If you know anybody with prostate cancer, and who doesn’t, please direct their attention to this post on my website. They need to talk to their oncologist.
On July 4, 2024 I was given a CAT scan. You can see the results below. It indicates multiple compression fractures of my vertebrate and degeneration of my spinal discs.
The nice square or rectangular vertebrate are normal. The ones that are triangular or otherwise distorted have compression fractures. This is a very clear image, and the damage to my bones and discs is very easy to see. I am no longer able to sit upright, or stand, for more than about twenty minutes before my chest collapses into my belly and I can’t breath. So I spend my days on a recliner chair watching TV. For a man who was formerly very active and loved making music or making projects in my workshop, this has made my life very thin and removed much of life’s pleasure.
When I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, the first defensive treatment was to cut off my testosterone and to give me daily doses of a drug called apalutamide (trade marked Erleada) which blocks the uptake of any testosterone my body produces. This has been a fabulously effective treatment for my cancer. My monthly blood tests show that my PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) level, which indicates the activity of the prostate cancer, is down to a negligible level around .03. This means that the cancer is under control. In the words of my oncologist, prostate cancer is no longer a fatal disease, but a chronic disease. It’s treatable and a man with prostate cancer can expect to live for decades.
Unfortunately, that’s not the whole story. There’s more to life than just living. Testosterone is a very important hormone with an affect on everything from mood, vitality, libido, and, perhaps most importantly, bone health. The lack of testosterone has caused deterioration of my spine and the compression fractures you see in this CAT scan.
Last week I was given an injection of a drug called denosubmab. It protects the bones from the problems caused by a lack of testosterone. If it had been given to me before my spine started to fall apart, it’s likely that I wouldn’t be in the shape I’m now in.
I’m not telling you all this because I want sympathy, nor because I’m angry that the testosterone was not treated before my spine fell apart. I’ve had a great run, a better life than anybody has a right to expect. But maybe warning other of a way to avoid my fate is my last chance to do something useful. I hope so.