Although it has been a few months since he passed away --- On March 17, 2022, at the age of 66 --- my cousin John was a life-long fighter, having had prostate cancer for about 8 years, like myself. John and I grew up together in South Carolina as best friends, doing most things together. He had originally been diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of thirty, but after successful treatment he and his wife had four healthy boys. Throughout his life, he was a superb athlete, even into his 60s.
If there is anything we learned from his death, it is this: respect your doctor and his/her treatments, but always be open to a second opinion, no matter how "expert" your doctor may be. John was being treated by a top cancer specialist, but near the end he had apparently been given too many chemo treatments, leaving him with very few platelets and red blood cells, too few to consider any further transfusions; this was the second opinion of another physician that looked at his medical history. His body could simply fight back no more as he passed away in hospice care. This is not to disrespect his doctor, only to say that second opinions can be very helpful.
I don't just give advice, I take it myself. I have had prostate cancer since 2015, originally receiving EBRT and brachytherapy. My PSA went down for a while, but it came roaring back in 2019, at which time I received six sessions of docetaxel chemo followed up by monthly or quarterly shots of Eligard and then Firmagon, later being switched to once-daily Orgovyx. However, I sought a second opinion beyond my urologist in 2020 and found the Care Oncology Protocol and Dr. Paul Zhang. Since 2019, my PSA has remained undetectable, but a small lesion was found on my spine (L1) in 2020, for which I received local radiation. My doctors continue to monitor my spine each year with a nuclear scan. I am still on the protocol along with my Orgovyx, and my PSA to this day is still undetectable.
I hope you find this information helpful, and I am very grateful for this website.
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fmh1
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I find your post really interesting. I'm a week away from my 10th chemo cycle but the Oncologist has warned me that if my blood levels are too low to not go ahead. I think you're saying that there comes a point when more chemo does more harm than good and its best to consider alternative treatments and give your body a rest? My PSA is 78 and rising.
Yes, that's what happened to my cousin; after too many chemo treatments, his platelet count was down to 9 and RBC was extremely low, so no one would do a blood draw due to the risk of his bleeding out. Sadly, at the end, once he was in hospice, his doctor's office would not even return his calls. With all due respect, I'm sure the doctor thought he had done everything he could, but they should have at least returned his calls.
To all of my fighting brothers at the beginning, middle, or near the end/hospice, don't lose hope! My cancer doctor at Care Oncology, careoncology.com, Dr. Paul Zhang, reviewed my cousin's blood chemistry; even though John was near the end, Dr. Zhang thought it was possible that the Care Oncology Protocol could help. The science behind the protocol is impressive!
Though Dr. Zhang never promised even a partial or full recovery for John, he felt that the protocol would be beneficial. To that end, my cousin decided to give it a try and immediately ordered the four daily meds of the protocol --- metformin, doxycycline, atorvastatin, and mebendazole --- immediately after he reviewed the science behind it. While it was late in the game for John to start the protocol, it at least gave him a legitimate sense of hope. Please check it out. The Care Oncology Protocol is managed by physicians as an adjunct to your primary care treatment, and they are happy to work directly with your medical oncologist. It's an adjunct, not a replacement, for your primary care. As you know, in the war against cancer, we need as many proven weapons as we can get.
Good outcome. I am just coming off almost 3 years of being nondectable to PSA trending up. I am not so sure about how much more abuse my body can take. I am 66 and want to have quality over quantity life. Living in the moment.
Man that can and is tough to absorb with all the great memories you synchronized being so fluid of youth and the aberrations it can with hold but my deepest empathy for you
Just remembered you had the great honors of being around being with him not so many have.. Be on top of new path coming forward
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