Planning ahead

Two days ago my husband has been diagnosed with Stage T3a Prostate cancer. He's scheduled for a bone scan to assess whether it has progressed and to determine course of treatment. However, so far the plan is to perform a radical prostatectomy.

I'm prayerful for successful surgery, but don't know what to expect for the journey ahead.

We have a 12 year old son who's really devastated by this news.

I'm doing my best not to be anxious or fearful and I'm trying to be as practical as possible. However, in the past my hubby has often interpreted this as lacking emotion, but it's my coping mechanism. How can I balance both without crumbling, because in reality I think that I am scared of the impact this will have on all of us. How can I prepare for the journey ahead so I can be both supportive and put things in order for both my husband and my son?

  • Hello Stylistic,

    Welcome to Cancer Chat and I'm sorry to hear about your husband's diagnosis.

    I can imagine it's been a stressful time for you and the family so it's important to keep communication open and check in with each other regularly. This can help you all to support each other and hopefully process things a bit better. It's perfectly natural to feel anxious and scared, so there's no harm in talking about that with those closest to you. 

    Planning ahead can be useful, so if you have any questions around what to expect, you can speak to your husband's medical team and we also have a free anonymous cancer nurse helpline if you had any questions. You can call them on 0808 800 4040 and lines open from 9 to 5 Monday to Friday. There is also advice on surgery for prostate cancer on our website, including what to expect before and after the surgery, as well as guidance around talking to children about cancer.

    I hope this is useful to you and do keep us updated,

    Moderator Anastasia