New to Community -Unsure which treatment to chose

Thank you,yes I did ask to be put on the waiting list by telephone  2 weeks ago,and a week later I received a phone call.Due to a cancellation there was a slot at the hospital for a Pre operative assessment which I attended so I might hear something sooner than expected. I will have to tell them to put it back while I weigh up my options ....

Hi Mr Pip. Thought I would chip in as you sound a bit like I was prior to my surgery 11 months ago. Everyone has their own reasons for making the choice you face. I would say that neither is a walk in the park, both have potential side effects and for you both will potentially rid you of the awful cretin. For some the side effects of both are minimal but unfortuneately some suffer massively. Most are somewhere in the middle I would say. I was 4+5, T3a and 68 yrs old. I chose RP because I liked the idea of having another option should the op not be successful and also I preferred the thought of positively removing the cancer. I was absolutely petrified though of the op and going into hospital. Seems daft now but I truely believed that I would not survive the op. However it seems as though I did .  After getting married to my partner of 29 years, writing a new will, writing goodbye letters and leaving those on the table, saying goodbye to my new wife and my garden I was in hosp 08.00 the first day and discharged 18.00 the next. The time just flew past as so much was going on and every single one of the staff were absoluetly wonderful. I didn't have time to dwell. The pain was negligable and I did't take any pain killers. The worst part of the medical side was the biopsy and then secondary, the catheter. I had that for a week and I hated it. However a week passes quickly when you are recovering what with watching TV, dealing with the bag, daily injections (that also was pretty bad for me), washing, etc. What I would say is that if possible have someone to stay with you for at least the first week post as that will make things a lot easier for you. A week later I was walking a couple of miles a day and driving the short distance to the forest for that walk. A further week and I was driving 30 miles to the coast and walking and going to the shops, etc. My incontinence was bad, ED was bad and shortening of the little man was bad; primarily mentally. Recovery from the incontinence has been very slow, particularly during the first six months but I found it quite managable using pads all the time plus a urine bottle when I went out. I am now about 99.5% there. I don't need pads now but I do wear washable Tena boxers just in case but I think they look pretty smart and not out of place. ED is getting better. I take Tadalafil daily (which I am not convinced does anything for the ED). I use a vacuum pump which is pretty good. If I was single or more needing I possibly would use the available injections which are meant to be excellent. So for me ED and incontinenece is totally and easily managable now. Shorteneing of the little man - well that does not really matter. I think it was mainly the intial shock of seeing it when I had the catheter in or rather not seeing it. I had thought it had gone altogether but it was just that the catheter was pulling it right back into my body. Whichever route you take have confidence in your selection because it will be the right choice. If I had to make the choice again, it would be the same.

Couldn't have put it better. No regrets in our house about hubby having the surgery.

Hoping that his first follow up appointment will be good. It's a telephone appointment so hoping this is a good omen that his PSA is undetectable and nothing sinister found in his tissue analysis. 

Hi Mr Pip.

I am going through similar, with decision to be made on options available. I was offered op or RT. I decided on op and had pre op a couple  of months ago. I've fractured vertebrae in my back so op put on hold. Since delay I have spoken to people who have had Brachytherapy. I asked hospital why not offered it and was told they don't do it in the Midlands so dont offer it. Lincoln is closest and so they have sent a referral to consultant there. I would like to speak to specialist re Brachytherapy to see if right for me. If its not right for me or I'm not suited for it then fall back on op.

Hello Mr Pip

I have been following this thread (I am on holiday) but I thought I may as well chuck my oar in!!

 Static has written a fantastic - open and honest post about surgery and it's one of the best posts I have read for a long time..

I on the other hand didn't have the choice and went down the HT/RT Route (I don't think I would have chosen surgery had it been offered). Yes there are side effects - I have man boobs(thanks NHS), hot flushes (controlled by Sage Tablets), very little body hair, I can cry for England, I can put on weight by looking at food, There's no action in the old fellow (but we have other ways of showing affection) and I have had the odd mood swing - I might start shopping at Next soon (Joke!!) and there's the fatigue that comes with it too!!

I am 20 months into my journey, PSA is low and going down, and I feel amazing, better than pre diagnosis. I had issues on my journey - because of the prostate I had an indwelling catheter for 10 months and then a TURP operation - that's not part of the normal HT/RT journey.

If it helps you can read my journey by clicking on the icon of the beach. If you have questions, feel free to ask.

I wish you well, which ever way you chose to go.

Best wishes

Brian.

Hi Mr Pip,

I'm 67 as well & was diagnosed with PC earlier this year with a PSA of 7.6 & Gleason of 4+3 so can empathise with the shock you felt. 

The one thing I was sure of was that I didn't want an operation (still not 100% sure why that was), so that just left HT & RT which the consultant advised was to cure the cancer rather than treat it.  Another factor in it's favour is that I was able to opt for SABR RT which means only 5 sessions of RT over 2 weeks so involves a lot fewer trips to hospital.

If it helps, you can read my journey to date by clicking on my coffee cup icon.

It's a scary thing making the decision as there are so many factors to take into account, but remember there are no right or wrong answers, it's what you decide is the right one for you.  I wish you all the best which ever route you decide to follow.

Kind regards

Brian

Thank you for replying .Hope all goes well and good luck .I’m  fortunate  in a way ,if I choose the RT route the hospital I would visit is only about 4 miles away.

Thank you for replying Brian.You have been on some journey and things are looking good for you. I think it’s important to stay mentally strong and optimistic ,I need to take a leaf out of your book !

Thanks for your reply,this is a very honest and interesting description of your experience. It all helps with my eventual decision...!