will you be weak for as long as you get firmagon

[almeria]

urologist gave me very little information. will i always be weak while taking firmagon?

[Tall_Allen]

Muscle strength will diminish over time, but if you keep up with your weight lifting you may not lose too much strength

[almeria]

Nalakrats, thank you for responding. Actually I am the wife of cancer patient. May I ask your age? My husband is in his 70s. It's been 7 days since his 1st injection. This is his second bout with ca, colon surgery over a year ago. All his life has been strong and never sick. Then wham-bam everything happened. When were you diagnosed?

[cesanon]

Dr. Myers encouraged me to do light weight lifting for my Androgen Deprivation Therapy, but he warned against overdoing it. Apparently if you tear down too much muscle, you may not be able to build it up.

[Schwah in reply to cesanon]

On the strong advise of my oncologist, i work out with a trainer 3 days a week and I am stronger and look better than before my Lupron. I’ve lost 10 pounds to boot. I took my shirt off the first day with the trainer and said “ can you make sure I look no worse in a year with zero testosterone “? He told me , “ if you look like that in a year after coming to my gym, I’ll close the fricken doors”. Lol. He kept his word. I bust my ass for an hour and twenty minutes there 3 days a week. All weight training. I feel better than before and have zero side affect from lupron and Zytega other than some diarrhea and constipation. Oh yea and some limp you know what. As my trainer points out, none of the women working out there have any testosterone either and they look pretty good.

Schwah

[whatsinaname in reply to cesanon]

Excellent advice it seems to me. Thanks for sharing.

[Hidden in reply to cesanon]

I think if you have a rest day or two between workouts you should be fine. I see some old guys just sitting and gabbing when I am at the gym. Who are they kidding? Work those muscles. Good, and necessary, for bone health as well. I'm 68 and I can still do a few pull-ups. Caution recommended, of course, if there are bone mets.

[leo2634]

Keep active and listen to the Brothers on this forum there is a wealth of knowledge and information here. Most importantly the best exercise is keeping a positive attitude cancer hates that. Best of luck Leo.

[NewAgeBrother]

I have justed started on Firmagon. Fortunately, I have already a four-day a week gym routine with two long walks/hikes on two other days. Right now, my gym schedule is three days cardio and one day weight-training. I am going to change that to two-and-two. Protein bars (whey) are essential and they taste good as well. But, I do soy protein mix as well as fruit like pomegranate or tart cherry instead of whey protein mix as soy reduces the side-effect of hot flashes. Typically you will find soy in the women's section.

My opinion is it is better to have a substantial pace that is repeatable and enjoyable. Don't overdo it. A winning goal is to maintain yourself as is but even if you fall short, you will be a lot better off than guys who are not doing anything or little at all.

BTW: In regards to Firmagon soreness around the injection site, I have found ice packs to be very effective. The dual-purpose (microwave and freezer) clay packs with a cover and velcro attachment can be worn over the injection site. Since it more than covers the entire area there is no rubbing or irritation and in fact feels good. Make sure the nurse goes in at least a 45-degree angle and take 30 seconds to do the injection, then leave the needle in place for at least as long before withdrawing it slowly. This allows the Firmagon to "firm itself" deeper within the skin layer to help avoid surface irritation. It may be impossible to eliminate all of the soreness but these techniques should reduce it perhaps substantially.

[btl258]

I am early in my Firmagon treatment (just received my 2nd injection last Weds). My 1st injection (2x 120mg), was tough on me. I felt really fatigued for the first two weeks and could not make it through my normal workouts (I lift weights 5 days / week and do cardio the other two days). However, by the last two weeks of the first month, I was able to keep up. I was sore again after my second injection last week (1x 80mg), but the pain / swelling went down much faster this time (I'm icing more and using more ibuprofen). Today, my workout almost matched my levels pre-Firmagon. That being said, it is early month two and I've heard (as Nalakrats mentions), the longer you are on it, it may impact you more.

I do take supplements for weight training (have for several years) and my pre-workout shake really helps me push through the workouts. I'm also significantly younger though (46) and other than this PCa thing, healthy and fit).

[Emak1]

On my 7th shot of Firmagon. Hit the gym, it helps a lot. I have maintained strength and did not gain weight. To be fair, I was not super muscular before, but what I had I maintained. Overall, I believe the weight/cardio plus a good diet has helped offset a lot of the side effects.