Naturally indecisive... faced with big decision

Hi Steve

Yes, it is difficult must admit, looks like yours is a non aggressive type so time on your side.

So the main decision is surgery or HT and RT.

Surgery , main issues can be ED and urinary problems, obviously not everyone has them or sometimes they will disappear over time but not always.

RT and HT  fairly straightforward, RT easier than the HT in terms of side effects but with your non aggressive PC hopefully u wouldn't need to be on HT for too long.

so that's it in a nutshell, which side effects do u want the least?

Only downside to RT and HT,  near impossible to have surgery if cancer returns whereas the other way round ok ie   RT if the surgery doesn't work.

So spend some time , think it over, check out online and see what others say on here.

just to let u know I was on AS for 4 years and then I had the RT which was my preference to the surgery

Best wishes

Steve

Hi Steve

You are asking the $64,000 question!

I tend to agree with you re AS although, I'm sure others would disagree.

When I first heard the news, my initial reaction was, get this out of me NOW! Unfortunately, ( or fortunately depending on your viewpoint) my stats were not good enough - it was RT/HT only for me.

That said, I feel the decision forced on me, by circumstance, has worked out fine.

Guess I'm not really helping you with your decision but , I wish you well in which ever way you decide to go.

Regards

Stuart

Hi Steve - Welcome to the club you didn't want to join.

As Stuart above said, you are asking a very personal question with no right answer.

Honest opinion - read as much as you can on the two options, ask the people on here any specific questions you have and make that $64,000 choice.

If it helps many of the "regulars" here have a diary of their journey - you can see mine by clicking the icon of the beach. I an 18 months down the HT/RT route and I already had a few complications so I didn't have a choice!!  As a Gleason 7 with a low PSA and no spread both options are open to you.

I wish you well on your journey - Anything you want to know, just ask.

Keep us posted.

Kind Regards

Brian.

Hi Steve55,

My partner didn’t have the choice, but if he had we both agreed that removing the “mothership” of cancer was the way to go. My partner has had radiotherapy and is now on long term HT . He is physically drained at the moment and forever in the loo. He will hopefully get a bit better,  but I think the HT will always get the best of him energy wise now and there is a marked difference in before and after treatment (though it is early days after RT) .  It’s a case if weighing up the side effects as removal can also come with issues. It’s a hard decision and hopefully others will be able to give you some more helpful info.

Best wishes 

L

Hi Steve, I was diagnosed in June 2020 with a PSA of 4.7 and a Gleason score of 3+4

Because of covid and as the cancer was slow growing and non aggressive, I went on AS for 2 years.

My initial response was to "get it out" but due to other underlying conditions I was advised to have HT and RT, HT started in October 22 and I had 20 sections of RT ending in March. Hot flushes from the HT is the only side effects I have had so I think it was worth going on that route.

You can read my journey by clicking on the picture of my cat.

Good luck on your journey

Regards

Peter 

Hi Steve55 

Me again, I’m now thinking I have been rather harsh against HT.  My opinion comes from the use of Abiraterone and steroids that keeps my partners cancer in check, I think is quite a full on HT treatment. Positive side effects for me seem to be his unusual and newfound enjoyment of soft furnishing and interior design, we did also have a rather strange and interesting conversation about a glass jar he had found in a charity shop and it’s uses at Christmas. Although unusual for him it was rather enjoyable, though it did leave me wondering if he had been kidnapped by an alien force and replaced as a copy. So not all is negative and who doesn’t enjoy a nice afternoon Kip to recharge the energy stores. 
L

My husband wasn't given a choice.  He was started on HT straight away, then had Chemotherapy for 6 cycles,  which have just finished.   In September he will begin 20 fractions of Radiotherapy.  I am glad we didn't have to actually make the decisions as, like you, we wouldn't have known how to.  I should think asking your Consultant what he advises would be the best option and go with that.  Side effects are probably different for everyone but Ted's, although not pleasant on occasion, have been manageable.  Hot flushes, getting up during the night to urinate, fatigue, feeling rubbish on the 3rd to 10th days after chemo, occasional aching legs.  No sickness, no nausea, slight hair thinning, caught short with diarrhoea on one occasion and fell in the shower, but nothing since.  Initally slightly sore mouth and loss of taste with 1st & 2nd cycles of chemo, but all right since.  The HT brought his PSA right down from 11 to 0.01 very quickly,  where it has remained so far.  He has worn anti sickness wristbands constantly since before starting chemo (not sure whether they have done the trick or not).  Take a look at his profile by clicking the butterfly logo.  Hope this is helpful.  Good luck!

Ha - Wait 'till he starts shopping at Next for clothes - then you know the hormone treatment is working!! .

Best wishes

Brian.

Hi Steve55

Like you I'm 67 & my results in Spring this year were PSA  7.6, & after an MRI scan & biopsies prostate cancer was confirmed with a Gleason score of 4 + 3 = 7.  I wasn't given the option of Active Surveillance, but did discuss at the Oncology appointment whether it was something I could do.  Whilst in the end it would have been my choice to go down that route, in the end I discounted it.

How did I make my decision between HT/RT or Prostatectomy?  Well, I did lots of research & ensured I read & then re-read all the booklets the hospital gave me.  Each option comes with possible side effects, but whilst it may sound silly, I didn't fancy stopping in hospital overnight or having a catheter if I had the prostate removed, so that swung my choice of HT/RT for me.  I must add that I did discuss this with my partner & we talked everything through & he was happy to support me fully whichever choice I made. 

I have opted for HT / SABR radiotherapy which will involve a higher radiotherapy dose per session but mean far fewer sessions, namely 5 over a 2 week period so will mean far fewer trips to hospital.

I don't think that there is a right or wrong answer as to which treatment to have, it's whichever feels right for you.  Once I had made my decision it did come as a great relief. 

Whichever decision you make I wish you well, & as others have said, if there's anything you want to ask please do so.

Kind Regards

Brian

From day one I decided to have it out. Having the RP gets rid of it quickly and if it does come back I can have RT. It seems if I had RT first, then I cannot have the RP later. I considered radiation a last resort. The surgery was around 10 months ago,I ended up 2 nights in the hospital, a catheter for a week and 8 weeks light duties. I was back working the day I got home, albeit giving directions to employees, rather than doing. Only noticeable pain was day of surgery, no pain meds after discharge. Side effects are a nuisance, but still hope they will recede. Eight weeks after surgery, back to work. Twelve weeks back to normal. It is a distant memory now.