The Fight Plan

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I won't make this long. I treasure the few of you who are following all this, but I do tend to natter, so I won't this time.

The treatment plan is decided. The Doctor ordered Apalutamide for me (Brand name: Erleada) which I will start taking as soon as I can get my specialty pharmacy to deliver the meds. That's an entirely different fight, one which anyone with insurance and specialty pharmacological needs fights time and again.

Just as a heads-up, here are the listed side effects of Erleada.

WARNING/CAUTION: Even though it may be rare, some people may have very bad and sometimes deadly side effects when taking a drug. Tell your doctor right away is you have any of the following signs or symptoms:

  • Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash, hives, itching... (the list goes on but it sure looks bad)
  • Signs of high blood pressure like very bad headache or dizziness, passing out or change in eyesight (I'm not sure what that means since I get headaches anyway, and my eyesight has worsened since the onset of the cancer)
  • Signs of high blood sugar like confusion, feeling sleepy, more thirst, more hungry ...
  • Signs of high potassium levels like a heartbeat that does not feel normal, feeling confused, feeling weak, lightheaded or dizzy (I'm a bit confused already, so I'm not sure where that line is)
  • Signs of low thyroid levels like constipation, not able to handle cold, memory problems, mood changes ... (I forgot about this one)
  • Weakness on 1 side of the body...
  • Chest pain or pressure
  • Shortness of breath (I'm guessing this is when I'm not walking fast or something)
  • Seizures (I think that would be noticeable)
  • Swelling in the arms or legs (not muscular growth, I'd imagine)
  • Bone pain (Okay, I have this one almost all the time, and I haven't even started yet)
  • Low white blood cell counts have happened with this drug. This may lead to a higher chance of getting an infection.

So that's the serious stuff. I'll watch for it.

The literature does say some people have no side effects. Since I was taking Bicalutamide, and I'm thinking it is the same drug family, I might be okay on all this.

There are less serious side effects like tiredness, weakness, joint pain (hey, they said that one already), not hungry (I could use that a bit), weight loss (ooookay), hot flashes (more of those? Crap.), diarrhea (I already said crap) and upset stomach. 

They also stated these are not all the side effects.

Taking medicine is hard work.

We're not pursuing the chemotherapy until we see how the Apalutamide works. One study I found stated "A total of 1207 men underwent randomization (806 to the apalutamide group and 401 to the placebo group). In the planned primary analysis, which was performed after 378 events had occurred, median metastasis-free survival was 40.5 months in the apalutamide group as compared with 16.2 months in the placebo group" which is encouraging.

So as soon as I can get my pharmacy on board, this treatment will start. I'll let you know if I have any of the terrible side effects!

As always, thanks for reading.

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