For those of you who are new to my Substack, I’ve been a prostate cancer patient for the last year and a half that experiences menopause-like symptoms because of side effects of the cancer drugs that I’ve been on. Hot flashes, bone density loss, brain fog, muscle wasting, weight gain joint aches, lower libido; I had them all in spades.
Some updates:
I’m still in remission for prostate cancer 2.0! My oncologist decided that it’s time to give me a break from cancer treatment and let my testosterone return to normal levels. His exact words were: “We’ve ruined your life long enough.” Over the next two or three months my testosterone level should return to normal and the menopause-like symptoms that I’ve been experiencing for a year go away. Prostate cancer has an affinity for testosterone so there is an increased risk that cancer will return and that’s a chance I’ll have to take.
I will still continue to write about menopause for the foreseeable future because it’s my belief that in many things in life, including medical treatment, women are treated like second class citizens, and this has to change. Also, men need to support their partners/wives through the difficult challenges of peri-menopause through post-menopause.
I wish you well and I am hopeful that your departure from menopause is successful and your recovery is speedy. 🦋