I'm sorry about your diagnosis. I am denovo high volume to the bone only. I was diagnoses almost 3 years ago on my birthday 07/27/1962. I had 10 cycles of radiation to my spin and five additional cycles to the ribs. I started with Casodex for 30 days followed by Eligard shots every 3 months and Nubega 600mg daily. I immediately started chemotherapy and completed 10 cycles. Remember that everyone body and how they react to treatment and cancer is different for everyone. I recommend icing your hands, feet and head (only if you still have hair). Hurts like hell if you are bald. The ice reduces neuropathy. I handled chemo much better than radiation. I lost 35lbs during radiation and did not think I was going to make it. Chemo was easier but still difficult. I had the fatigue everyone experiences. You go in on Tuesday - you get an premed ID of Zophran, Benedryl, and steriods which made me sleep during infusion. I went to work everyday and by Friday at noon I could feel the death occurring inside my body and I just got very tired. I dragged myself through the day leaving work around 2:30pm and by the time I went home I was on the coach asleep. I also slept most of Saturday too. By Saturday evening or Sunday morning I started getting some strength back. On my 10th cycle I had to got to the ER because my esophagus become inflamed. After more stomach meds and steroids I was better. Some people cannot even handle 1 or 2 cycles of chemo. Everyone is different.

What I tell everyone is that this is about killing as many cancer cells as possible without killing yourself. The 6 cycles of chemo was chosen arbitrarily for the purpose of reducing side effects. You do have the choice of doing up to 8 or 10 cycles. For me, I did not want to leave any rogue cancer cells that could later mutate.

I became undetectable 1 month after chemo ended and I have remained undetectable. I had my 3rd bone scan last month and you can barely tell I had any metastases.

It is your choice. I say fight as much as you can.