New to Prostate cancer

Posted by csimadera1 @csimadera1, Dec 28, 2025

67 yo, Prostate Cancer, Gleason 7, 4+3, PSA59, Will undergo Radiation + ADT, my Oncologist, who is treating me for Melanoma, not related to PC, Radiation Oncologist recommends Rad + 2 years ADT Lupron.
Have read a lot of comments re: ADT & Lupron. Seems the adverse side effects can be rather severe and I already deal with Anxiety & Insomnia. I told my Onc. I prefer not to commit to long term ADT even though that is the "protocol" but, I would do the short term 4-6 months.
Thoughts, advice? I prefer Quality of life now than the future side effects of ADT
Thank you and I pray for all of you suffering through PC

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Profile picture for beaquilter @beaquilter

My husband got diagnosed in February (2025 so this year) PSA was almost 300, CT scan showed outside prostate, biopsy Gleason were mostly 8 and 9s, PSMA scan showed it all over his body!!
They started him on Firmagon and was going to switch to Lupron but like you, my husband was not happy about the possible side effects of Lupron, so they agreed to wait until his was ready and he's been doing monthly Firmagon shots since then! Side effects are hot flashes and night sweats and being emotional like sad..... It's all sad and I said I'd cry with him and we can have hot flashes and night sweats together and cry over sappy movies!
Of course no sex life either! But I'd rather have a live husband and no sex life than a dead husband and still no sex life!
A few months later they started him on Zytiga and Prednisone ( he has technically wrecked his liver from taking lots of supplements and once he quit those the liver went back to normal)
Then over the summer he did 6 rounds of docetaxel chemo and did very well! Other than more tiredness- so daily naps on the couch while I rubbed his head..... and after round 2 the hair started falling out so he shaved it- we also got the chemo gloves and mittens from amazon and I think they worked a bit, he only got one numb toe for a few months after it all, but he's fine now.
after the chemo was done they did another PSMA scan and it was a HUGE improvement! only 2-3 small spots now! How long that will last, we don't know, we were happy but not jumping for joy! and the doctor just said it's good and keep doing the ADT drugs.
It's really hard for a guy to accept to be medically castrated! we had lots of arguments about it, that if I got breast cancer and had to have them removed, I'd do it or whatever surgery, maybe because as women we already know we'll go thru a change and not be able to have children after a certain age! But with men, it's the manhood! don't mess with the manhood! He'd rather die than lose THAT! He finally relented and knows he sacrificed his body for the family!
we did try some "happy" pills a few months ago and succeeded but he said it was mechanical and no emotion or drive behind it, so.....
his PSA is 0.35 now btw going back next week!

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@beaquilter

Sounds like your husband is doing very well based on his original diagnoses. Personally, I could not tolerate the Lupron and thought it was going to kill me if I had another shot after 4 months of horrible side effects that were getting worse every day (24-hour soaking sweats, severe headaches, frequent urination, joint and muscle pain, and brain fog). I have been off Lupron for 5 months and am just starting to see some reduction in side effects, but bone pain has increased and no libido at all. I now have PSA < 0.1 and testosterone < 8. Started with PSA = 11.1 and Gleason of 3+4 (3 ea.) and 4+4 (1 ea.) out of 12 biopsy samples. My doctor cannot understand why my side effects are so severe except possible due my age (83) and historically low testosterone (low 200's).

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Talk to jeffmarc on here he has a lot of insight and has been a tremendous help to me. We are praying for you.

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Profile picture for pesquallie @pesquallie

@beaquilter

Sounds like your husband is doing very well based on his original diagnoses. Personally, I could not tolerate the Lupron and thought it was going to kill me if I had another shot after 4 months of horrible side effects that were getting worse every day (24-hour soaking sweats, severe headaches, frequent urination, joint and muscle pain, and brain fog). I have been off Lupron for 5 months and am just starting to see some reduction in side effects, but bone pain has increased and no libido at all. I now have PSA < 0.1 and testosterone < 8. Started with PSA = 11.1 and Gleason of 3+4 (3 ea.) and 4+4 (1 ea.) out of 12 biopsy samples. My doctor cannot understand why my side effects are so severe except possible due my age (83) and historically low testosterone (low 200's).

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@pesquallie Your doctor knows that you have abnormally low T to begin with, and yet finds it difficult to believe how taking that subsistence level of T away is harmful to you??
Maybe he’s thinking that you’ve been low T for so long, your body wouldn’t notice the rest of it being gone??🤔
I tell you, buddy, sometimes you just have to scratch your head at the lack of common sense in many of these ‘experts’ .
Hopefully, your numbers will remain low without any further intervention. Best,
Phil

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Profile picture for beaquilter @beaquilter

@heavyphil
So far just ADT, but I have a feeling that the doctor is waiting until the new year to spring something on us, because my husband has always been very reluctant to change.
we'll see.
appointment next week where we'll actually see the Oncologist, just just a nurse or other doctor helper.

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@beaquilter Well I know this whole thing began with a few spots on his lung which may or may not have been metastatic PCa.
If they have not changed at all after all of this very intense treatment, I would assume they are something else altogether…hopefully nothing!
Phil

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Profile picture for heavyphil @heavyphil

@beaquilter Well I know this whole thing began with a few spots on his lung which may or may not have been metastatic PCa.
If they have not changed at all after all of this very intense treatment, I would assume they are something else altogether…hopefully nothing!
Phil

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@heavyphil
No it didn't, just frequent peeing.
the earlier PSMA scan showed innumerable focci on the lungs and lots of other places, what's left has shrunk a lot and the rest disappeared. (For now)

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