Its been a good 2+ yrs but my PSA has gone up to 2.5 so i go in next week for a PSMA scan and i would guess i will be back on ADT.
So my issue is that I am taking all of my family to France in June and i remember how going on ADT the first time kicked my behind - and it was almost overnight. I hike a mountain (well , a mountain for AZ - others might call it a hill ~1500 ft vert) and the week before my ADT, I went up with no problem but the week after, i literally had to lay down on the trail from exhaustion. So i want to do whatever i can to prep so i can enjoy my family and walking the streets of Colmar.
Any recommendations? I go the the gym around 4times per week with 30 min walk/run on the treadmill and then 30 minutes of weights.
thanks
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PabloK
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I just restarted Lupron and Xtandi (was on Zytiga last time) and so far my response at 1 month is very similar to my first experience. Not sure if that helps. I am finding taking Xtandi which is taken once a day with or without food is far more convenient than taking Zytiga with Prednisone.
Sorry I cannot make any recommendations as I'm in the queue behind you. Dx 2020, Gl4+3, PSA 17, Pelvic N1M0 -EBRT and 2 years Lupron. A little over 6 months since my final LUPRON injection, PSA<0.01 as of a Blood test result a week ago. Like many before me I am hoping against hope that my journey will be different that I will never need ADT or any treatment again. But I read this forum practically everyday and I know the odds are not in my favour. I hope you enjoy your trip to France with your family.Best wishes.
I don't know your doubling time, but it seems to me that waiting another two months before starting the next treatment would allow you to enjoy your trip without causing too much growth of the cancer.
Firstly, I usually restart ADT around the 2.5 PSA level with a doubling rate of 10 weeks. Your implied doubling rate should allow you the option to defer starting ADT until after France without concern.
I am of the view that ADT impacts each of us differently, but suggest that you don't take your first setback as the body's final response as I think the body adapts, particularly if you you have a decent workout program.
On Zoladex, I can do a 4000 ft climb in under 2 hours, but earlier there were days when that seemed impossible. I would up the walk/run frequency in May as ADT kicks in and see how you adapt. Either way, go to France and enjoy!
Lift heavier weight and with greater intensity. Most older guys especially don’t work hard enough. There’s far too much worrying about getting injured. Just make sure to stretch and work the small muscles as well as the larger ones. Stronger equals less injury.
On ADT you need consistent max effort if you want to really beat down the fatigue. You don’t need to spend more time lifting, just add more effort and focus.
Same with the cardiovascular exercise. Higher intensity intervals infused into your run/walk routine.
A combination of these 2 things would be transformative.
Fully agree. I neglected to work with dumbbells at the start of my ADT (nobody told me and I wasn’t a member of this forum at this time) and payed the price. Now I run 5-8 miles daily, do weight lifting every second day and also gymnastics. My muscles came back, but it was a long way. We all should be made aware of the benefits of exercise, this should become part of SoC.
Of course, a difficult call. From where I sit, I'd discuss with doc and propose a delay in ADT until your trip is over. Enjoy your time with those you love and who care for you.
And, yes, ADT hits each of us differently. My experience was the worst time of my life and that was with gym/personal trainer, walking, diet. And, my docs seemed indifferent to it all so I muddled on through reading and learning as much as I could (this site helped immensely).
I have been on ADT a total of 21 months and was supposed to be on for another 7 months; went off in Dec22 to determine if my PSA will come back. But had done a lot of reading about the need to push TET to zero...it appears there may not be a need to do that...BAT treatment is an option. The SOC which looks at any TET as an accelerant to PCa growth is based on very flawed science, but this entire area is pretty contentious...check out there references...
Just understand that the longer your on ADT and the more time spent with TET low the more damage you do to your penile tissue...I did not know what was happening to me. By the time I did I lost 30% of my length and girth (they are the same believe it or not)...I know, LIFE is the first thing we think of...heck its the only thing I thought about. But there comes a time when some of us will realize that we will perish with this disease not from it...then you want to act and its too late...trust me loss of size will bother you. Think about ED before you go into long term ADT use...you cant go back. An implant is the only solution for loss of penile tissue...there is no other thing that can prevent this, even long term, dedicated VED use. There is no reason as well to delay an implant because of either a RP or Radiation...I did not now know either procedure is not contra indicated. Heck, we have a Brother here in our group that got an implant before he received a RP and IMRT...and his plumbing still works! So, think about this...I know you dont feel its important; it will be.
PS at a PSA of 2.5 Ga PSMA PET is very accurate; high specificity...so you should get a good idea of what your dealing with...just dont wait too long to treat your ED...do it sooner than later...TNX
It is very common for people outside the US to use high-dose transdermal estradiol as ADT, which results in very low T, but high E. The SEs are minimal, certainly far more tolerable than LHRH drugs, which crash BOTH your T AND your E. It is believed that low E is actually what makes men on ADT so miserable.
FWIW, this is definitely what I'm going to do when/if the time comes. Having experienced Eligard one, I will do anything within reason to prevent going through it again.
I go to the gym 3 days per week for strength training, and I also put in 7 hours a week for Zumba, to gain cardio, balance, coordination and the mental health benefits of doing fun things, with people who are having fun. Aaaand I put in about 1/2 a day at home with various stretches and exercises, and I'm starting on mediation.
As far as ADT is concerned, I don't think you can over exercise. I feel today, like I could hike a mountain. But I also remember restarting Abiraterone about 4 weeks ago, and I had to cut my weight load by 50% the very next day. Took a couple of weeks to get back up to strength.
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