I am a female so I dont have this problem. But I would like any information on Prostate cancer. My father in law has it. His doctor chose to treat him with herbs and hormone thearpy. Well it never did get any better. And even knowing his numbers were not improving they continued the same treatment. Personally I think his doctor should have been a little more agressive after his numbers were not getting any better. Now it has moved to his bones. It is getting worse and they are now doing cemo and raditation. But I think they are just buying time at this point. Everytime they treat a area it takes care of it but it returns in a new spot. It started in his hip then his shoulder and elbow. As of last night he was admitted to get his pain under control. But after a emergancy MRI we now know that it has moved into his spine. I need to know if after it has spread to the bones is it at this point curable or not? And how long does someone usually have after it reaches the spine? Is there still room for hope?
My husband is in the Navy and we are in Washington state and his parents are still in Texas. He wants to be with his dad full time. Our only way of doing this is to get a humanitarian transfer. We are not real sure the Navy will allow this. I need to find a way to help him cope but still be the one who knows where we stand. Him his mom and brother are all to afraid to ask the question. Is he going to die from this or is there a chance he can beat it.
Thanks in advance,
Melinda

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"Every experience God gives us, every person he puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future only he can see."

My father died of prostate cancer ten years ago. He had the cancer for 10 years and was treated with hormone therapy throughout the years. Prostate cancer is "usually" a slow cancer and some doctors figure that when a person is 65 years old, that they had lived their life and don't treat this type of cancer aggresively.

My brother was diagnosed last year at age 48 years of age. He had two our of a 20 stick biopsy come back positive. He went to Baltimore's John Hopkins and had the "nerve sparing" surgery done there. Fortunately today, he is neither incontinent nor impotent. The normal surgery done for prostate cancer usually leaves a person incontinent and impotent.

Anyway as to your question. I am an American living in Venezuela. When my father's cancer spread to his spine, I asked a neighbor who is a doctor how long my father had. He answered "Not long.....go as soon as you can." He lasted about a month after that question. I don't know how long the cancer had actually been in the spine.....maybe it had already been several months.

My father died when his lungs filled with liquid. He was cheerful at 10pm joking with me and then at 3am he sat up in the bed and said "I can't breath". He was gone at 7:30am.

So that you will know what to expect, when the lungs "start" to feel up with liquid, you will hear a gurgling type noise when the person breathes.

Had I known that my father was actually dying at that moment, I would have given him extra doses of morphine to make sure he didn't feel a thing.....hine site. But then I might have felt guilty that I had killed him too.

Thank God that he went pretty quickly.

Wish you the best....Janetto

Thank You for your responce. The cancer is no longer in his prostate. Once it went to his bones it left the prostate. I am really close to my in laws and my MIL talks to me all the time. He did not have any surgery on that part if his body. Just his eye. So he does not have incontinance problems. This had been in his spine once early on and they blasted it with radiation and it was gone. But the next week he had it in his shoulder.
His seems to be acting weird. I dont know a whole lot about cancer but from my little experience I have. I never heard of it act like this. Shows up goes away and comes back in a different spot. I am sure his time is short. But I am trying to just get enough information for my husband so he does not feel so left out. His parents do not tell him everything. They feel like because we are so far away it would just scare him. But knowing is better then watching him fill his mind with what his imagination stirs up. I just cant get that through to his parents.
Thank You for sharing your story.
Melinda

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"Every experience God gives us, every person he puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future only he can see."