After prognosis.....

Jean222 · Senior User Joined: 14 Dec 2008 Posts: 246

After ones' prognosis, how much of the time is 'quality' or good time??

Can anyone give me an idea of how much time is spent incapacitated and miserable? (referring to the time between 'good health' and the actual dying process but not the dying process itself).

Sorry, for such a lousy question but I wonder how advanced PCa evolves.

Thankyou

Jean

PS Even if you can link me to someones' thread who had a bad outcome.

mkane09 · Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 8:11 pm Post subject: Re: After prognosis.....

Jean, I think this varies so much from person to person as to be unanswerable. As an example, a good friend's father had prostate CA for 7 years before dying. The last year was spent with tubes coming directly from his kidneys through his back; his cancer had metastasized to his bladder, destroying it. He was on morphine for the last year, essentially housebound. My buddy Mike really felt that the family and his father spent quality time together that last year, but I would not, will not, go through that.

My brother went through a similar period of declining quality of life, secondary to some devastating effects of diabetes, including kidney failure. Finally, he had had enough of dialysis and took himself off. He died 8 days later. Before he died, he told me he just felt "like a piece of meat". Life was not fun for him anymore. But, that point where life is no fun anymore is different for each of us, and we all have to decide when enough is enough. And I don't believe we'll know for sure until we get there.

Just try to enjoy all the time we get.....

mkane09
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PSA 6.48, biopsy Gleason 3+4, robotic prostatectomy 9/17/08, pathology Gleason 4+5, pathologic stage T2c, positive margins, first post-op PSA 10-15-08 0.10; 2nd post-op PSA 0.18; SRT completed May 22, 2009. 1st post-radiation PSA, 8-4-09, <0.06.

Hawk · Senior User Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 406

Jean,

I too would like that answer but who can say? I think it is like asking what PSA levels are likely to precede death, which is another question I wish I had an answer to. The answer to your question depends on where ALL the cancer metastasized, attitude, pain threshold, speed of growth, non-cancer health issues, even your definition of quality of life. There are probably a host of other variables.

I suppose a very useless rule of thumb might be that the if there are bone mets (as opposed to lymph) that the last year of life likely requires regular pain meds of increasing levels.

I think you are asking the question we all mankind wonders about,but only God knows. How many "quality years (minutes) do we have left"

PS: If I am wrong and someone does have guidelines I am interested in hearing them.
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History: PSA's 6.7 neg. biopsy - PSA 16.6 neg. biopsy - PSA's 8.2, 8.1, 8.7 - Biopsy. 4+4 Gleason 8. Lap RP Apr 2004, age 52 All neg margins, nodes, and structures. (T2a). Post RP PSA: every 6 mo. <.1 until Feb, 08 (46 mos) PSA .1 - I then got sensitive tests (all in 2008) showing:
Feb .06, May .09, Jun .10, Aug .10, Nov .15 -SRT

Jean222 · Senior User Joined: 14 Dec 2008 Posts: 246

Maybe a better way to phrase it is:

Does a patient with PCa suddenly go 'down hill' or go from seemingly 'good health' ie no symptoms or not much that's bothersome to being very ill in a matter of days/weeks?

Can a patient with PCa seem to be 'okay' and then have a 'sudden death'?

Those are the sorts of answers I'm seeking.......

I realize that QOL is different for everyone, we all have our own value system and some of us know what we can/cannot stand to even think about, never mind endure.

Cancer deaths can be very prolonged and painful but need not be if one has enough pain control and hospice usually provides this in a timely manner.

I also had a friend who died within 10 days of hearing she had relapsed.

Thankyou for your answers.

Jean

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