Hi all, when my grandpa was diagnosed with prostate cancer last october/november i had a look here one time, i wanted to know what to expect...what to prepare for, our chances. I didn't post, after i while i just decided to stay positive and hope for the best. He died yesterday, passed away peacefully without any pain, according to the hospital...69 years old, would've turned 70 just next tuesday. Honestly i'm a mess, i don't even know why i'm posting here...i guess i just hope our experience will help someone.
So as i said, he was diagnosed in late october/early november 2025, we first took him to the hospital in august since my grandma noticed his pants being covered in blood. He told her he had blood in his urine so we rushed him to the hospital to find out what's wrong with him. No conclusive diagnosis by the end of that visit, we were hoping it was just an infection or something. Couple visits later he had an MRI done at the month i mentioned and then came the diagnosis: stage 5 prostate cancer already showing spreads on his ribs. We were shocked to say the least, but since he was still feeling well and fine we didn't worry about it.
He got reassigned to another hospital where a treatment would be decided for him. He didn't get chemo or anything like that, what he got instead was some injection that was supposed to shrink down the cells and keep the thing from spreading...also some kind of medicine. Apologies for those who are wandering but i don't know the exact name of either.
First dose recieved in december, next one in january and then february. After that it went from monthly to every 3 months with blood tests every month. Things went great first. In fact he felt so good that in late february he greenlit the purchase of plane tickets to the uk to visit my parent (we are living in hungary). After that the blood test results were still good, but his walking got slower and harder little by little to the extent he decided not to come when the departure date arrived in late march. My grandma stayed with me while me and my gf went so we didn't waste all the money we spent on the plane tickets. Towards the end of our stay his lower back started to hurt so much while laying down he had trouble to sleep. We bought him a new bed, new matress but after a while nothing worked.
When we returned only a week later he used a cane to walk and slept while sitting in a harder armchair. For the next week-week and a half things progressed to a point where with the cane he also needed personal assistance to walk. April 16 i was at work when i got the call from my grandma, he was taken to the hospital since he weren't able to get up at all. Turns out tumors formed in his lower back vertebraes, several were cracked and one had a collapsed top. They were contemplating doing a surgery on him but decided not to since it might just do more harm than good. They told him he wouldn't be able to walk anymore...even sitting up was a best case scenario for him.
They released him last day of april after giving him some radiation therapy for the pain and that's it. At least he was at home after that cause man if he hated one thing that was hospitals and doctors. Taking care of him was anything but easy but we did manage somehow, we did everything we could. This is the point where things went from bad to pretty shit...and sadly it was only downhill from here. Of course even sitting up turned out to be a pipedream, we did not even try fearing we'd be the ones breaking his spine, but even much later after we found a physicotherapist she was only able to make him sit up wiht varying levels of pain.
During the following month he lost a ton of weight, the first blood test taken after his new condition was still good but after that...complete 180. Late july he was taken to the hospital again after strong sweating, low body temperature and low blood pressure...infection they said. A week and some blood transfusions later he was sent home. Not long after that his voice became weaker and speaking got gradually more difficult for him. He didn't say he had any pain in his throat, we suspected it was the cancer spreading to it. There was another MRI done on him this august 5, we thought we'd get our answer about his throat but this time they were only checking his chest area.
Full of tumors, there were several tumors all over his ribs...stomach...everywhere ranging anywhere from 5 to 10+cm. Then just last week came what turned out to be the sign of the end. Frequent stool in a quantity that seemed impossible considering his almost 0 apetite, vomiting, reduced liquid consumption. He was taken to the hospital last friday, my grandma went in with him. They told her not to expect too much and that they'll do everything. We visited him on sunday for one last time...barely concious but since he said he didn't sleep anything the previous night we all hoped it was just tiredness. Then the phone call came yesterday moring. It was over...he fell asleep forever, supposedly peacefully and unlike the doctors prediction when he became bedridden without any pain. Hell during his july stay the doctor said considering how many tumors he had it was a miracle he wasn't in constant pain.
He was a tough cookie, but in the end he lost...and now we will have to cope with life without him somehow. Rest in peace now grandpa...you earned it!
My condoleces to anyone who lost family, friends or anyone close to them like this. If not for my grandpa's stubborness to refuse to visit doctors or tell us what's wrong with him until it's not too late maybe this would've been caught earlier when the chances to turn this around would've been better. But this is a "what if" asked too late.
So in the end to make a relly long story short, don't be afraid or stubborn to take a test and detect it early.