Thanks forr all the Prayers and Kind Words!

[Dads dogboy]

Hello Folks!

Thanks very much from our entire Family for all the kind words and Prayers for Dad.

We have had a very trying Fall.

Dad had elected to go with the “Lupron” Female hormone treatment protocol for his Prostate Cancer 3 years ago.

His Dr., who is only a Urologist and while a nice man, is old (68) and not as up on Treatments as maybe he should be. He told Dad that @ his age (78 at the time), that the more invasive or aggressive Treatments for Prostate Cancer were not in Dads best interest.

He told Dad quote “You are too old for surgery and will die from something other than this Cancer anyway. We will just slow its growth with these shots.”

Well he neglected to tell Dad of the horrendous side effects of this treatment.

Initially loss of Energy was the major problem, this got even worse as time progressed.

Loss of memory (something we all deal with) became worse over time.

Decreased mental cognitive function and incontinence became more and more of a problem.

When asked for testing to see how the Cancer was progressing, this Dr. convinced Dad that this was unnecessary as the “PSA” test was enough!

Folks if any of you have a Family Member or Friend facing this disease….PLEASE do your research and find the BEST DR.S who treat Cancer as a specialty and use a Holistic approach (not quackery, but treating the whole body. Find a Dr. who will make the patient and his support group aware of the potential side effects of the protocol to be used )

All this Dr. told Dad was that the drug would be chemically castrating him, so the Sex would be over….Dad said that @ 78, Mother Nature and Father Time had already fixed this.

The Dr. did not tell of other side effects that should have been mentioned or of the WORST one which showed up this summer….Alzheimer’s Syndrome. This disease is terrible for the victim and its family. Dad started being unreasonable and aggressive. This became worse and worse as the summer turned into fall. Also a thought would enter his mind and suddenly become fact, and there was no reasoning with him about the whether the thought was real or imagined.

The aggressiveness was accelerating, Dad decided that he did not need anyone to take him hunting….he did not need anyone to take care of him….he was able to do anything he wanted. This made it very tough on my Mom and My Family!

I was forced to leave and go Deer Hunting for a couple of months to let things play out. Once Dad realized that he could not do things for himself, then he went into a depressed funk and started giving Hounds away. He had decided that he was going to die!

Mother and a GOOD Friend, a fellow Cat Hunter stayed after him and we got Dad to agree to see another Dr. This fellow took Dad off the Lupron and put him on an anti-anxiety med. He also told him that it would take several months for his body to expel the Chemicals, that then he would begin to regain his energy. However he warned that the diminished mental function would be slower to go away if it ever did. (Damn the Dr. who did not advise of this).

By Christmas things had gotten better and we went back to hunting on a limited basis. Physically Dad is better and much better adjusted to his condition and the lifestyle which the remainder of his life will see. We will be reviewing his Cancer treatment in the Spring.

We are now in Florida and back to Hunting on a more normal schedule. Dad can get out and in the Truck, were all he has to do is listen to his Hounds work!

Again Thanks to all who have called, sent e-mails, PM’s and expressed their concern on the forum!

And a very special THANKS to the fellow Bobcat Hunters from here on BGH who have become the BEST kind of Friends! You fellows truly kept me from going completely Insane! “Never try to make sense out of nonsense” is a jewel that I will use the rest of my life!

Good Running to all!

C. John Clay
Still his “Dads dogboy”

PS I will Post an update on our Hunt so far, with Pics & Vids if anyone is interested.

[sheimer]

I'm glad to hear that The Father is looking out for you and your Dad. Bless your Mother and Family.

Scott

PS. we are interested in the hunting as well

[coastrangecathunting]

nice to here things are better . tell everyone i said hi.

jc

[twist]

Glad things are turning around for your dad keep hunting and sharing your stories. later, Andy

[sourdough]

I wish I was setting here tonight reading about the chronicles of the Clays and their hounds making time on one of those Florida swamp cats, or watching a short video clip of a bobcat with his back to a palmetto bush, being bayed by a handful of those slick, fast runners your dad worked so hard to make. Your stories have always been refreshing as well as a great read and I and many others on this site have missed them. I am glad to hear you guy's are back at it despite the hard times and troubles that have fallen upon you and your family. Find strength through prayer and allow god to guide you through this darkness. My prayers are with you and your family.

Sourdough

[Bigfoot]

Its great that things are getting better for you and your family. Tell your Dad to hang in there as there is nothing tougher than a dedicated houndsmen!

Keep us updated on your Florida cat adventures.

[George Streepy]

Glad to hear he is hunting again. My wife has MS and was originally put on a pile of medicines that were horribly expensive ($1500 per month) and carried along with it some horrible side effects. I was shortly later diagnosed with empty-wallet syndrome. She couldn't take the medicines and looked to a Holistic Dr. She has been seeing this Dr for about six years and feels good. Very few flare ups and they are way less intense when they come around. Something to be said about treating the whole body and not just throwing drugs on top of more drugs.

I wish you and your dad the best,
George

[Big N' Blue]

God Bless you and your family. I know this has been very hard on you. You know you and your Dad have many friends and admirers out here. I hope that gives you strength as many people have been praying for you all. God Bless!

[Shorty]

I wish I was setting here tonight reading about the chronicles of the Clays and their hounds making time on one of those Florida swamp cats, or watching a short video clip of a bobcat with his back to a palmetto bush, being bayed by a handful of those slick, fast runners your dad worked so hard to make. Your stories have always been refreshing as well as a great read and I and many others on this site have missed them. I am glad to hear you guy's are back at it despite the hard times and troubles that have fallen upon you and your family. Find strength through prayer and allow god to guide you through this darkness. My prayers are with you and your family.

Sourdough

AMEN!

[Hipshooter]

Good to hear things are better
& back to catching cats again

[walkerdog]

We are glad to hear your dad is doing better and will keep your family in our prayers.

[DC DOGGIN]

I am truely glad to hear things are getting better, I admire you greatly for taking the time to fill us in on the update and doing what needs to be done. You and your father are great people and i wish you and your family the best of luck with your future. DC

[nosler]

WE WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP YOUR FAMILY IN OUR PRAYERS. GOD BLESS

[festus]

JC,
Sure am glad to hear things are turning around for you and your family. You and your family are in our prayers

[Hagerman]

We went through a very simular thing ourselves with my father and it hurt the whole family deeply.
Good friends stand out and become more important during these times while others hide or take advantage of the situation. Unfortunity that's this world anymore.
I got so mad at him one time I told him " I don't know where my father is, but when he comes back I hopes he kicks your ass". He didn't even think that was funny, but unfortunitly it was true.
I thank God for the new time that you have been given to share with your father.