Drug withdrawal

   I am a little more than two weeks into this new chapter of my journey with advanced prostate cancer. 16 days ago was the last time I had any Zytiga. I continue to take prednisone daily. It has been a fairly smooth transition. The mild nausea I had grown accustom to is gone. It was never really bad to begin with but it was always there. So far, my adrenal system has not started up yet. I am suppose to begin weening myself off of the Prednisone but when I try I feel extremely fatigued. I will try again in another few weeks. Another positive note is that my mental cognitivity appears to be getting a little better. 

   I had an MRI on my right knee on the 13th. The results came back yesterday and it appears that orthoscopic surgery is in my future. I have what is referred to as a bucket handle meniscus tear. I googled it... I looked at some photos but that is pretty much all I know about it. I know it hurts and surgery will make the pain go away. 

   I have only been under the knife twice in my life. Once for tonsils and another time to remove a bladder stone. I love the euphoric feeling of waking up from anesthesia. Feels like I have slept for a month. 

   It appears old age is taking its toll. Both of my knees are about shot as well as my left shoulder. I have lived long enough to fall apart. It’s kind of wept but that makes me happy.

A new chapter

   I have expressed in the past how difficult it has been to keep my blog fresh when quite frankly, I have had absolutely nothing to write about.. For the last five years, nothing has changed. 

   Finally, I have something to write about. Last Monday at my oncology appointment, my oncologist and I agreed that if my PSA test came back as undetectable again then I would be taken off of treatment. Five hours later, the results were in and once again my PSA was less than 0.01! Tuesday morning was the first day in 63 months that didn’t start with 4  Zytiga pills. I did not receive a Lupron shot at my oncology appointment. Hopefully I will not be receiving one for a long time.

    My last treatment holiday began in January 2010 and lasted for a little over a year. During that time, my testosterone never really came back all that much but my PSA begin to double every six weeks. I went back on androgen deprivation therapy in the early spring of 2011 and have been on it ever since. Currently I have no detectable testosterone in my system. I have not known what it’s like to have a libido in 12 1/2 years. I don’t know what to expect from this treatment holiday so I will be keeping my expectations relatively low. I have hopes! I will just have to see if any of them come to fruition.

   Going on holiday is not without risk. That is the reason my physicians have been reluctant to allow this in the past. You may ask, what has changed? The answer is nothing. Nothing has changed. There are still risks. It is possible that the cancer could mutate and be harder to control in the future. Nobody really knows.

   There are also benefits to a treatment holiday. It is fairly well documented that androgen deprivation is hard on a mans cardiovascular system. Men’s body’s are designed to run on Testosterone. Without it, nothing works as it is suppose to.  An ADT holiday, if it lasts for a while, could help me shed pounds, build muscle, and increase depressed mental cognitivity. 

   So far blnothing feels different. I would appreciate any prayers or positive thoughts Y’all want to send my way. Todd