Vantas Implant

[teamkv]

Anyone know of a place in Seattle to get the Vantas implant for Lupron dosage?

[cesanon]

Hmmmm, I have never heard of that as a prostate cancer treatment before.

webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-9212...

Has anyone else here used it?

Can it be used together with other testosterone blockers?

[teamkv in reply to cesanon]

It’s an alternative to the Lupron shots. Good for a year.

[teamkv in reply to teamkv]

Lupron in implant form.

[cesanon in reply to teamkv]

That sounds a lot lot lot superior to 6 month lupron injections.

Can you say something a about the relative advantages a d disadvantages of each... Vanta and Lupron injections?

[teamkv in reply to cesanon]

I’m just in the research phase. Husband has had the second one month at a time Lubron injection just today. His first shot wasn’t painful at the injection sight. Side effects have been hot flashes, memory issues and ED and a little fatigue. Not bad so far, however I want to keep it to a minimum. I have heard that it is a steadier dose with implant. He’s not crazy about the idea of something staying in him though.

[cesanon in reply to teamkv]

"steadier dose with implant"

Sounds good to me. There can be nothing bad about a steadier dose you would think.

[leo2634 in reply to teamkv]

In on ELIGARD it's every six months. It stings a little but very tolerable.

[leswell in reply to cesanon]

Hello cesanon and teamkv! Leswell is ending a year of Vantas (installed in St. Paul) on Oct. 23rd. Easy install, steady Eddie meaning stable time release with a predictable dozen or so miserable hot flashes per day, soaked towels, etc. It’s pretty amusing to experience those “Catch22” questionable blessings (and that is redundant) with my spouse having had them for the past quarter century myself. And hello Seattle. Born there and many family members still there. I’ll ask my cousin and his nurse wife today if they know of a good location for an implant. Mrs. S

[leswell in reply to leswell]

P.S. to teamkv, You’ve maybe found a place my now since your question is a month old. Let me know if you still need help. Mrs. S

[teamkv in reply to leswell]

I still don’t have a place. Husband has been doing one month shots, but he’s talking about going to a 3 month shot. The side effects are getting worse. The brain fog is the worst for him. He is hesitant about the implant though because of it being something inserted. Since I haven’t found anyone yet I haven’t pushed it to be honest.

[leswell in reply to teamkv]

An empathetic and friendly hello to our fellow team. We agree that memory fog/dementia is the worst side effect of ADT. When the neurologist wrote the word dementia on his report I did come home and cry. If your husband prefers not to have an implant, why do it? Leswell will die with the empty tube left in. He doesn’t feel it, and it is made of material similar to that of a contact lens. (He had firmagon, leuprolide, Vantas which was $664 for the year and well worth the lack of hassle), and now will have a six month Eligard injection on the 26th as it may still deal with a few cancer cells even though he is mCRPC. Our specialist called this morning having received the bone scan results from yesterday. There are new lesions mostly in the spine but now also in a femur, not a big surprise given the 322 PSA. So he will also have his first Xgeva injection to aid the bones. The survival prognosis is six to nine months or possibly a year. Additional chemotherapy could give him three more months but at what quality-of-life cost? He simply was diagnosed far too late. We’ve had 56 wonderful years together with greater mental compatibility than anyone we know. Still, this is a dreadful disease, and I fear more than he does the bone pain that lies ahead. We have an excellent oncologist to oversee pain control as he did the chemotherapy. Fortunately, Les is still very active and is uncomplaining just like Dan59. There are so many outstanding couples on this site. We’ll be thinking of you as you make the difficult decisions that lie ahead. Jan and Les

[leswell in reply to leswell]

P.S. We began online with best urologists lists in the Twin Cities. They were all surgeons, and the one who diagnosed my husband with Stage Four APC persuaded a colleague, head of PC at United Hospital in St. Paul to install the Vantas. I doubt the mini-assignment made his day, but his installation was expert and took about ten minutes, Later, the first urologist recommended a third who deals with more advanced cases. He became our cancer advisor and also is WEB MD's online expert for PC. Maybe try a similar approach in Seattle? Mrs. S

[teamkv]

Called the drug company, they couldn’t tell me who does the implants in Seattle.What? Really?

[leswell in reply to teamkv]

Regarding the doctor selection process: I sent the above reply to myself instead of to you. It was late, and it's certainly "Too late now". Like that song. So to finish. Urologist #1 performed a TRUS and called to deliver the shocking results. After doing the right thing and having us rush from the attic (where we were removing storm windows) for two firmagon shots to the abdomen, he referred us to a nearby Oncology clinic. There, a scheduler who was a former student from Les’s school district, essentially rolled the dice to choose our current MO, and there you have the entire pretty-much-happenstance selection tale. Hope yours is just as fortuitous given the circumstances. It only remains to wish you "good luck and good health" à la our friend j-o-h-n which is weirder than ever to type with this SwiftKey keyboard. Our Smart Apple keyboard is no longer recognized by my beloved iPad Pro. Designed (or not) attrition abounds. "All things work together for good?" Hmmm. The end until I think of something else. Mrs. S