Hi everyone,
I never imagined I’d be writing something like this, but my son was recently diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer, and life has felt completely upside down ever since. One moment he was dealing with what we all thought was just ordinary back pain, and the next we were thrown into a world of scans, metastases, treatment plans, and medical terms I’d never heard before — things like androgen-deprivation therapy, systemic treatment, bone-targeted therapy, palliative radiation, PSA kinetics… all the vocabulary no parent ever wants to learn.
He has now started treatment: hormone therapy combined with a systemic drug, and the doctors are cautiously hopeful. He’s trying to stay strong, but I can see how much fear and exhaustion sit behind his smile. As a parent, it tears you apart — you want to protect your child, even when he’s a grown man, and suddenly you realize you can’t fix this, only walk beside him.
I’ve been trying to understand as much as I can so I can support him better. I came across this article, which actually helped bring some structure into the chaos and explain the different parts of stage 4 treatment in a human way: treatment of stage 4 prostate cancer
It covers how the cancer spreads, what the role of ADT is, when chemo is used, why bone-metastasis treatment matters, and how palliative care fits into the bigger picture. It didn’t make things easier emotionally, but at least I felt less lost.
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through something similar with a loved one. How did your partner, parent, or child respond to treatment? What helped them manage the side effects and the fear? And honestly — how did you cope through all of it?
Some days we’re managing, and other days I feel like the worry is swallowing me whole. Any advice or shared experience would mean more than you know.