Anyone have experience with Triple (Triplet) Therapy?

@canadaanne Are you in Ontario, Anne?

Hi and welcome to this "club"
My husband got diagnosed a year ago, symptoms were frequent bathroom trips and a bit of ED, he's 55 so we figured it was just the age and a little pill usually worked plus we had a lot of stress the year before (his parents were elderly and declined and passed away in the fall of 2024) So finally in January 2025 he went to the doctor and the doctor surely thought it was just an enlarged prostate but did a PSA test, it came back around 300! devastating!! That triggered a pelvic CT scan which showed it outside the prostate so ADVANCED cancer, THAT triggered a biopsy and gleason scores were mostly 8 and 9s- so advanced cancer cells! A long wait for oncologist and also scheduled a PSMA Pet scan and that showed it all over his body! Lymph nodes, lungs, spine, pelvis, bones etc....Oncologist said usually you start Lupron and Zytiga pills and chemo (the triple therapy) but because the PSA is so high he started with a Firmagon shot instead.... Getting my husband to do that was a nightmare, it's his manhood! He'd rather die than lose his manhood! I told him that I'd rather have a husband and no sex life than a dead husband and still no sex life! and I called him a coward! (we've never fought like this before after 27yrs of marriage!) He finally relented.... Firmagon is a monthly shot and he was supposed to switch to Lupron after that but never did, he was afraid of manboobs and other reasons, if you look online the side effects are worse on Lupron- others might disagree, but my husband is a tough nut to crack so the doctor is fine with him continuing this! We have hot flashes and night sweats together and can cry over different things....
He was supposed to start Zytiga pills (and prednisone) but his liver numbers weren't great, because the two months we had waited to see oncologist, he of course researched lots of things online and started supplements like Iver....and fenben... and others like curcumen, well those wrecked his liver! to the point of blood work saying he was in liver failure! THAT triggered an ultrasound but everything was fine, and he quit everything, except for dandelion tea and things like that. Finally he started Zytiga. Over the summer he did chemo and did extremely well! only symptoms were tiredness and that was only after the last few doses! I don't mind snuggling on the couch while he takes a nap! He did get a bit tingly toes and fingers but that's all fine now and hair grew back though more gray!
He works out every day and eats right, a PSMA scan after the chemo only showed a few tiny spots! so a GREAT improvement! He doesn't look or act tired at all, other than a bit more sleepy in the afternoon and he doesn't sleep good at night. No sex life... we've tried a happy pill but he said there was no drive behind it and it gave him a terrible headache, so....
Other than night sweats and hot flashes he's doing GREAT!
Mentally I'm NOT! but that's another story. I try to do things to keep myself busy and occupy my mind.
This club sucks! but we're in it!! Hang in there!

Bone scan and MRI done this week.
Next Thursday we have appointments at the cancer center before chemo starts on Friday.
Fingers crossed all goes according to plan.

Thanks again for all your comments and support!

First chemo done on Friday. Hubby had a pretty good couple of days after with just some mild fatigue, a heaviness in the legs, and dry mouth. His appetite (and mood) were good.
Monday and Tuesday brought more fatigue, headache (could be because he stopped drinking coffee?), and some tingling/pins and needles in the lower legs and feet. We will call the clinic tomorrow just to report.
We took a trip to the ER last night as I was concerned about fever (99.8) and they told us to watch for that and to go to the ER right away. They did bloodwork and all the required testing to be sure there was no infection - all ok.

The emotional rollercoaster I am on is something else! Hanging in there and just trying to take things day to day while remaining hopeful.

@canadaanne It's a very *small* blessing that we can get triaged faster in the ER with stage 4 cancer.

In Ontario, people with minor illnesses or injuries often wait many hours to be seen in the ER, especially on a busy evening; since 2021 I've rarely waited past 30 minutes (never a full hour), regardless of why I'm there.

I hope that was your husband's experience in BC last night as well.

@northoftheborder
Yes, we have a letter that we show at the desk that gets you triaged pretty much immediately. It also outlines the protocols, indicates the oncologist they are to send information to, and other details.
I was hoping we’d not ever need it, but so good to have.

I think they see it all on the digital charts too. If someone was out of province I don’t imagine that would be the case.
The letter got the quick action going, but yeah, the Dr didn’t need it.