Celebrating £££ raised for PC UK + Dad feeling low due to hormone therapy :(

[Mrs_Atko]

Hi folks,

Firstly, last Saturday I finished an 8-month challenge, whereby I set myself the task of swimming the distance of the English Channel, 8 times in 8 months in a bid to raise funds for PC UK. That's 176 miles/283km in total. With around 20 of my friends and family supporting me, I swam my final 2km outside in the sunshine last Saturday and my darling Dad, who was my inspiration behind the challenge after his diagnosis and treatment last year, joined me in the pool to swim the last 200m together. The photo attached is my Dad and I in the pool together

I don't think I'm allowed to post my JustGiving link on here (but if you'd like it, please PM me) but I have managed to raise nearly £8,500 for PC UK, which I'm really proud of.

However, this week, it has become clear that my darling Dad has been feeling really low. We believe this is more than likely due to his long term hormone therapy, but I was just wondering if others have suffered this as well and if they found anything to help? I've bought him a book which explains the side effects of ADT and how to cope, but sometimes, real experiences are better to hear. Dad has always been a very positive, upbeat individual (and aside from PC, has always been fit and healthy). I've encouraged him to start swimming regularly again (his whole working life was as a National swimming instructor) as that will help with his natural endorphins (outside of this, he is one of the most active near 80 years olds I know) and we've obviously encouraged to keep talking to us. He spoke with a PC UK volunteer on the phone yesterday but I'm not sure how valuable he found the experience. I'm wondering if we should take him to the GP and if we should consider medication to help with his depression?

Anyway, would welcome your thoughts. Thank you in advance and wishing you all well on your journeys.

Jemima x

[Hidden]

Wow! Congratulations on your accomplishment and fundraising. I think you provided your dad the right advice, start swimming regularly again. You might plan something together. Although I have been on hormones for only a short time I have found that exercise helps a lot, but sometimes it helps to have someone get you over the hump. Good Luck!

[Mrs_Atko in reply to Hidden]

Thanks so much for your reply. Dad’s been on the hormone therapy since his diagnosis in May 2017...I don’t know how long he’s been feeling like this but he’s only really just voiced his feelings now. I’m really hoping he’ll get back into swimming (he asked me to get him a pair of goggles I leant him at the weekend, so I guess that’s a good sign! 👍🏻) wishing you well in your own treatment 🙏🏻

[AlanMeyer Moderator]

I'm very impressed with your achievement.

I was pretty depressed by my cancer diagnosis and also by the effects of the ADT I was taking. Here are some things that helped me:

Exercise - I think that you and awinnegar1 have the right idea. I could only do a fraction of the exercise that I had been doing before ADT, but I worked hard at it and I think it really helped. ADT damages mitochondria, organelles inside muscles and other cells that convert the energy in food into a form that's usable by the cells. Exercise can restore the mitochondria - probably not to full capacity, but still to some extent, producing more energy for living.

Engagement with life - I withdrew into myself, feeling like I was no longer a full human being, but rather someone who was now outside the life that I had led before and that everyone else was still living. I felt like no one could understand what I was going through. I forced myself to engage with other people, to pursue the activities that I had always liked, to get involved in my work (I was still working then), and to take an interest in other people's lives and problems and try to help them. It helped a lot in taking me out of myself and my depression.

These aren't panaceas. Your Dad will probably still struggle with tiredness and depression. It's a daily struggle that can't be won once and for all but can only be fought one day at a time or one hour at a time. But significant improvement is possible and your Dad can develop ways to battle more effectively against his depression and beat it more and more often.

I think what you're doing to support and encourage your Dad is exactly the right thing to do!

I wish the best to both of you.

Alan

[Mrs_Atko in reply to AlanMeyer]

Alan thank you so much for your very kind and informative response. I’m sorry to hear you too have been battling something similar but really pleased to hear you have found ways to manage it. I will certainly share your post with my Dad and family - I think it will help him a lot knowing he’s not the only one and there are things HE can do daily which will help himself. Thank you again 🙏🏻