i do need your help!!!

Around 5 years ago I was. Diagnosed with prostate cancer.PSA 40, gleason 7.

Treated with Hifu, Ebrt and orchiectomy, making me an eunuch.

Psa below 0,04 now for more than 3 years.

Feeling very happy.

My problem is getting osteoporose, loss of muscle mass and approaching the limit of diabetes.

I am considering taking 25mg of androgel daily, to counteract those effects.

Is it safe to do it[ can I take the risk] considering my prostate cancer in the past.

Please help me to take a decision.

talk to your doctor. Depends on your age and how you want to spend the rest of your life. Testosterone feeds cancer. If they removed all the cancer you may not have a problem. If they missed a cell or two(very likely) the cancer could come back with a vengeance. I am no doctor but you have to decide if the risk is worth it.

Thanks a lot for your reply, I a from March 22,1952, I used to run and cycle a lot.

I can feel the loss of strength in my legs.

What is important:quality or quantity of life?

I do feel I have to try androgel, but I don't know how it works out.

Ringdijk (imported) wrote: Fri Nov 15, 2013 8:15 am i do need your help!!!

Around 5 years ago I was. Diagnosed with prostate cancer.PSA 40, gleason 7.

Treated with Hifu, Ebrt and orchiectomy, making me an eunuch.

Psa below 0,04 now for more than 3 years.

Feeling very happy.

My problem is getting osteoporose, loss of muscle mass and approaching the limit of diabetes.

I am considering taking 25mg of androgel daily, to counteract those effects.

Is it safe to do it[ can I take the risk] considering my prostate cancer in the past.

Please help me to take a decision.

I would speak with your urologist. There are studies that seem to show estrogen relieves or reduces some of the side effects of having low testosterone. Do a web search for "Role of Estrogen in Normal Male Function: Clinical Implications for Patients With Prostate Cancer on Androgen Deprivation Therapy". That and a healthy diet and exercise might be your ticket. Good luck and let us know how you make out if you try this route.

Baldwin has one key part of your answer – testosterone is fuel for prostate cancer and adding it to your system may rekindle the cancer. Using it would be very risky and definitely should not be tried without approval from your oncologist (and then working carefully with him should you try it).

Unencumbered has another important part of the answer, though. Testosterone and estrogen are chemically quite similar and have some of the same impact on an ADULT body that has gone through puberty. Loss of testosterone in adult males or of estrogen in adult females results in the gradual loss of those features that are maintained by the appropriate sex hormone. Castration of an adult male (as for prostate cancer) results in gradual loss of body hair below the neck, hot flashes, reduction of libido, gradual shrinkage of adult male penis, loss of testosterone-fueled muscle mass, and, most importantly in your case, loss of protection against osteoporosis.

A LOW dose of estrogen – not enough to feminize, and certainly not at the levels used for Male-to-Female transition – may be sufficient to provide the protection against osteoporosis and also to ward off hot flashes.

There is also strong evidence that it can restore male-pattern sexual functioning. Erik Wibowo, a young neuroanatomist, worked with a population of male Wistar rats. Some were castrated before male rat puberty, some after puberty, and some left intact (though with genital surgery to provide equivalent surgical trauma). Given estrogen, those castrated before puberty took on female sexual behaviors and those castrated AFTER rat puberty regained male sexual functioning similar to that of the uncastrated rats. He has recently completed his PhD dissertation on the research.

I'm listing two of Erik's publications in medical journals below. You or your oncologist or urologist can either look for them or you can (once you've hit the magic FIVE Archive posts) send me a <Private Message> with an email address that will accept attachments and I will send you PDF copies of both of them. [The offer of PDF copies is open to any Archive member who wants to request them. I just need an email address to send them to.]

References:

Erik Wibowo, Paul Schellhammer and Richard J. Wassersug (2011).

unencumbered (imported) wrote: Sat Nov 16, 2013 5:46 am Role of Estrogen in Normal Male Function: Clinical Implications for Patients With Prostate Cancer on Androgen
Deprivation Therapy.

Journal of Urology, Vol. 185, 17-23. DOI:10.1016/j.juro.2010.08.094

Erik Wibowo, Richard Wassersug, Karen Warkentin, Lauren Walker, John Robinson, Lori Brotto and Thomas Johnson. (2012). Impact of androgen deprivation therapy on sexual function: a response. Asian Journal of Andrology (2012) 14, 793–794.

I also had prostate cancer but was treated with radiation. My T levels run from a low of 130 to high 200s. I inquired about Androgel too but was advised against it.

I don't have prostate cancer but seem to have a hard time living with the amount of testosterone my doctors want me on. I was wondering if lower does of estrogen would let me function sexually and ward of some of the health effects of no T without feminizing me to much. I will PM you with my email and would appreciate the links to the articles.

I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination but I don't think testosterone would be a good idea for you. From your post you already sound pretty active and probably motivated. If you're cycling already that's your legs covered as far as not losing muscle mass, maybe start jogging to stress your bones and promote bone health. I firmly believe in the "use it or lose it effect" To add to this and to cover your upper body how about including some strength training, specifically weight training. This will keep the muscle you have and possibly increase it a little. Having a good % of muscle will keep you burning the calories you consume which will obviously also help with weight, it's win win and no drugs involved. Keeping the weight off by itself helps in keep ing you active and healthy. Getting out on your bike, jogging, enjoying the sun in moderate amounts without burning (topping up your vitamin D) is also a consideration, Roll on summer Keep your sugar intake to a minimum, particularly sugary drinks, soda. Avoid as much as possible processed foods, they stick sugar in everything these days. If you are seroius about maintaining your health maybe adopt a HEALTHY meat, dairy, fish and egg free diet. I'll leave you to do your own research but I will recommend one book, "the starch solution" Hope this helps and keeps you off the pills. All meds have the potential of side effects so if you can stay off them it's all the better. Be well