I initially went into the hospital because of extreme exhaustion and pain under my sternum. While in triage, they discovered 2.4 litres of urine in my bladder due to block urethra and BPH.

After 2 days of recovery (and a foley catheter), they were going to release me but I demanded a CT scan.

The CT scan revealed Stage 4 prostate cancer metasticised to the bones in my hips, spine, shoulders, neck and skull. My PSA level was 714.

I started Eligard treatments 30 days after an intial Firmagon shot. Over a period of 12 months, my PSA went to .25 and then started going up again. I decided to stop Eligard (January, '24) because of the side effects after 18 months of treatment. This decision was against doctor's advice, but I told him that I believed in "Quality of Life" rather than "Life Extension").

As of April 2024, my PSA level is 7.4 (will get another test in July)... still dealing with hot flashes and some malaise left over from Eligard. However, my overall QOL has dramatically improved.

P.S. I take Tramadol for a little pain and 1.5mg of Prednisone daily as it helps with arthritic knee pain and energy.

My last 6mo injection of Eligard was a year ago on 7/24/23 with a PSA of 1.6. I skipped my next 6mo injection which was scheduled for 1/28/24. At that time my PSA was 5.0, so the cancer was already developing a resistance to Eligard.

I quit taking Eligard after 18mo of treatment because of the side effects of extreme malaise, weakness and hot flashes. I have not had any other treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation.

Since 1/28/24, I have slowly regained my energy levels and no longer have hot flashes. There are days that I feel so good, that I don't even notice that I have Stage 4 prostate cancer. This was my goal, as I value "quality of life" over "life extension" at this point in my life (I'm 74).

Since skipping the injection in January '24, my PSA level has increased to 26. I know that's an indication of "cancer growth" (i.e. bone mets), but I have my affairs in order and am now placing my "times" totally into the loving hands of the Lord.

Will keep you posted every 3 months from this point onward.

Since discontinuing Eligard treatment in January of 2024, my PSA level has jumped to 109. However, the debilitating side effects of the Eligard have gone completely and, other than normal fatigue for someone who is 74 years old, my energy levels are so much better that I feel NORMAL again. (i.e. choosing "quality of life" over "life extension").

This is now my 3rd year of being diagnosed with Stage 4b Prostate cancer.

Between January 2024 and January 2025, I took a medical "vacation" from my 6mo Eligard treatments because of side effects which included extreme malaise, hot flashes, muscle weakness and mental fogginess.

During my "vacation", I regained my strength; was able to to outdoor activities; had clarity of mind; and felt wonderfully "normal" for my age of 74.

But over that same period of time, my PSA increased from about 10 to 356. So, on February 12, 2025, I restarted my 6mo Eligard regimen. As of today (May 17), my PSA has gone down to 10. Plus, I haven't had any of the extreme previous side effects other than an occassional hot flash and some weakness.

Truthfully, in conjunction with my Eligard, I attribute my life-extension at this point to my faith in the sustaining power of the Holy Ghost through Jesus Christ. I really didn't expect to live this long having been given an intitial prognosis of 3 to 6 months to live because of the extensive metastisis of cancer to my bones at the time of diagnosis.

May God Bless All of You Who Are Suffering and Visiting This Site!

After 3.5 years on Eligard, I have just now been diagnosed CRPC (hormone therapy resistent). In other words, my PSA will now continue to go up regardless of treatment. However, the 6mo injection schedule will still "slow down" the progression in comparison to what the PSA levels would do without treatment.

On March 1st, 2026 I received my latest 6-mo Eligard shot. My PSA is currently 175ng/ml with a "doubling rate" of 3.4 months because the Eligard has been losing effectiveness (hormone-resistant) for about a year.

My urologist is offering radiation treatments that would theoretically lengthen my life span from between 3 to 6 months beyond my current prognosis of 6 to 12 months survival.

I am refusing because of costs, possible side effects and because I place more emphasis on "quality of life" rather than "life extension".

Currently, I am still able to function on a reduced level in terms of household chores and self-driving travel.

Will update this every 3 to 6 months.

John's e-mail address is: tas541 AT yahoo.com (replace "AT" with "@")