He is shaken, round and round

No real change to my mobility status. The left leg has limited movement and no load bearing capability. The right leg has no movement and no load bearing capability. It’s been a surreal experience for me. I just think I’ll get up and get something, turn on my bedside lamp, or go to the bathroom. Nope, can’t do any of those things. We have 24/7 caregivers with us. A great crew, but it’s an adjustment to having someone else in your house all the time. We’re working our way through it though.

A couple weeks after I got out of the hospital, I started having seizures, you know the eyes rolling back in your head, can’t talk or control your movements and you start shaking. Back to the hospital for the fifth time in 3 months. They determined there’s a tumor on the inside of my skull, pressing against the brain causing the seizures. They gave me medicine that lowers my sensitivity to brain wave activity. The seizures ended and I was sent home.

It didn’t take long to find out the new meds caused severe depression and killed my taste buds. Working with my personal gp we were able to modify the drugs the hospital prescribed so that I had no seizures and no depression or taste problems.

On balance I’m doing pretty well right now. It bothers me that we have done nothing to directly address the tumor in my skull and while we irradiated the two tumors on the spine that led to my partial paralysis they are both still alive and growing.

I’ve not been given the warmest of feelings from the medical people. The neurologist at the last hospital I went to told me I needed to stop going to the hospital because I was running out of get out of the hospital alive cards. I asked my gp about irradiating the tumor in my skull. Aside from the issues about it being next to the brain, he said these tumors are going to start appearing like popcorn. I told him I really hoped to make it to 2020. He said to concentrate on everything that’s good in 2019. Still I have a positive attitude and enjoy most days. My apologies for taking so long to provide this update.

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Landed

I’m home now! It’s wonderful. My thanks to all who sent positive vibes or a prayer

In Rehab

I’ve been in rehab about a week. Progress is slow, but encouraging. My left leg has significantly more movement, but still no load bearing ability. My right leg remains quite weak. My spirits are very good. My wife is keeping me well fed, and the physical therapy staff is great.

Interesting Article

Rubraca (rucaparib), Clovis Oncology‘s oral PARP inhibitor, shrank tumors in 44% of metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients with BRCA mutations included in the Phase 2 TRITON2 clinical trial. The treatment, which is already approved for ovarian cancer, also reduced PSA levels — a biomarker of prostate cancer — in 51.1% of patients with BRCA mutations. 

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GodAndProstate/~3/HcU0Zzpb_7U/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

Big Changes Continues

Sorry for the long delay on an update, but I wanted WordPress to push a new version of the app out so hopefully everyone can read without a problem.

I’m still in the hospital, just finished treatment 6 of 12. Going stir crazy, but thankfully I get to move thru the hospital for the treatments, so it’s not 100% of my time in the room. After the treatments I go to a rehab hospital for two weeks.

My wife, Lisa is a lifesaver. The food here is terrible beyond bad. She’s keeping me well fed and cared for.

The hospital staff is great, couldn’t ask for better.

My movement in my left leg is encouraging, but not great. My right leg is mostly twitches, but some movement. No prognosis on how long it will take to regain whatever I can regain.

I remain in pretty good spirits. I know rehab is going to be tough, but I’m ready for it.

Big Changes Updated

The previous post of Big Changes failed to load correctly on some people’s machines. It was coming out as black text on a black background. The post has been updated and should display correctly now.

Big Changes

As I write this, I’m in the hospital with partial paralysis of both legs. The paralysis is severe enough that I can’t walk or get around with a walker. 

Through a very tedious series of tests and hospital admissions we diagnosed it as being due to three prostate cancer tumors pressing on the spine. One at my tailbone and two in the thorax region.

Surgery is not an option, so I’m going to irradiate them starting tomorrow. After I’m done with radiation I’ll probably be transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation therapy center for intense physical therapy.

In case you’re curious, I went from full function to partial paralysis over about four days.

I’m holding up pretty well. I think that’s largely due to huge steroid doses and the constant stream of activity involving me. When those end, I have no idea where I’ll wind up. They think there’s a chance I’ll get significant relief, but no guarantee. As far as I know, there’s only one other treatment that’s not as good.