Surgery or Radiotherapy? Decision made!

Wow - Things are moving for you now - I was thinking it was only a few weeks ago you walked (pun intended!) into the Community but you have been here for a while!!  I wish you well with it and hope you are feeling great after the operation and you enjoy Christmas and the New Year!

(Manchester University Trust use "My Chart" - it's great. I had a full set of bloods done (pre - op) there before my TURP operation and by the time I got home ALL the results were there). A few weeks later my G P called me in for a full set of bloods - I just gave them access to My Chart - one G P visit less!!

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Millibob (I prefer to think of you as a favourite uncle rather than Brian - no offence meant!), and, of course, my other virtual friends on this wonderful site….  

Just to say, that reading my profile and my various posts on here, you would think that I am sailing through this. However, today (and yesterday) I’ve had a serious wobble. I went for a routine dental check up and the X-ray showed decay under my 4 tooth bridge. It can’t be treated, so the dentist will cut through the middle of the bridge on Thursday and I will lose 2 of the 4 teeth. You may be thinking “So what?, PCa is much more serious.”

But I have really struggled with this latest set back - I think it’s the feeling that my body is crumbling and letting me down whenever any check is done, and it is yet another loss on control’.  BUT - I think I may be coming out of my 24 hour depression, as My wife is a tremendous sympathetic support.  I’m also mindful of the famous Invictus poem, which contains a few choice lines:

“ I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul.   Under the bludgeons of chance, my head is bloody, but unbowed.   I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”

I thank you all for reading my ramblings (I know you will) and we fight on…

AW

I understand where you're coming from with dental issues, my dentist who I had been with for 20 years retired 18 months ago and I've been struggling to find a decent one since.

In your case unless u have been with your dentist for many years and is tried and tested I would get a second opinion

Good luck

Steve 

Hi G,

yes - many years (she fitted the bridge 6 years ago, too). She is as gutted as I am. The X-ray and another one from a different angle was totally conclusive. One year ago, the image was perfect with no decay. 

Ok, sorry to hear, 

Good Morning Alpine Wanderer 

Feel free to call me what you want - I have had worse - for those who remember "The Magic Roundabout" one or two of my mates refer to me as "The Amiable Mollusc" however moving on.........

It's normal to have "dark days" as I call them - sometimes when things don't quite go to plan or something crops up you do struggle - goodness me we have Cancer! You don't half need some strength to get through what we have to go through - the first thing they do is stick you on hormones and almost turn you into a woman - you lose your manhood - that's some change to start off with! 

Don't worry - you are normal - you have the support of Mrs AW and then us lot on here - and as you say you are coming out of it so that's great.

I've just had my full bloods done - my GFR - kidney function is down - that almost killed me two years ago!- I will wait until my diabetic review in a couple of weeks - you know - I have given up worrying - I feel in a good place - and you will be back on track soon.

You will feel better once you have sorted the dentist out - as you say "I am the Captain of my soul"

(Even I can ramble too!!)

Best wishes - Brian. 

Hello AW

so sorry to hear of this new challenge! I know it’s of little consolation but your own journey seems to so much follow my husband’s!! He departed company with a tooth in June  following an abscess that flared up out of, seemingly, nowhere! At the time he said it was ‘another nail in his coffin’. You men certainly do go through the mill but, do you know what? You can and do and will bounce back!

I h ave a phobia about dentists! So much so that I religiously go for regular check up so that, hopefully, I will need nothing major doing! Sadly, I do have a tooth ‘under close observation’ which will be a big problem ( for me and our bank account) when it starts misbehaving!

Do PM me if you wish or need to! It’s the local support group meeting on 6th Dec if you are interested!

AW, Having cancer is a roller coaster.  Over time you get to realise that there are ups following the downs although it might not always be that apparent.  I had a tooth capped 3 years ago (at great expense) only to find out last year that my dentist said it needed to come out.  He then looked at my notes and said he couldn’t do it as I take sodium risodronate and that could cause complications so I saved several hundred pounds there and the tooth hasn’t been a problem since!

I think Millibob has the right approach - don’t worry about the things you can’t do anything about.  Easier said than done but over time I worry less about my cancer (my original prognosis was 5 years) and now treat everyday as a bonus.

Keep positive.  David

Had Pre-op at Addenbrookes yesterday.  Full electro cardiograph, full bloods, urine, etc.  All readings normal, and my PSA has dropped to 0.29!   Very pleased after only 8 weeks on the hormone therapy.  All systems go for LDR brachytherapy on 19 Dec.  That will be the first stage of my “Brachytherapy Boost” treatment. Still taking nothing for granted but all going in the right direction…

Good Morning Alpine Wanderer 

Cracking that - I think those results have been a big boost for you - as you say:

Alpine Wanderer said:

 All systems go for LDR brachytherapy on 19 Dec.

I am so pleased for you - The 19th will be here before you know it!!

Best wishes - Brian.