Feb 29th - Mar 5th 2024 Keeping Positive
Feb 29th/24 - Thursday I got into the doctors office, she prescribed some additional medication to help with the pain and inflammation but warned this would knock me off my feet at least until we got the right level of meds worked out. She provided a bunch of support resources and local groups that can help.
We spent the next few days reaching out to these resources and writing down everything we could in a notebook to keep track of all the appointments, contact information and my daily meds.
Mar 4th/24 - I am now able to stand up from a chair and go up and down steps without major pain thanks to the pain management drugs I'm taking. While it's been just over a week that I have started this journey in life it seems like it has been much longer.
I have spoken with many friends and a few people from Prostate Cancer support groups both local and across the country. Everyone has been helpful and encouraging. With this support my mental and emotional situation is strong and healthy. Physically I can move with very little pain but I don't have any stamina to even cook a meal for myself. It's very aggravating! I can make myself a green tea though! :)
Michele's mental state is better and able to deal with the stress at hand more easily. She has prepared methods for keeping track of all the appointments, contacts and incoming information. She provided me with a daily medication, food and how I'm feeling log which really helps. This will become very important to the doctors and myself as I progress through the coming times and treatments.
Sleeping through the night is still an issue. I get about 2 hours sleep and then I have to get up and move because of the pressure points on my body while sleeping in the bed or on a recliner. Our bed is not that old but it is a firm mattress with a pillow top. It just doesn't work for me, we need to get a replacement mattress. I mostly sleep on my side where I don't have much padding on my hip bones they get sore in the night.
I started doing online research for a high-end king size mattress, so far the range is $2,600.00 to $9,000.00. There are foam mattresses that are less but I need good support and firmness without putting too much pressure on my hips and back. I have tried a foam mattress in the past, I didn't find it comfortable and much to hot during the night - even though it had a cooling component to it. The search goes on and perhaps later this month we'll pick one and give it a whirl. I really had no idea how expensive a mattress could be and was expecting something in the $1,500.00 range. If you have a mattress that gives you full body support without putting pressure on your hips shoulders and knees I would like to hear what kind of mattress you have and would you buy it again?
Mar 5th/24 - Another night of broken sleep, sleep for a couple hours, wake up, move to the living room and pick either the wing back chair or a recliner to sit in for a while and watch Netflix or something on TV for an hour or so while my hips recover. Then back to bed or sleep on the couch. Rinse and repeat until the rest of the household wakes up. I'm running out of shows to watch!! I have never been a couch potato watching movies back to back. I want to be up, out and active. My mind says let's do it, my physical body says no!
I can stand for about an hour and a half a day before my joints start to ache and I need more pain meds. But at least I can actually do something now even if it for a short period of time. It's a huge improvement from even just a few days ago.
Today I start taking BiCalutamide for the next 14 days to prepare for my Lupron hormone shot to shutdown my testosterone production. In layman's terms means medically castrate me. Testosterone is feeding the cancer cells and elevating my PVA level. This treatment is expected to reduce the PVA level over time and stop feeding the cancer. It's not a cure, but rather a life extending therapy. Long er term it is expected that the cancer cells will find something else to feed on. Wonderful news it is not! But it is better than doing nothing and gives me (us) some hope that life will improve. These drugs are not cheap at $1200.00 / shot.
Positive mental attitude is everything when dealing with this disease. Having a good support network and friends that can handle the news and help you work through it is critical. Thank God I have an understanding and supportive wife and friends. The prostate groups out there are great as well.
Stay positive, live life as full as you can and keep communication open and honest. I have to learn to accept help a little better than what I do today, but I am getting there and there is light at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel is just a little shorter than what I expected two weeks ago. :)
