Cycling with Advanced Prostate Cancer

[Apollo123]

Hi All just a quick question since my diagnosis I have avoided cycling but I now feel ready to get back in the saddle. Is this a wise move? Can it raise issues as I have not had my prostate removed. I’m on Zytiga and hormone therapy.

[GP24]

I cycle every weekend. PCa patients should exercise.

[Tommyj2 in reply to GP24]

What kind of distances are you able to do? How badly did ADT interfere with your endurance?? I'll be starting ADT soon and looking for " success " stories : ) Currently I am at the Gym Daily doing resistance and walking on the Treadmill an hour 1 day and 30 minutes the next.... hoping to avoid too much muscle wasting and weight gain from the ADT

[GP24 in reply to Tommyj2]

I have a bicycle with electric support motor. With this I can go for about 45 miles per day or more. Yes, ADT interferes a lot with endurance. I had trouble getting up the steep hills on Madeira island and follow the rest of the group. On the top of the hill I had to rest for half an hour instead of enjoying the outlook.

[Tommyj2 in reply to GP24]

Not the level of success I was hoping for but not all darkness either : ) .... Guess I'll just have to see how badly it affects me...

[catbus in reply to Tommyj2]

I did 150mi this past weekend, although that's a bit over my normal. I was doing road biking last year before my stage 4 diagnosis in Jun18 and I've kept it up. The only difference over the last 14 mos is that I don't have quite as much leg strength and I can't just power through things that I could before - I've turned into a higher-cadence rider where I rely on gearing and cardiac for hills rather than brute force strength. Not a horrible change, overall. Ride on, man!

[Tommyj2 in reply to catbus]

These would be admirable distances for someone NOT on ADT.... good going!!

[Grandpa4 in reply to Tommyj2]

I was a 120 mile per week cyclist with an FTP of 240 and after 2 years of ADT and Abiraterone I am much slower. Fortunately I have friends who will wait at the top of the hill for me. I can still do 40 miles rides just not as fast. This is despite doing weights with my legs twice a week. Not sure how much increasing age played into this. I have just come off the drugs to see if I still have cancer and I will see if I can get stronger.

[Tall_Allen]

It may affect your PSA, but it won't affect your prostate cancer. Just refrain for 2 days before a PSA test.

[paulofaus]

I love cycling, but I can't sit on a normal seat, due to pain in the prostate area, so I invested in a spongy wonder. I had to order from Canada, but I'm very happy with it. See spongywonder.com

[Apollo123 in reply to paulofaus]

Thanks Paul I’m ordering a seat as soon as I finish typing. 👍

[paulofaus in reply to Apollo123]

Awesome Ant, I think you'll love it.

[paulofaus in reply to Apollo123]

I just did the Ride to Conquer Cancer over here in Perth this weekend. I managed to do 42km on my 'spongy wonder' bike seat. Not bad, doing 42% of the ride, after 3 days of chemo! The seat worked a treat. Cheers Paul.

[Apollo123 in reply to paulofaus]

Wow Paul that’s inspirational especially 3 days after chemo! 👍

[Tommyj2 in reply to paulofaus]

Are you riding regularly?? What kind of distances are you able to do when you are NOT on chemo??..... I'm very anxious about starting my ADT as physical stuff is my primary activity and social outlet..... I live alone and really hope I can keep up to some degree..... Tried without success to find other prostate ca sufferers in my general area for an activity group but think I'm going to have to try harder if I'm going to have any success..... ie contact MD's who treat it and ask them to post announcements for their patients or mention it to them....

[joancarles]

He was a globetrotter with the bicycle. I asked my doctor, I have significant bony problems.

He has not recommended it to me in case I have a fall.

I have opted to walk at the fastest pace I can. An average of 7.5 miles per day.

[Tommyj2 in reply to joancarles]

Are you walking by yourself or do you have a group to walk with.... 7.5 miles is a good chunk out of the day..... with my arthritis I can't even dream of such distance.... do you do any work in the gym to maintain muscle tone.... has the walking preserved the muscle tone and mass in your legs??

[smroush]

I was diagnosed in July 2012 with a Gleason 9 PCa and mets to the bladder and pelvic lymph nodes. I was on ADT for 26 months and had external beam radiation. I have not had any cancer treatments for 4 years now and my PSA is stable at 0.2. I bike very extensively - over 2700 miles in each of 2016 and 2017 and slightly ahead of that pace this year. Go for it!

[Apollo123 in reply to smroush]

Thanks for the advice. 👍

[Tommyj2 in reply to smroush]

NO cancer treatment for 4 years? So presumably you are back to normal testosterone levels and functioning as you were before Cancer??

[samahieb in reply to Tommyj2]

My question too.... but 2700 miles...awesome!

[smroush in reply to Tommyj2]

Testosterone level is within the normal range, though towards the lower end of normal. In general I am pretty close to free from side effects of the cancer and the treatments. Still some erectile dysfunction, though much improved from where it was while on ADT.

[Tommyj2 in reply to smroush]

Terrific!!... Hope all continues well for you.

[smroush in reply to Tommyj2]

Thanks! Things are going great for now, but one never knows... Still taking one day at a time...

[Shooter1]

Great exercise and if you have no dizziness problems hop on and peddle to your hearts content.

[Jt2ceo]

I am a committed x bike rider. Rode one week after brachi and 65 miles on my birthday in Middle of radiation. I continue riding 20 miles daily. Seldom take day off. Try for 5000 to 6000 miles annually. Have riden age in miles at 66 and 67. Use recumbent Schwinn . While that may seem excessive and it does lead to some soreness , it is the gage to how I feel. While Dr says no riding before PSA I am not a good patient. I had brachi, hormone ( which caused weight gain and was stopped) and 26 radiation treatments. Psa now undetectable.

[Tommyj2 in reply to Jt2ceo]

Are you through with your cancer treatments at this point?? You mention that they stopped Hormone treatment but was it replaced with anything else??........ I am PRAYING that I don't have the more untoward side effects that can accompany ADT....starting soon....

[spikezoey]

YES! Hubby has stage IV with mets all along his spine and gleason 9 and just did a double century last month and still rides! It's what's keeping him alive in two ways: he loves it - a mental "keeping him alive" - and it's healthy and good for him and helps keep his muscles strong and the rest of him healthy.

[Apollo123 in reply to spikezoey]

Thanks for the reply I’m really excited to get out there! I’ve been having really bad sciatica and I’m hoping this will ease the pain. I cycled a lot before my diagnosis but was a little hesitant to get back on the bike as I worried it could effect my PSA. 👍

[Tommyj2 in reply to Apollo123]

Any information on how much psa can change as a result of biking....AND... is it of any actual significance ( apart from the number...does it mean anything about Pca progression or just an artifact of cycling.... any info about how many days one should refrain from cycling to NOT have an effect on Psa??

[Tommyj2 in reply to spikezoey]

Your husband just did 200 miles in a day with Stage 4.??... Hats off to HIM!!!! Has the riding preserved his muscle function and tone?? I keep hearing stories of men who have lost all their endurance but a double century is something I couldn't dream of doing BEFORE I start ADT.... Looking for inspirational stories like this to keep me from getting too depressed......

[catbus in reply to Tommyj2]

Hi, I'm the hubby of mention. I was already in solid riding shape (100mi/wk) last year when I was diagnosed, and I had no problems keeping that up on ADT and doing the double century 3mos later. I distinctly remember conversations with my oncologist on which activities were okay with bone mets: skydiving, no. cycling, yes, the benefits outweigh the risks - she said you're kinda screwed if you get hit on a bike with or without mets, so it's not really an increased risk, and the benefits were good for me. I remember a crying spell (watching the Tour de France, no less) close after my diagnosis where I was sad about all the things I'd never see or do, including riding. I was so relieved when she gave riding a green light.

Fast forward to now, I was on-and-off with the trainer over the winter and started this year down - likely due to the amplified use-it-or-lose-it powers of no T, and have been getting back in shape, but have been stymied by a energy problem with Metformin - prescribed for PCa benefits, not because I'm diabetic. Now I drop my Met doses in the 12-24 hrs before a ride, and the energy issues are totally manageable. I'm still working to get back up to where I want to be, and I'm slower on sustained climbs than I need to be to not get dropped by my groups, but I'm thrilled to be out there doing it. I'm signed up for this year's local BikeMS / MS150 event, and are hoping to do another double this year, but I'm also realistic that if I'm not in appropriate shape then double 75's, double 50's, or a mix thereof will still be a great ride.

If I can help with any questions, get in touch.

[Tommyj2 in reply to catbus]

Sounds like the ADT isn't killing you : ) I'm about to start it and worried to death about losing too much strength to continue my activities.... Biking was never a BIG part of my routine but it looks like I might have to reconsider this.... can't afford things like personal trainers ( or Zytiga : )

but do get to the gym almost daily... it would help to have a workout partner or someone to push me when I falter but I keep plugging away. How much gym time do you put in??

Do you regularly use a personal trainer?? Casting about for whatever reassurances I can get that not EVERYBODY becomes a sloth during ADT... my arthritis has already impinged negatively on my hiking activities so it's the gym and likely biking that will take up the slack....... thanks for getting in touch....

Bob

[catbus in reply to Tommyj2]

These days, it's no gym time and no personal trainer, although I know I really should get back in the gym and get some strength workouts happening. I ended up dropping our Y membership last fall and putting the money towards a smart trainer - I'm far more likely to go ride in the garage than I am going to the Y for spin classes, plus my structured training app does a better job at targeted training than the spin classes. Wahoo has the Kickr Core smart trainer that's $900 with zero-interest 6mo financing - and a 10% post TdF sale going on right now. You can get fluid or mag trainers (non-smart) for a good bit less but I was after something I could use with my favorite structured training app Sufferfest and group ride/race app Zwift, so smart it was.

Right now, I'm pretty thrilled with my riding. I've nearly eliminated metformin from my regime - with my MO's consent - and my riding has pretty much returned to normal. I did 118mi last week, with one hard 54mi ride that had some frisky climbing in it. I'm a solid B-pace rider, and I'm thankful I'm free to go as hard as I want, and not artificially limited by a non-essential med. I'm back to targeting the double century again in September!

I wish you all the best as you get your workout routines figured out!

[catbus in reply to catbus]

And to clarify, the double century was across 2 days - 100 mi each on Saturday and Sunday. I've been toying with the idea of longer distance randonneuring - those rides start at 200km and go up from there. Not yet, but maybe one day!

[j-o-h-n]

To Apollo123,

Two wheeler or three wheeler?

Good Luck and Good Health.

j-o-h-n Tuesday 10/09/2018 6:05 PM EDT

[Apollo123 in reply to j-o-h-n]

A two wheeler? 👍

[j-o-h-n]

Round wheels or square ones?

Good Luck and Good Health.

j-o-h-n Monday 10/15/2018 1:44 PM EDT

[JavaMan]

I missed this original post and see some recent replies. I am actually doing a century ride this Friday. Dx’d last Summer and had my prostatectomy last November. I finished my 8 weeks radiation in mid-June and have been on Lupron since March and through August. I noticed a loss of strength but have still been able to up my miles significantly. I signed up for this to fight the energy issues I heard were present while on Lupron. I have rarely been tired during the day. I hope you have been riding. It has been great for me at least.

[Break60]

The more you exercise the better!