Diagnosed stage 4 12/19/17. 7 out of 8 cores positive and highly differentiated, Gleason 9. Fairly extensive Mets to mid thoracic spine, L4, left humerus, right scapula, right pubic bone. No lymph or tissue Mets detected so far. I'm in my early 60's and work out 4/5 days per week, lifting and aerobics. I'm semi-retired as a financial advisor, just managing the monies in our proprietary portfolios now. I was a classical guitarist in my first career and won 1st prize in a large international competition at age 23. Toured and recorded internationaly for 20+ years but never saw my family. Changed to what I do now in 2001. I have gone back to concertising to some extent now that I have more time. Married for almost 40 years and we have 2 grown children, a boy and a girl.
Short bio.: Diagnosed stage 4 12/19/1... - Advanced Prostate...
Short bio.
I practice mindfulness, but I'm also a writer (fiction). I find they both keep me focussed on the present moment. I would think that's especially true of music.
You're right. Music has multiple therapeutic benefits. I also meditate which provides a wider perspective on one's circumstances.
Tall_Allen...I am also a fiction writer. I have one novella I just submitted to a small house and one scifi novel I am currently working on that another press on the west coast is interested in...but...the depression is taking its toll. How do you maintain? I find it hard to create feeling like this.
I can't write when I'm depressed either. Fortunately, I manage to stay pretty even. I practice mindfulness everyday, and devote myself to others. That keeps me out of the ruminations of my own mind, which is the last place I want to be.
Agreed, your mind can take you to some pretty dark places, especially with all the info posted regarding the later stages of PC. We need to be aware of this eventuality for planning purposes but need to not dwell on it so we can live happy, productive lives in the meantime. Not always easy once you've turned the lights off and put your head on the pillow.
Good Sunday Morning jholmq,
Welcome to this exclusive group! Great photo. I have been in this battle for almost six years (please see bio for complete treatment history).
What was your PSA at diagnosis and what treatments are you having? Aggressive cancer needs aggressive treatment and quality of care matters. Find a Medical Oncologist who specializes in prostate cancer.
Best wishes. Never Give In.
Mark, Atlanta
Hi Mark. My PSA was 34 at dx. I started Lupron, Zytiga and prednisone in February and at the end of May it was 0.56. I have another check scheduled for 7/31. Thanks for your welcome. I am on several other forums as well. Yes, I have a very good oncologist.
hi their did you get many side efects from zytiga and prednisone glad u have a good oncoligist j
For about a dozen years I've worked out 4-5 days a week. I could barely walk for 20 minutes when I started but was lifting 3 days and doing high intensity interval training (HIIT) just before I started treatment, so I started out in very good physical condition. I think this is the main reason I have not had much in the way of side-effects. But I've had to make adjustments. Within a week or 2 I couldn't do the HIIT anymore. But I can still walk the track or use a treadmill so I do that and by varying my speed I get a mild version of it. I have reduced the weights (due to the location of some of the mets) but have increased the number of reps per set. For me, exercise has been key, and my labs are still really good. If you haven't been exercising just start very slowly.
A problem I have been having over the last couple of months is headaches. I'm going to talk with my Onco later this month.
I think it also depends on how bothered you are by things like hot flashes or sweats. While fatigue would be a big issue for quality of life the exercise takes care of that and I think it probably reduces the other stuff. But if some flashes and sweats are the price I have to pay I really don't mind. Are you having a lot of problems?
Welcome to our group. Stage 4 here August 16 with ,lymph nodes, Mets in ribs and spine. Ongoing treatment monthly PSA .005. Xtandi, lupro/eligard and Xgeva.
Thanks Larry!
Hey welcome to the group! I too have stage 4 Mets to thighs ribs shoulders. On Lupron casadex prednisone was on zytiga, but they took me off of that after two weeks think they wanted to monitor my blood work because my liver rnzymes xere elevated. Diagnosed two years Gleason 9 also. Single , live alone, so I get depressed, they gave me probably three years. As long as I stay on the meds, maybe longer, I’m,69 in a week and scared but hopeful, sure you know the feeling, again welcome to the group. I too am a musician guitar, bass for 53 years, have quite a collection of both I have to sell now, was a photographer for 44 years then smartphones put me out of business in a year! Have quite a few classical in my collection, a shame they’re not that popular the craftsmanship is superb in most of mine they’re all mostly from the 70S. Ok good luck with your battle, great photo!
Thanks for the welcome Captain. I started as a bass player then moved to classical guitar at 17. Played a number of other instruments along the way. Sorry you're battling this solo. I hope you've been able make a family of friends to help. However, my biggest concern has been for my wife, both going through this with me and then going on after I'm gone. Still, we don't get to choose our ground in this battle. We have to fight it where we stand. Which classicals do you have? I have a number of recordings out. You can find them by googling John Holmquist classical guitar. I posted a recent concert on my FB fan page (which I completely neglect). Cheers!
Greeting John (hate to use the word welcome). Nice picture. My hobby is laughter, so I remind you that with all your issues please take the time to LAUGH.
Note: Every man has a woman but the guitarist has his pic (same for icemen).
Good Luck and Good Health.
j-o-h-n Sunday 07/15/2018 1:48 PM EDT
Thanks j-o-h-n. As the great Mark Knofler says "money for nuthin' and chicks for free." Still learning to use a pic, as a classical guitarist I've always used my fingernails. Knofler and some others use their finger tips. It's been fun to see how the different approaches shape the way guitarists solo.
Hi John, I started lupron and zytiga/pred in February 2018 also. I'm also gleason 5+4=9. I play piano with a couple of groups, though I actually started on saxophone and I took classical guitar lessons for a while (I liked Tasman). I'll see if I can find some of your recordings.
As far as PC goes, I don't seem to have any bone mets so far, but unfortunately I have 9 lymph nodes that showed positive on PSMA scan (and some more that were enlarged). They are going to try radiation + brachy on me, and I am hopeful. I've been looking into lutetium-177 as another possible way to hit the nodes. Did you get a PSMA scan before starting adt?
Bruce
Hi Bruce,
They did bone and CAT scans the same day as the biopsy. I had 2 more scans in January, inluding a full body scan. The only Mets they found at the time were to the bones.
Apparently there are a few of us musicians here. Also, a friend of mine, also a classical guitarist, just had an RP. Luckily his was caught at a very early stage and he should be "cured."
Welcome to the group! I too find exercise to be helpful in staying physically strong and keeping stress in check (I swim laps 4-5 times a week). I'm also still working part-time as a financial advisor for a Fortune 330 firm.
Sounds like you have a great oncologist. Keep fighting!
Hi tallboy. Same here for work, very large financial services company specializing in comprehensive financial planning. When my 5-office formal team found out about my dx they helped me transition all my clients to 2 of our younger advisors. This had always been the plan but we accelerated the process so I could move to a 100% asset management roll. Our Team has more $ in our proprietary portfolios than about 90% of all hedge funds so it was more important for me to spend my time there (I was head of the investment committee and lead analyst). Although I had a great bunch of long term clients I had been talking to them about our succession plan and my protege had been working with me for 6 years so I was lucky our group had everything in place already. Helps me to relax knowing my clients are in good hands. I have been given the go-ahead to travel and spend more time with my family and the tools I have for analysis make my work only a 1 to 2 hour job, most days. Others it might be 5 or 6 hours but it is still a passion for me. Probably the same for you I imagine. Thanks for your message. My wife got me back into playing a few years ago and we just got back from 6 weeks in Spain. I played 8 concerts and my son sang in 3 of those. I'll post something fro. The trip.
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