39…48….Whatever

Advanced Prostate Cancer, disc golf, medical port, University of Kansas Cancer Center - May 20, 2008

So today was monthly update day, month number 39!

First of all the trial, being what I believe to be a typical trial, works like this;
– I have to be off Nilandron for 6 weeks BEFORE I can enroll. That wasn’t clear until this morning.

I did a good job of biting my lip when the trial manager explained this to us. So now I will have bone scans, CT scans and a chest x-ray on June the ninth and my first treatment in conjunction with my 40th month appointment on June 16th.

I did receive my PSA, it’s up again to 48.87. I suspected it had climbed as I have had a few twinges lately that I knew meant something. Not pain but just little things that after three plus years of this were signs.

I’m going to call Dr. Van tomorrow to make sure we are OK to wait another four weeks? I just don’t want my PSA to climb much more. My guess is that is the risk we take, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that as I write this tonight?

I’m off to a baseball game, perhaps two hours of 11 year old baseball will take my mind off this for a while……

BTW – the port was awesome!! No needles in my arms and tomorrow I will test my ability to throw a disc again!

Historic Data:
5/19/08 48.87
4/21/08 38.31
3/24/08 34.7
2/25/08 29.4 (Started taking Nilandron on 2/4/08; Started Selenium 200 mcg on 2/26/08)
1/28/08 36.2 (Stopped taking Ketoconazole and Hydrocortisone in anticipation of next treatment)
12/31/07 30.9
12/3/07 21.9
11/5/07 23.3
10/8/07 19.30
>10/8/07 Changed Lupron from 120 day dose to monthly dose> 9-12-07 Began taking .5mg of Avodart per day. Changed Ketoconazole from 600mg twice per day to 400mg three times per day)
9/4/07 21.80
8/6/07 19.25
8/2/07 16.96
7/02/07 20.30
6/04/07 17.80
4/30/07 16.25
4/2/07 17.68
3/5/07 21.87
2/5/07 20.90
1/8/07 18.90
12/11/06 24.86
11/13/06 43.61
10/16/06 51.48 (Started “High Dose” Ketoconazole and Hydrocortisone, 10/01)[at this point and for a second time we prepared for Taxotere. First my Oncologist wanted to try High Dose Ketoconazole and Hydrocortisone.]
9/11/06 83.97 (started Zometa)
8/23/06 41.77
8/18/06 54.66(no tests in June or July)
5/19/06 11.37 (stopped Casodex)
4/3/06 4.25
3/5/06 1.45 (started Casodex again)
1/27/06 0.46
12/28/05 1.85[at this point we prepared for Taxotere, chemotherapy treatments. First I had a new PSA test and new bone and CT scans, lymph nodes clear, spine clear, ribs, femur and hips stable. The PSA dropped to 1.85 and the scans revealed marked improvement. Chemo was cancelled 72 hours before it was scheduled to begin]
12/15/05 7.18
11/03/05 4.64 (Stopped taking Casodex)
9/22/05 0.8
08/11/05 0.35 [nadir]
6/24/05 0.55
4/17/05 2.51 (taken at MD Anderson, Gleason lowered to 7/7)
4/06/05 3.51 (Six weeks after starting Lupron and Casodex)Original Gleason scores (7/8)
Pre-treatment tests:
2/18/05 Started Lupron
2/11/05 Started Casodex
2/?/05 219
12/?/04 189 (Original test)

Another legend falls

Advanced Prostate Cancer, medical port, ric masten, University of Kansas Cancer Center - May 13, 2008

On Saturday night we lost another of the true champions of the prostate cancer community.
Ric Masten, who had fought the disease for over 10 years passed on to a better place.

A link to Ric’s website is and will remain on the left side of this page.

I have written about Ric here before, we exchanged messages a few times in the last year. I wouldn’t pretend to know him but his website has been a real inspiration to me over the past three years.

I was truly saddened by this news. Ric was a poet, an artist, a minister and a friend to many.
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Today I had my port installed. No complications to report. The procedure went very smoothly. My neck hurts a little, but that is to be expected. They made a small incision at the base of my neck on the right side and then about a two inch horizontal incision on the right side of my chest. I basically have a little bump on my chest. The staff at KU Medical Center were all wonderful, more details to follow.

m’aidez

Advanced Prostate Cancer, chemotherapy, Mayday, medical port, PCa - May 2, 2008

Mayday
The term was made official by an international telecommunications conference in 1948, and is an anglicizing of the French “m’aidez,” (help me).
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Just a little humor regarding a very serious subject.

We got a call yesterday from the hospital, seems I have to go in on the 12th to have a port inserted. What is a port? Click here to see it in action. The webpage is that of a man who was being treated for Pancreatic cancer at the time. I include it for the pictures, read the narrative at your discretion. Not only will this be used for the Chemo treatments (beginning June 9th) but also for blood draws, monthly Zometa infusions and infusions for upcoming bone and CT scans.

Mary’s a little freaked out about it. I’m not……yet.