Hi Lori...The following urls may be of help.  The first one is a
discussion group much like this, but with more postings by guys with
advanced PCa.  The second url will take you to an entry point to join
a discussion group exclusively for advanced PCa...Best wishes and good
health, Ron

http://listserv.acor.org/archives/prostate.html
http://www.prostate-help.org/cadisgr.htm

hi lori - i went through the whole route with my dad.  all the way from
the elevated psa to the watchful waiting to the advanced stages to the
end.

if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

~ curtis

knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional

Hi Lori

I had been seeing our doctor with what seemed to be a bad chest
infection last Jan/Feb at age 48, lots of pain in ribs & shoulders
etc. & antibiotics weren't doing anything for it - " It must be a
virus then! "

At the same time I mentioned that I had been getting up during the
night and some of the usual prostate symptoms - stopping & starting,
poor flow etc. but the doctor was quite dismissive saying that I was
way to young for prostate problems, probably just a stricture and
referred me to the urologist at the local hospital.

Had the DRE (hard & nodular) PSA came back at 639.4  =8-O  Started on
150mg Casodex daily whilst waiting for biopsy & scans.

3 weeks later (meanwhile the chest/shoulder pains had just about
cleared up) Gleason 7  T4 with bone mets (starting from the top)
skull, neck, shoulders, ribs, spine, pelvis & pubic bone and hips.
<Gulp>

Completed 28 days of Casodex then started on monthly Zoladex implants,
later changed to 3 monthly as it was less of a bother.

PSA dropped to 14 & stayed level until November/December when over
about a couple of months it has risen to 18 & started 50mg of Casodex
daily.

In between all that, I have had one shot of radiotherapy for bone pain
in my right shoulder (and some restriction in movement but it hasn't
stopped me from doing anything), one injection of strontium 89 and 3,
once a month infusions (IV) of Zometa.

I will be going to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, next week, to
discuss chemo - phase II clinical trials of Omnitarg + taxotere, which
showed promising results during phase I
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2955438.stm

So we'll see what happens next.

All the best

--
John Preston
GSX1400
4.5m Bullet
Kheo Flyer