And another week down

It's been an interesting week.

The fatigue is gone, the nausea is gone, and the other symptoms seem to each have their 'special day'. One day, I'll have a restricted urinary flow, the next . . . well, there's an analogy about a race horse in there somewhere. Use your imagination.

It's interesting. In a clinical sort of way.

The other side effects come and go. None of them are incapacitating. Just irritating. Well, and sometimes painful.

I'm also getting that feeling of 'sitting on a golf ball' that some patients have reported. That's okay, I don't like hard chairs. :)

I am very much looking forward to the next couple of months and slowly returning back to 'normal'. Whatever that is.

I had an appointment with my endocrinologist the other day. (For an unrelated condition - a Prolacinoma) I did not take the hormone therapy because this lovely little nugget I have in my noggin suppresses testosterone. I had been on bi-monthly injections until the diagnosis in April. Anyway, we were discussing when I could start the testosterone again because honestly - the side effects from the brachytherapy are irritating, but the lack of testosterone permeates every part of my life. It's kind of a double whammy.

It's not looking like he will be willing to start the treatments any time in the near future.

That sucks.

Two weeks until treatment

I returned a few days ago from a 2600 mile, 10 day motorcycle trip down to San Francisco where I swam the "Escape from Alcatraz" event, and then we wandered up the California and Oregon coasts to home.

The swim was fantastic, and we had a great time in San Fran, but I think I found my endurance limit. 10 days, with the kind of riding we did (crossed the mountains from the I-5 corridor to the coast several times), was too much.

The effect of no testosterone is really getting to be a pain.

I kind of new that I was running on fumes a couple of days from home. But by that time there really wasn't much I could do other than soldier on.

But when I got home it hit me like a ton of bricks. When I get exhausted it throws my entire system for a loop. I feel tired, but have trouble sleeping. I feel like I run a low-grade fever. My body temperature regulation (from the hypothalamus) is . . . well, buggy. I'm either too hot or too cold. And not like, "Oh, I'm warm. Turn on the fan." More like piling on sweaters and blankets, or breaking out in a cold sweat.

So, that was how I spent my weekend and the 4th of July. Not a ton of fun, but I'm feeling much better now. Time to get on with treatment. The sooner I get this process started, the quicker I can get back on my meds and some semblance of 'normal'.

Well, as normal as it gets with a prolactinoma.

I go in a week from last Tuesday to get the seeds implanted.

That should be . . . interesting. But I'm more than ready.

Fudge

So, got the word yesterday that Loma Linda, and the Proton Beam Therapy, is definitely not in my future.

That leaves me with either the seed implant therapy, or the external beam radiation therapy.

I'm not really enthused with either of them, but they are both preferable to surgery.

Who knew cancer would be such a pain? I didn't sign up for this, and I would definitely like to speak to the management. I've been calling for ages, but no one seems to answer.

So that's where I stand. It's a bit of a surreal life right now. I have my book signing tomorrow night at the Mint in Enumclaw, and I have my 'Escape from Alcatraz' swim on the 25th of this month. The yin and yang of life.

And I'm REALLY beginning to feel the effects of lowered testosterone. I'm back to the way I was a few years ago. Tired, workouts are drastically reduced, recovery time is longer, etc. Damn brain tumor.

Time to get some treatment underway so that I can get it over with. As they say, 'a job begun is half done.'

As I think I said before I'm seeing one more specialist next week, then I'll make my treatment decision.

If anyone has any advice I would love to hear it. Post in the comment section or send me email.