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prostate cancer stage 4 please help

my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer stage 4, 2 months ago, hes taking therapy to treat it, his psa level when he was diagnosed was 258, recently it droped to 240 something, so his treatment is working. i just need help because my dad have been in pain for a while now, knee pain, back pain, body ache, and short breath,  how can i help my dad with the pain, hes taking hydrocodone for the pain, it works for his lower back pain since thats where the cancer spreaded.
but he is having joint pain, (he has arthritis) hes using different types of ointments but is not helping him. is there a natural remedy that can help him with the pain? teas, ointments, or something else, i just dont like seeing him this way, he is 80 years old and i don't want him to loose any hope if you know what i mean :(
  please if someone can help me i will appreciate it, thanks for taking the time to read my post.
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707563 tn?1626361905
How is your dad doing? Prostate cancer is a terrible disease - I lost my dad to it in Aug.

Stage 4 means it has spread - either to the lymph nodes outside the pelvic area, or to the bones, or to other distant parts of the body. It could also mean the tumor has spread to pelvic lymph nodes or is obstructing the ureters (the tubes from the kidneys to the bladder), or both.

I know your dad has arthritis, but have they done any imaging (MRIs, for example) to make sure none of his pain is from cancer that has spread to other parts of his body?

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stage-4-prostate-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20377966

Even if it's in his bones now, don't panic. My dad lived for a couple of years after it spread. (He also had Parkinson's Disease and some other health things, so your dad's outcome may be very different.)

I'm very sorry you are going through this. It's not easy.

I hope he's doing better and the treatment is working.
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6 Comments
Thank you
Emily_MHManager . yes the cancer spread to his spine, having body ache specially on his knee and lower back.,  so he feels pain when he doesn't take morphine (pills) or any other type or pain killers. he stopped drinking water or eating so he was getting pretty weak , doctor stopped treatment, because of that, his blood work showed that the cancer numbers were rising. he is 80 years old, he was feeling really depressed. my 3 brothers and i talked to him and finally he started eating and drinking more liquids, on top of that he is dehydrated and has anemia, after the last blood work his numbers went down again.
right now, he feels better, getting stronger, like he says,
I will fight until I can no longer, lol
thank you for the support.
micatuca, I'm really sorry to hear this.

Have you asked him what he'd like to do? Does he want to continue to fight, or is he ready to stop? The last several months of my dad's life were just filled with so much pain, and he was ready to go before my mom was ready to let him go, so he fought.

In any case, dying from dehydration and starvation is a terrible way to go, and wouldn't be a peaceful death. I'm glad he's eating and drinking.

When he's ready, and you're ready, get Hospice involved. I can not say enough about how much they helped us. https://hospicefoundation.org/

We're here if you have questions, need to vent, talk, whatever. I'm sending warm thoughts for you and your family.
Yes he want to continue fighting.
Its just hard for him because he is having body ache, difficult to move around, but still he wants to walk around.
And thank you so much.
Any advice that would help him with the pain?
Lower back pain and knee pain, and sometimes his whole body
Is he using a walker? That may help relieve some of the pressure off his bones. My dad had Parkinson's, and needed a walker sooner than he might have had he only had the prostate cancer, and he hated the walker, but he used it because he still wanted to get around, and didn't want to rely on anyone too much.

Cancer in the bone is PAINFUL. Is he getting pain management? Unfortunately, that often leaves them groggy, and not wanting to do much, so it's kind of counter-productive to getting around. What about medical marijuana? Are you in a place where that's legal? My dad never got to try that, so I can't say if that works, on a personal level. By the time he decided to do it, and then got approved, he was in the hospital for the final time, and hospitals here can't dispense it.

Make sure to let his doctor know how painful it is for him.
He uses the walker for the same reason like your dad.
And in texas i dont think medical marijuana is legal.
But i was told that maybe if he used the oil might hel since they sell in in the smoke stores.
Yes, it might. Research it first, and make sure the brand is reliable, etc.

I hope he gets some relief. :(
15695260 tn?1549593113
Welcome to MedHelp.  We are very sorry to hear about your father's condition.  It's very hard to watch someone we love suffer and we feel for you. And your father as well.  

He's expressed the pain he is in with his physician team?  They may have further suggestions for him.

Here is an article from the American Cancer Society about pain during cancer.  https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/physical-side-effects/pain/facts-about-cancer-pain.html  
Here is another article related to pain during cancer that has some treatment suggestions. https://www.webmd.com/cancer/pain-management-cancer-pain#1  Has he had a nerve block for example?  That may be beneficial if his pain is in his lower back as you describe. There are also creams like Arnica that are natural that may help.

Here is an overview of prostate cancer for those reading that may help explain some of this disease: https://www.medhelp.org/cancer/slideshows/Your-Guide-to-Prostate-Cancer/269

We are very sorry that he is stage 4 and very much hope that he can be brought to remission.  We'll be thinking of you.  Please let us know how things go.  best of health to you.
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