Introducing myself - My husband has prostate cancer.

Hi,

 

As you can see from the heading, my husband has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He's 63 and has been told he's unsuitable for radiotherapy because of his age. This means, in his case, radical surgery. He has opted for robotic surgery, called the da vinci prorostatectomy. This is all happening in the first week in May. Obviously I am scared of what implications this has on his future and talking to someone who has been there, done that and worn the t-shirt, would be so great

  • Hi Janmcd = wow what a story!! You both must have put up with such a shock with this intruder in your lives. I know nothing of this cancer = but sure the treatments are good. You must keep intouch so we know how it all goes. Hoping for good news for you both

    Steven

  • Hi there

    I was diagnosed with PCa January 2014 I had radical prostatectomy using Da Vince 31/03/14 was home 2 days later. Have recovered well had a catheter for 2weeks and had to use pads for around 4 months for urinary incontinence. I have now fully recovered from the operation and feel as well as I've ever done. I do have 3 monthly blood tests to measure PSA levels which indicate if cancer has returned but so far I am clear.

    I would advise you to go to PCa UK website where there is a fantastic online community which give advice on all matters concerning PCa it has been a life saver for me.

    Good luck for the future.

    Frank

  • I to have been down that long road I was told I had prostatecancer 3 years ago I have had all my radiat ion treatment and I have my last injection in my stomach in may I hope everything go okay with your op if you ever want some body to talk to you can contact me barry
  • Thank you for the advice Frank, and for sharing your experience. It certainly helps to know that there are guys like you out there having come through it. I'll get my hubby onto PCa UK. Cheers

  • HI Barry, I'll certainly pass that kind offer on to him. He's happy leaving things to me at the moment - he's still coming to terms with things, but I'm sure chatting to someone will help. Thanks!

  • Hi!  My partner was diagnosed over two years ago and two years ago yesterday he had his prostatectomy using the Da Vinci method.  He is now two years on and doing really well.  The PCa UK site is excellent, I decided to find out as much as I could about the disease as armed with the facts I could help him.  My advice is to read everything yourself and (as you know him better than anyone) feed him the information he needs to know in a way that will work for him (to hear).  That worked with us...

    We also found our way of dealing with it was to try to be light hearted about things and find a bit of laughter in some of the things that happened from then to now!!  We look back at that awful time with a fondness of how it brought us even closer and how we coped with it all.

    Good luck and love each other xx

  • Hi,my husband has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer also, we go back to the hospital this afternoon to see how advanced it is and what course of action to take xxx
  • PLEASE DO NOT PROCEED WITH THE SURGERY YET!!!!  I am a prostate cancer survivor, first diagnosed in 2000, and with a recurrence 5 years later, and I am healthy as a horse.  My very strong belief is that your husband needs to obtain a second opinion from a doctor in a different discipline.  Urologists are trained to treat prostate cancer with surgery, and so they always recommend it.  Oncologists are trained to treat it with radiation or meds.  Your husband needs to hear from both disciplines before he makes a decision which, once made, is irreversible.  He is NOT too old for radiation--that statement is very troubling.  Also, there is no compelling medical evidence that surgery is better than radiation, or vice-versa.  There IS compelling evidence that the possible side effects from surgery are worse than the side effects from radiation.  Your husband  should not be in a hurry to make a decision.  A few months will not make any difference in his prospects for survival.  PLEASE consult with at least one other physician from a different discipline; you will never regret it.