High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound

It was my first favoured route Brian 

the first thing I found was much opposition from the NHS Urologists and clinical nurses , they really were against it and not supportive , they said it wasn’t Nice approved and there wasn’t enough long term data to support it  I found this strange as I know that some NHS hospitals do offer it as a treatment option , unfortunately I struggled to get anywhere via the NHS

i was though advised by my current private surgeon that it can be good option  but I did have other concerns

As I mention due to the NHS being so negative and unhelpful in regards to focal Therapy it would have looked like I would have had to pay privately for it which I was quoted around £16K , they also advised me that there was a chance that I would need more than one treatment , I think around 1 in 4 needed another treatment within 5 years , considering it’s still surgery requiring a catheter for a week after I didn’t want to go through it twice and also pay out that kind of money twice 

for me it still felt like I would have to keep looking over my shoulder,  there was also the concern that if at a later date I did opt for surgery then it could make that more difficult , I know it is not like RT where salvage surgery is really hard but my surgeons words were that an untouched prostate would always be best option for surgery 

Decisions decisions its hard mate ,

Nick

Thanks Nick,

Yes the Urology team did say they could not recommend it due to the lack of the long-term data, however they could refer me to an NHS hospital just 5 miles from my home who do the procedure.

As you say, so many factors to take into account, which is why this forum has really helped as it doesn't scaremonger but just gives you real peoples first hand accounts of their journey (knowing everyone and every case is different).

There is that niggling 'look over the shoulder'  which is involved. 

The control freak in me is thinking a spreadsheet of pros and cons maybe on the cards lol.

thank you very much for sharing your reasoning and decisions, it really does help to clarify and raise points that I may not have thought of.

Wishing you all the best with recovery following surgery.

thanks

Brian

Thanks Brian and that is good news if they can refer you to another NHS  hospital close to you, at least you can get some better informed advice , if I had been offered that I would have persued it more just to get more options and opinions