Im in a bit of a dilemma, my wife wants me to buy a newer car to help take my mind of things, I finished early Chemo Dec 17 and have been on Zoladex HT for approx 9 months my PC is currently .01.
My concern is my PCa returning, from the stage I am at currently would I expect to be working in about 3yrs time? enough to pay the car off or could anything happen and could I find myself having to give up work.
Zoladex is my first HT I'm on just trying to and before Chemo my PSA was doubling every 4 weeks.
Anyone been at my stage and still find them selves working 3 to 5yrs later.
I'm also worried I could be spending money which I could do with later for treatment.
Any advice
Cheers
Gary
Written by
Chubby42
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Well if it will take your mind off things then maybe it is a good idea. But if it will cause you to worry about the future then I would say that could be worse. In all honesty it is hard to keep you mind off cancer period. We have no idea what "it" is doing on a day to day basis in our bodies. I am excited when I do anything that takes my mind off of "it". Let your conscious be your guide.
Hi Noirhole that's a good point ill probably be more worried about making the payments but having sais that Im putting a large enough deposit down to cover depreciation ill probably still be worried my PC will return & I would have waisted a 4k deposit. Hmmmm Cancer sucks. Only if I new I have a min 3 yrs.
If your car is road worthy, check the brakes, if it is safe to drive, why do you want to get rid of it? There are a lot of ways to take your mind off cancer that will not cost you big dollars. Look for enjoyable outlets in your own community, how about beginning a hobby of your choice and interest?
I'm with BigRich on this. Buying things to take your mind off something else seems like a bad idea. A better idea would be to get into work, hobbies, friends, family, public service or other activities. Doing things always seems to be more useful to us as well as others than buying things to take our mind off something else.
As for your future. One of the very good predictors of future health is your response to treatment. People who get below a PSA of 0.5 are doing well. Below 0.1 is really good. Below 0.01 is outstanding and may mean that you'll live for many, many years to come.
This is just another perspective..feel free to ignore it. I have found that having a reliable and newer car while taking care of my husband with prostate cancer to be like having a friend. If he is sick I do not have to worry about getting work done on the car. We even have run flat tires so I don't need to worry about changing a tire. To be fair, we bought the car before my husband's diagnosis. I feel like having a dependable car is one less thing to worry about and it gives me comfort. If things go bad and I end up with car payments alone then I will cross that bridge when I come to it. We do have a less reliable car that is paid off. My husband has an aggressive form of prostate cancer.. neuroendocrine or small cell.(Just so you can compare) Hugs and prayers.. (I think you will be around to pay off the car if you decide to buy one!)
I’m a car guy, so I would do it. In fact, I did order a new car last August. I worked over ten years from diagnosis to disability retirement. Seven of that was as stage 4. If you’re comfortable with it and if your wife supports it, those are the critical questions.
At this point, I wouldn't buy a new car if I had to go into debt. It's difficult to count on being able to work if your cancer progresses and you don't want to be forced to work until you can't any more.
I filed for SSDI as soon as I qualified to avoid working until I was completely unable. If you have another way to pay off the car that doesn't rely on you working, then it's OK.
Finding ways to get your mind off of cancer is important, but I wouldn't want to be stressed out over making car payments, having to work, etc. Having your mind on stressful things is no improvement over cancer thoughts. You can do things like finding a new hobby and maybe working less if you can manage it.
Good luck wth your decision.
Shave your head, buy some cool shades and get a new Vette. Man, have fun.
when my father was nearly on his deathbed from pancreatic cancer he bought a car for my mother. i drove him to the dealer to find a car. at the signing, the salesman asked if he wanted the life insurance policy to cover the cost of the car payments should he die...not knowing he was dying. for 400 bucks extra he took the insurance. when he died 8 weeks later, the insurance plan paid off the car.
the only caveat was that he had to be working and not off on sick leave at the time of them writing the policy. he called his secretary and told her to take him off sick leave that day and write off his absence as a vacation day...both of which he had coming.
don't know if you're working now, or maybe if your wife works...but, it might be something to check out.
I traded in a 15 year old Highlander for a new car but I was already retired, with a modest pension, on social security and medicare. I have the same concerns about recurrence but in my case I could easily justify splurging a bit on a car. On the other hand, if the car you have now is running well and doesn't have a lot of miles on it, what's the rush? I don't believe in spending a gob of money just in the hope that it will make you feel better.
Gee, your Psa = 0.01, and you are having ADT after chemo, and here the order is usually the opposite, you have ADT for months or many years, and then when that stops working you have chemo, the reason is that most men can live OK even after being chemically castrated, so when that fails, you have chemo because side effects are much worse than ADT. I've had ADT since 2010, but it stopped working in 2016, so I had additional "salvation radiation" to PG then cosadex that worked for 7 months and then abiraterone worked for 8 months, and there wasn't anything else except chemo, and maybe Lu117 etc.
Maybe you had a very good response and few side effects from chemo, but my doc said chemo will not work forever, and Psa will rise again.
Maybe your doctor has good reasons why you had chemo before ADT. Many of us may find that more interesting than whether or not you buy a car.
Buy it if you can afford it, then its done. But I could buy a new car, but not until the 1886 Ford Laser gives up. ( it was re-badged Mazda 323 ) . Ihave no need for better transport and roads are good here, and I cycle 10,000km a year and drive about 3,000km.
But I have the time at 71, and retired, although I stay busy in crafting shed.
I began chemo 8 days ago, so 3 days last week were a bit awful.
ADT often masks the reality about your Pca. It puts the Pca almost asleep, but while asleep, it slowly grows and mutates and learns to make its own form of testosterone, the di-hydrotesoterone that is 20 times more stimulating to Pca growth than ordinary testosterone. The Pca generates more testosterone receptors, so the little Testo made by your adrenal glands becomes enough to make Pca grow so that's ADT failure.
The real test of whether you have active cancer or you are in remission can really only be determined by what your Psa does when you don't have any ADT.
You may get many years without Psa rising, or at least not rising much with ADT. Who can tell the future? Nobody knows because the millions of Pca case histories have many variations of responses to treatments.
I may need to spend $40,000 on Lu117, maybe $10,000 on Ra223, plus a pile of other add on costs in next year or two. So whether you spend depends on how well you save, how much you earn, your cost of living, and here in Australia I have used about at least $100,000 of medicare funded treatments, plus $15,000 of my own dough. We hear the costs of medical treats in USA is extremely expensive, and only the rich can really get a good shot at trying to stop Pca killing them early.
My lowest Psa was during first 18mths of ADT where it went from 9 before ADT to 0.08.
Then it rose, and 0.2, 0.4, 0.7 and so on, after quite a lot of ups and downs, and with Psa < 8, the PsMa scans showed it in my bones in 2017, and this year the scan looked like a Dalmation dog, spots everywhere. I'm running out of options, and I am so glad I don't need to work, and don't pay rent, and I don't mind being frugal.
I have no idea how long I will live. I reckon 3 years, if treatments I get don't work , which is very likely. Doc reckons 8 years. But that seems over optimistic.
I know one guy 86 who said he was diagnosed in 1993. But another guy went from diagnosis to a pile of treatments then to end of chemo in 3 years, and he's real worried now.
Hey Chubby my PSA is rising again after chemo (I have been on ADT for 15 months and it did SFA) so to make me feel better my wife told me to buy a new car .... so last month I bought a Mazda MX5 (Miata I think it's called over there). I've never had a convertible before and its gonna be the last car I own so I am gonna go out havi g fun. At this stage I have decided to spend what I can and enjoy life I am not gonna deprive myself just to leave money for the kids....
Personally, I would not but I brand new car. Cancer is a very sneaky disease and things can change in a heart beat. Buying things does not help you in the long term, its immediate self gratification. If you need a vehicle, I suggest a newer used car 4 or 5 years old. I would save that money for treatment (if you don't have universal health care). I would also spend that money creating memories instead, vacations, dates etc. Material things never kept anybody happy for too long.
This is just my opinion though. Wish you all the best.
Check out the option of a life or disability policy at the dealership, I purchased a new vehicle after the diagnosis,we have to drive a hour each way once a month plus all the miscellaneous trips. You can’t stop living just because of this monster. Fight the good Fight
Today, I am buying a new Toyota Tundra (easy, good resale value). My wife and I will be driving that truck down the West Coast to the tip of Baja in October....something we do every year. But, I also just got rid of a one ton truck and pickup camper so the new truck is for reliability and to simplify. Hope to use the truck for many years. I am only a few months into my ADT treatment but I want to keep enjoying my adventures as long as it makes sense.
I worked two years after being diagnosed with G9, stage 4 PCa. Im on triple ADT and then chemo during the second year. My stressful, demanding job which required frequent travel got to be too much, I stopped working and filed for disability over two two years ago. Today I could never function at the level I used to given the cognitive effects and fatigue from treatment. Instead I focus on spending time with family and fishing every chance I get. I excercise daily and take care of myself, free from the stress of work, I don't miss it a bit.
I recall going to a friends funeral a couple years ago, he died after a long battle with brain cancer. You know, not one of his family mentioned what a good worker he was or what a nice car he had, they all reflected on time spent with him.
Hi Chubby buy the car enjoy everyday of the rest of your life. As soon as I was diagnosed I started fulfilling my bucket list. I've always wanted a classic BMW 540i so I started researching for one and about two weeks later it was delivered to my door. I'm not telling you to go into debt and worry about paying for it but my health and happiness far out weighed the finances. Go for it my friend and then take a long drive and enjoy this beautiful world we live in. Leo
If YOU want the car, and can pay for it, then buy and enjoy it while you are still alive. But most important things are spend more time with the Lord, your own family, relationship with others and and friends. Material things are secondary to these. Remember WANT versus NEED, and be content with what we have. Oh, do bucket lists while we are still able to do. I canceled a cruise with family (kids and grandkids) when I was prescribed with Zytiga due to cost fears. They went without me and now I wished I had not done that.
I bet all of us higher risk guys go thru this kind of thinking. I’m very high risk and get a new bmw every three years . Just did again in March. I also planned an expensive vacation to Europe a year ago with my family and depart in a week. I also signed up for another European trip next year. My attitude is screw cancer. I’m going to live my life.
noirhole has it right. I say, make up a bucket list of all the things you want to do in your life and see where a new car stands. I would think there would be many other uses for the 4 instead. That said, I bought a hot rod, rebuilt a second one and also a motorcycle, so enjoy immensely my time zooming about. How about taking holidays, skydiving etc. ??
Facing a future of doubt and worry, my policy is BE GOOD TO YOURSELF! We all have precious little time to enjoy little things that make us feel better...a nice steak, some bourbon, a picnic, the theater, even a new car. Just imagine: going to the pharmacy can actually be more enjoyable in a better vehicle.
So take time to please yourself. Yes, you can have seconds on ice cream even though it's bad for you. Because you can. Because you should. Because sybaritic pleasures are wonderful!
Good luck, Gary. Get the car. I did. And the pharmacy trips aren't so onerous now.
I bought my new car before diagnosis and I keep all my cars until they're old enough to vote, so this isn't an immediate issue for me. What I'm currently agonizing over is whether I should get a new shotgun. For that the money isn't an issue.
I agree with the other posters that material things aren't the answer. Try something new. Is it possible to tutor school children in your town? I've done that and it's very rewarding. Your local library probably needs help When I got into my 60s I became a supernumerary with Seattle Opera - didn't cost a dime, took no talent and boy, was that ever fun. There's a lot of possibilities right around you. Just look for them .
After looking for months, and without making the connection you are making, I LEASED a new car (2018 Subaru 3.6, Limited) in Dec 2017, and am very happy.
Had my Radical Prostatectomy April 2018. First ultra PSA is undetectable.
Still happy I leased, ( this from a former buy and then sell at retail in 10-12 years).
Benefits that I see:
.. pleasure of new safety features (vs my 2010 Subaru),
.. cash flow (vs cash purchase or payments),
.. lease terminates if i die (be sure to put lease in one name),
.. dependable safe transport,
.. can't wait for newer safety features in 2021, when assume we will lease again.
Good luck with your decision.
Thanks for giving all of us the opportunity to ponder your question.
[BTW, leases are priced on "residual value" and "money factor". Since my Subaru projects 75% residual value in 36 months, the lease is cheaper than, say a Honda (at 66%). If auto is then worth less, they take the hit.]
I continued to work for 9 yrs after stage 4 dx, see my profile. How old is current car? I bought 2 new cars since dx, but did not do a loan. The new car helped for travel to see expert Doctors. Maybe a new car will allow you and the wife to travel. You can always apply for disability if you become castrate resistant. Those were the first new cars I ever bought. It did feel good to have a new car,
Hi guys thanks for the great replies my current car is 10yrs old still works fine just looks out of date done just over 100,000 miles Diesel, I would be putting down half & borrowing half £8k to £10 in total & about 3yrs old.
I do have the money for Cash but wanted to keep £20k just incase if I needed to pay for treatment thats not on the NHS. Looks like I may have enough time up my sleeve 3 to 4yrs maybe.
My wife has the really nice car which we use for going out & traveling around in Audi A5 convertible, mine is a basic Kia Ceed with a few added features.
Hi John well I currently have a Kia Ceed 08 similar size to a VW Golf, my wife has just bought a Audi A5 convertible quite a big car I would feel a bit silly if I bought another car that was smaller so I'm looking at Audi's, BMW's or similar approx 3 to 4yrs old prob not a SUV as I would have to go back to 5yr old to get one around £10k.
I’m on my second new car since dx. We always lease a new car every three years, never buy, as it’s cheaper, and if you do unfortunately become a member of the “choir invisibule”, so what, they just take the car back. We got an Infiniti Q50 11 months ago.
So don't want a brand new car, you're looking for a fairly "new" used car. Since you're
across the pond I can't recommend a car for you. But If you lived here in the U.S. I would recommend a Lexus or an Infiniti for you. Good cars and they hold their value. But I wouldn't concerned yourself that your car would be smaller than your wife's car. Just tell everyone that your smaller car got caught in the rain and it shrunk. BTW does it rain in England?
You have probably already msde your decision. Nonetheless, if thr wife works snd understands if God calls you she will have to keep working to make the payments; buy the car. If she dors not work, fix the old car. Your health should be top priority and right now your pc drugs are very expensive. If she insists do a Paulie Walnuts and whack her or throw her into the street. My wife has done without since I was diagnosed ladt Nov. I am sire she know that she will be on high street financially with ss, pensions, savings and real estate after God Summons me. We dont talk about it. Some of the advice you got to buy the car may be from wralthy people or those on public assistance and:or those who have never had anything since they always spent their money and livex in an apt or with mom. Only you know if you are a saver and made good choices your whole life. Beating this is a team effort. Rent her a Maserati for a week if you tell each salesman you want to “think” about it it may even be free. Let us know unless yoj called Tony Soprano and at that point, you better remain silent.
GO for it by all means ! When i got the diagnosis, i imediatly signed for a new car, traded by BMW 535 2011 for the same 535 2016 ( i kept the performance chip LOL). I have 600 $ of montly payment for the next 5 years. Who cares
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