Hismones 12/28/24

Starting Day 5 of hormone therapy We are enjoying a great visit with Tammy's software engineer nephew and his wife in Lexington, KY and have already seen friends/former fellow church members who moved here in retirement. Today, we'll see a niece, great/grand niece and nephews, and a couple of great-great nieces. I've developed a bit of a winter cold (runny nose/cough, no fever) and fatigue, so of course I'm blaming everything on the new hormone therapy. From what I read, however, it takes about two weeks for the full effect to begin taking place. I'm grateful to have made a lot of progress in treatment communication: I now have the necessary surgical procedure (gory details, below...I was going to write "details after the 'assterisk' but I decided otherwise) scheduled for January 21, with radiation beginning a week or so later. After maybe 8 phone calls, I have located an area pharmacy that can provide Orgovyx as a 90-day supply: not a neighborhood pharmacy or even their area specialty pharmacies but another they referred that is accepted by insurance, "Biologics." It specializes in cancer and other specialty medications. If this works as planned, it will save us $1000 out of pocket during the course of treatment. Apparently, insurance reimbursements to standalone pharmacies make 90-day supplies financially impractical. Both Walgreen's and CVS' pharmacists were very helpful, admitting they couldn't help but referring to their specialty locations, and the CVS specialty pharmacist staying on the line with me to confirm Biologics' ability to fill the need. I'm grateful that our Medicare Advantage PPO accepts this pharmacy. *Now for the gory details: the prostate can take lots of radiation but the rectum none, and they are adjacent. I will be under brief general anesthia for the surgical oncologist to inject a gel material between the two that will solidify to create space between them. The gel "pillow" will last three months; radiation, two. Bowel prep is less than for a colonoscopy, I'll have NPO after midnight, and I show up at the surgery center 5:45 A.M. for the fifteen minute procedure that happens at 7:15 A.M., then go home soon afterward. I'll have a CT scan sometime soon afterward to determine positioning, then be placed daily in the same position for radiation treatments. Now to get on with my easygoing Saturday!