hi everyone,
i thought i should write and give all of you an update on grandpa. recently he has gone to the va in slc twice for some tests. his psa has been up the last little while, and it is up again (11). one thing he had done in slc was an epidural, kind of like what grandma had done a couple of times for back and leg pain. it has helped him a lot. he hasn't been using the cane as much. last week he went in for an mri (don't have those facilities here in pocatello)on his back. he has had lots of back pain. he went into the dr. here, yesterday, or maybe the nurse just called--not happy with that dr.s office right now-- and told him there were some dark spots on his pelvic bones, and he needed to come in and get a shot. it is a 3 times a year shot, for pain. he had these shots done a couple of years ago. they are massively expensive--around $2500--,but medicare pays for them. they are some type of major female hormones. not fun side effects. they are supposed to help him with the pain in his back, though. he then has to take some pills, one a day for 20 days. is this ringing any bells colin? the pills are likewise extremely expensive, $372/20. anyway, the dark spots indicate bone cancer, i am guessing a result of the prostate cancer. they are not going to do any type of treatment for that. don't know how fast the cancer will spread (colin?), so we will just wait and watch. they are treating his pain, though, which is good. i am going in with them the next time they have an appointment. i have lots of questions. i really don't have any more information. grandma is mostly concerned about his pain. anyway, i know this is not good news, but they and i would appreciate your prayers and good thoughts for them. i love all of you. xoxoxo mom
11 comments:
That makes me really, really sad... Do you know if the injections are Zoledronic acid? I know that is often a drug used for prostatic cancer-preceeding bone metastases... Are the Drs oncologists that he is seeing? Are there doing to be biopsies of the spots seen via MRI? (do you really not have one in all of Salt Lake City?!)
Also... do you know the name of the drug given for 20 days? I am trying to figure out what the target of the pain medication is...
There is nothing like pain, that is for sure. Is he mostly comfortable or mostly not?
Please let me know what you can find out.
Crystal
I remember Grandma telling me when Grandpa was diagnosed with prostate CA the doctor told them he would not die from this. I'm not real happy with the Dr's office either. A nurse should never ever be the one to call and give that kind of news, and it's not the kind of news you should give over the phone either. Very unprofessional.
I'm sure there is an MRI in Pocatello, actually I know there is. He may have gone to the VA for a lot of his health care due to the cost. It doesn't really matter why but the spots are from metastasis, obviously from his prostate. If his back pain was in the low back that would point directly to the prostate. The prognosis depends on the stage of the cancer. There's no way to tell how fast it will spread without a lot more information.
The shot he has been getting is Lupron. He's been taking that for a long time. It's the same thing women take for infertility. The pills are probably an anti-androgen. These are both common treatment for prostate cancer, usually for those who do not need surgery. They shut down any testosterone which promotes growth of the prostate CA. This was completely appropriate treatment. If they did anything for the bone mets it would be radiation to the spine, which has pretty terrible side effects. Chemo would be the other treatment, but again, bad side effects. Again, it's hard to say if he is a good candidate for this, but considering his age and his other medical problems, it may not be worth putting him through that.
I'm not sure what to think about this. Sometimes I wish I didn't know what I know for situations like this. I'm sure Mom can find out more info when she sees his doctor. Hopefully his doctor in Pocatello is managing this.
Anyway, news like this makes things very real very quickly. I'm sure we will all be praying for Grandma and Grandpa.
Colin
I'm not sure what
In order for the VA to pay for the MRI, he did have to travel to SLC. I will find out what the drugs are and let you know. the dr. did call, and give him results. the pills he is taking are casodex-to help with the shots.
I got so choked up reading this post. It is so hard to face immortality in this way. It is hard to think about grandpa not being here. It makes me really grateful for the gospel. I just hope that they can keep the pain at bay, so he can be comfortable. I also really love this picture of him. He is such a kind, sweet, and gentle man. Those are the only kinds of memories I have of him.
Thanks Colin, I think I am crystal clear now. Wow. Sobering. Well, I will just keep the prayers and hope up. I just don't even know what to say.
I don't know what to say either...I had no idea. Poor grandpa. It hurts so much to know he's hurting physically. And I totally agree Becky, those are the only kinds of memories I have of him, too.
He'll be in my prayers. Definitely- he and grandma. This has to be hard for her watching him in pain. I know with old age, these things are inevitable, but it's still hard to believe that this could happen to him. Mom, let us know if you get any more info on his status.
It seems kind of surreal, doesn't it? I agree with everyone. The hardest part is knowing that he's hurting, and grandma's probably hurting, too. I'll be praying for both of them, too.
I'm still in shock about this whole thing. I just don't know how to respond to finding this out that grandpa has bone cancer.
I hate to think of him being in pain but I also hate the thought of loosing grandpa. He's been very influential in my life (as I'm sure he has in everyone else's). I can think of countless times he just wanted to spend time with me (several of those times it was just him and me). He's truly a wonderful person.
thanks so much everyone for your comments. they mean a lot to me and to grandma. grandma just called to remind me that he had a bone scan, not an mri. she said he has had the back pain for at least two years. anyway, he really is an incredible person. i echo everything you have said. my life is infinitely blessed by his love and unconditional support for me. xoxo
Many times I find myself thinking that when Mom and I were married, Grandpa was just slightly younger than I am now, and I remember him being very strong at back then (a real worker,) probably stronger than I am now. How's that for surreal? One time he and I were riding snowmobiles up to the cabin to try to get it open early. The snow was very wet and deep, and we got stuck. I couldn't believe how hard he worked to get us out. I was about dead, but he took it all in stride.
OK, I'm going to work harder at staying in shape, and get my PSA checked more regularly. Last time I checked it was good, but that was a while ago, and it can turn without notice. I've had several friends, my age, who have had problems with it.
Anyway, obviously our days on the earth are numbered, and it's all part of the plan. But it's hard to contemplate when it comes close to home. I guess sorrow is also part of the plan. I'm just grateful that we have a plan, and that it includes this earthly bonding experience that we're allowed to have together. I'm even more grateful that the plan includes eternal life together hereafter. Sometime I'd like to have a discussion with all of you about some pretty awe-inspiring things I've been learning on that topic. Remind me.
Whatever, barring a stroke or something like that, I think Grandpa still has quite a bit of time left. Just keep praying that he can remain comfortable for however long it is.
Dad
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