Question for the community. My Dad has been on Zytiga since feb. his strength has gone down hill. Blood work and every test he has taken is good. Either A. The cancer in the bones is weakening him to the point of not walking. B. Zytiga side effects are this.
Any thoughts
Zytiga has this as a common side effects....Some strategies are to take Zytiga at night.....aiding sleep and hopefully reducing fatigue.... Light exercise--walking to help fight the fatigue, some light weight lifting to help strengthen bones and maintain bone density...
Has he had a bone densitometry study to evaluate bone strength ?? If not, he should...He may be eligible for Zoledronic acid (Zometa) and Celebrex.....improved survival:
cancernetwork.com/asco-geni...
Monitor his ALP--Alkaline Phosphatase to see how he is doing with the cancer in his bones...his levels should decrease over time . Please realize that ALP is related to bone and liver--a marker involving both aspects.
Good luck with your father...
Fish
The Fisherman's advice is good. Take zytiga at night. I did when I was on it.
Where are his bone metastases?
All over.
Hello Edbi,
I think that, if your Dad lies on a couch all day, he'll get weaker and weaker. Study after study has found that exercise is necessary to overcome the effects of androgen deprivation.
Looking at your previous postings, I presume that your Dad is now 77 years old. I suggest that he try walking. Maybe he'll only be able to go a few blocks. That's okay. The next day he should try to go a little further and the next day a little further still, and so on, always trying to do a bit more. If he prefers other exercises instead, they should work too. So long as he does them every day and keeps increasing the duration or effort, his energy level should increase. He can bring an mp3 or CD player and listen to music or to audiobooks. If he exercises at home, e.g., on a treadmill, stationary bike, or just by stepping in place, he can watch TV. When he's done he can take a nap. There's nothing wrong with nine or ten hours of sleep a day if that's what he needs.
I predict that, after three or four weeks of this, he'll notice a significant difference and feel a lot better. Hopefully, it will help him to feel more like a human being again and less like an exhausted cancer victim.
Best of luck.
Alan
Thank you for the responses. He just turned 78. We are also wondering if the recent UTI and yeast sepsis can be the cause of his sudden weakness. He still struggles with a low grade fever and appetite is decreasing.
I am out of town - but my mom said they admitted him to ER. Hemoglobin is at 6.3
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