Chemotherapy had little side effects upon me, one day I lost some hair and then it stopped, nobody noticed. Body hair decreased somewhat however I was receiving hormone treatment via patches which probably had more to do with it. The hormone treatment was also more to do with lack of interest in sex as effectively it is a form of chemical castration. Fortunately, my wife wasn't bothered, we would rather that I be alive!
Luckily the Chemo had little effect on me although it did reduce my immunity, the result being that a work colleague who was ill spread her germs and I had Sepsis halfway through my treatment. This meant almost a week in isolation in hospital, but I recovered quickly. Apart from the Sepsis, it was just the time taken out from work for the treatment.
Yes
I was lucky and didn't notice any ill effects worth mentioning. It is a treatment that is considered effective so why avoid it?
This was the most scary of the treatments that I had. There does seem to be a division of opinion regarding it's effectiveness, this was over 4 years ago, the information may be more enlightening by now. The post operation was the tricky bit, after the catheter was removed I did pass some blood now and then however my greatest problem was the constipation, a usual side effect post operation. In my case, the constipation lasted a few weeks, was very painful and prevented me from any intake of food or drink. The plus was that I lost over a stone
Post operation recovery took much longer than I anticipated, mainly due to the constipation, once this was clear I was fine.
Not sure
I would need reassurance that it was necessary for my well being and life expectancy.
Apart from the time taken to travel for treatment, I don't recall any problems with this treatment.
Yes
It was easy enough to do and I don't recall any negative effects. If it helps my treatment and recovery, why not?
Basically the patches are hormone replacement that chemically castrate you by negating your libido and interest in sex.
I had to change 3 patches twice a week for 3 years. I am told that the effects are less noticeable than injections as they infuse smaller amounts of hormone therapy than a large dose injected that then diminishes over a period. After 3 years I had to stop and all was well until a year later when it was confirmed that the disease has been found attached to my spine. This was 15 months ago and I then began a course of hormone injections and hormone tablets.
Yes
Hormone treatment seems to be the most likely treatment to contain the cancer.
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