Hismones 04/11/25

Wow: steroids are really awesome but just don't play well with radiation treatments! I was celebrating the first anniversary of my left hip replacement with a visit to the orthopedist, also asking him to take a look at my right hip (my last natural major joint below the waist) which had been sore for awhile. He didn't find any major issue but prescribed a steroid dose pack for the pain. Did I mention somewhere previously that I've been having a lot of fatigue associated with treatments? Well, not after beginning taking steroids! I started mowing and cleaning the yard, trimming bushes and shrubs, and getting the bulk waste out to the curb for pickup. That lasted until the next day's treatment Tuesday morning at which I learned a hard lesson: because steroids cause fluid retention, having your bladder full (required for treatment) takes a LOT of water and a LOT of time. I had drunk the normal amount of liquid that morning, but had to double up the amount and wait 45 minutes for the process to be complete. :-( So, no more steroids until after treatments end (7 more/April 22). I also hit a serious steroid withdrawal fatigue "wall" at lunchtime Wednesday. Oof! So I'm doubling morning water because I still seem to be filling up too slowly. I watched a video account of another person's treatment in which he said he was told to drink 40 oz. of water, and my plan is to drink 32 oz. plus coffee. If I'm about to "overflow," I have a handy dandy "incontinence clamp" which is a lot like the business end, albeit cushioned, of a locking pliers. It's not awful, but its use is limited to three hours and gets pretty uncomfortable after two. I don't always use it before treatment, but I'm always "packin'." If you see a bulge in my pocket about the size and shape of a harmonica, that's it. I did have a bit of fun this week in virtually joining a prostate cancer support meeting from the Mayo Clinic. The doctor leading the meeting answered a question about my treatment that I had posted in the chat, suggesting there could be an additional drug to add to my hormone therapy that would give even stronger results. I sent that news to my urologist immediately following the meeting. I also requested a PSA test with my annual labs for my primary care doctor visit on May 1, which will be three weeks before I'm to be tested for the urologist/oncologist. I just want to be a little more confident that treatment is doing what is intended. As the specialist from Mayo commented, all that it takes for cancer to reoccur is for one cancer cell to survive treatment, and that while I'm on a 24 month hormone therapy plan, surviving cancer cells develop immunity to this treatment at about 20 months by developing the ability to create their own testosterone. The additional medication helps eliminate that possibility at the cellular level. All in all, it's a bit hard to be discouraged: I'm sitting in a patio rocker outside on an absolutely gorgeous and comfortable Friday; my radiation treatment team is all smiles because Tammy brought them homemade (from scratch, double boiler style) banana pudding. (It's one of her signature dishes and is wonderful); and she told me yesterday that she's taking me on a "surprise" two-day adventure to celebrate as soon as radiation treatments are complete. Cool, cool, and cool. Happy Friday!