through a 10 hour day of hard work, and now it seems to be 24 hours a day with this Dx
just my two cents
It’s a full time JOB , Like working in the coal mine.. uuu it’s hot. All part of the wonder brother. We pray it gets better if not we deal with today .. Just pray !
IMHO, you are over-training. You need a rest day between workouts. I lift weights 3 times a week. Moderate cardio you could do every day. Good luck with your chemo and other treatments. BTW, I use interval training for my stair climber / cardio: 1 minute intense, 30 sec to 1 minute reduced, back to intense then reduced, etc, etc.
How about a workout between rest?
What? 22 ? Mine is 3.. mmhhhmm.. Don’t stop ,it wil help with osteoporosis , and just .. about everything,clears the mind. You take testosterone ?
My testosterone is up 7 to 27 and my PSA also up 7 to 91 in three weeks
Meeting with MO next week
No doubt chemo is next
Has anyone had orchidectomy aka balls cut off
Forgive the question
Dennis
If ADT will be ongoing,as it is for many of us. Orchiotomy is a easy one time procedure, that will prevent the need to go in for a shot every 3 months.
Low baseline testosterone and link to overall survival in advanced prostate cancer.
Estrogen Patch ADT
My son’s Testosterone results:
PSA going up
PSA 0.03, testosterone 36.0 ng/dl - Honestly, how am I doing?
