High Sierra Topix

stevet wrote: ↑Thu Nov 04, 2021 5:48 pm Bill, my prayers with you. And also hope you find the right blend of therapy and assist that allows you to spend time in "God's Country". Finding your site and reading of your treks guided me to think beyond my history of hiking "bankers hours" and push myself longer. Because of your inspiration I see more, and experience more in my 60's than I did in my 40's.

You've been an awesome guide, and I'm certain you'll find a way to return home.

Wow, Steve. You made my day - more like my week, maybe even my month.
I need to be more positive.
I need to be more assertive with my oncologist who would like to keep me on ADT forever.
Quality of life is more important than quantity. I don't understand why it is so difficult for my health care providers to understand that.
Again, thanks for the kind and thoughtful words.
Bill

My mom has been on a colostomy bag for at least a year after rectal cancer. Doctor said she was cancer free and the scans are clear.
I spoke to her oncologist about resection. She yelled at me for reaching out as she doesn't push on the doctors. I do.
PUSH ON YOUR DOCTORS every chance you get. Her next scan is in December and I'm going to push again. See, I had to learn to care for her bag if she was unable to do so. Not fun.

Just do what you want to do with the time left. It only makes you stronger.

rlown wrote: ↑Sun Nov 07, 2021 10:30 am My mom has been on a colostomy bag for at least a year after rectal cancer. Doctor said she was cancer free and the scans are clear.
I spoke to her oncologist about resection. She yelled at me for reaching out as she doesn't push on the doctors. I do.
PUSH ON YOUR DOCTORS every chance you get. Her next scan is in December and I'm going to push again. See, I had to learn to care for her bag if she was unable to do so. Not fun.

Just do what you want to do with the time left. It only makes you stronger.

Thanks for the perspective and encouragement.

I agree with Russ on pushing your doctors. That has also been my experience. It’s also important to get a second opinion since you have legitimate important questions. My wife and I are with Kaiser, so getting a second opinion is relatively easy. You just go to your primary care doctor and say you want a second opinion. In both our cases, the second opinion turned out to be correct. It may be more difficult if you are not with Kaiser, but we have friends who have pushed for a second opinion outside Kaiser who were really happy they did.

Also, having a doctor who understands and is sympathetic to being a hiker/backpacker helps. Our primary care doctor is also a backpacker and that had made a huge difference when we’ve been referred to someone for a second opinion or been referred to a physical therapist. My physical therapist after my accident was also a backpacker and that really helped since I didn’t have to explain/justify my motivations.

LMBSGV wrote: ↑Mon Nov 08, 2021 1:04 pm I agree with Russ on pushing your doctors. That has also been my experience. It’s also important to get a second opinion since you have legitimate important questions. My wife and I are with Kaiser, so getting a second opinion is relatively easy. You just go to your primary care doctor and say you want a second opinion. In both our cases, the second opinion turned out to be correct. It may be more difficult if you are not with Kaiser, but we have friends who have pushed for a second opinion outside Kaiser who were really happy they did.

Also, having a doctor who understands and is sympathetic to being a hiker/backpacker helps. Our primary care doctor is also a backpacker and that had made a huge difference when we’ve been referred to someone for a second opinion or been referred to a physical therapist. My physical therapist after my accident was also a backpacker and that really helped since I didn’t have to explain/justify my motivations.

Thanks for the advice and encouragement, Laurence. My oncologist is a master at orienteering and has done courses in the area where I hike. That's one of the reasons I became his patient. But, he is more conservative about treatment than I am.
I think I may be able to talk him into taking a break. However, there is no guarantee I will recover strength and endurance for hiking.
I am having to take things as they come. That's tough for me since I've almost always been able to power through most roadblocks.
Aging is not for sissies.

After four months of treatment, the brain fog has started to lift and I have noticeably more strength and endurance than I had during the first several months of treatment. It gives me hope that I will be able to hike as well as anyone in his late seventies. Thanks to all of you who showed concern, had suggestions, and offered help.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Very happy to hear that! Happy Thanksgiving!

That's great news! Something we can all be thankful for.

A Happy Thanksgiving indeed!

Bill,


Your experience is quite relevant to me, given that I am about to start what, at this time, is scheduled as a 6-month ADT treatment, which will be administered to give my upcoming radiation treatments a higher probability of knocking out the prostate cancer which was apparently not entirely removed by my Dec. 2018 surgery. My PSA was zero (or below detection limit) for the first year, then climbed to the detection limit (0.1) for the next couple of tests, then hit 0.2 as of a test done in November. Anyhow at my relatively young age and condition it appears that the best game plan is to try to knock what's left with radiation and apparently the ADT is a part of the package for giving the radiation a better chance of working. While asking the oncologist about side effects, he told me that the radiation treatments (daily for 6 weeks or something), but that the hormone therapy will. I will test things and see if ramping up the level of training will at least partly offset the testosterone drop, if in fact I have the energy to do so. In the meantime I'm trying to go into the start of this with extra training (both strength and endurance).

We'll see how things go in terms of being fit for the usual ambitious backpacking trips (before these developments, I had planned one for 2022 that was probably in my top 2 of most strenuous trips I've ever done). In the meantime I look at the bright side and note that there don't seem to be any dietary restrictions associated with all of this. So I'll still have my beer and wine.

Anyhow best wishes to staying active and enjoying life as long as possible.

Cheers,

GB (John)