Well im terrified im scared & nervous and of course im a great big 6 ft 5" giant scardy cat but hello

Hi Graham.

A warm welcome and hello to the family. You are no longer alone and we can fully understand your feelings. They are perfectly normal and something that we have all gone through. Millibob will come along soon and point you in different ways you can get emotional support if you need it but also he is on a similar pathway to you.

One statistic to remember is that 98% of men die with prostate cancer, not of it. Also it has been suggested by the oncologist nurse that you are probably on a CURATIVE PATHWAY.

All the treatments are going to impact your body but the one thing you must do is try and keep as fit as possible. We can hold your hand with what to expect from different treatments and their possible side effects.

Please ask as many questions as you want and someone is bound to come back with help and knowledge based on their experiences.

Hello Tango2pints Graham - A warm welcome to the online Prostate Community - we are a great bunch - if you have been "stalking" us than you should know that we don't bite.

So the fork lift truck has been kind to you and got you to us whilst you are able to be on "curative treatment", if you hadn't had a fight with it things could have been worse.

Your diagnosis tells me you have a fast growing Prostate Cancer that has broken through the outer layer of the Prostate and has spread to the lymph nodes. (That's where I was 2 years ago with a couple of other issues!!).

You are being put on a curative treatment path starting with Hormone Therapy - this will put the cancer to sleep and then Radiotherapy which will kill it off - it's simple - nothing to be scared of. As the cancer has broken out of the Prostate surgery is not an option but if they are offering Brachytherapy I will "tag"  Alpine Wanderer into this post as he's just been through this and can advise you on this.

It's not a surprise you are scared - but we are here to "hold your hand" even at 6' 5"" !!

I hope the above is a help - if you have any questions ask away. The start of treatment is hard and there is so much to take in - but we are all here for you.

If as Alwayshope said above you need any help or emotional support over and above us folk here, just let me know and I can organise this for you. I am on just the same pathway as you and i am good over 2 years in - you can read my journey by clicking on my avatar,

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Graham,

I'm nearly a foot shorter than you, so you imagine how scared I've been!! Yes - the 'coming to terms' with everything period can be bewildering, overwhelming, and downright terrifying. But you'll have gathered that this forum is worth its weight in gold for us members of 'Club PC'. I'm a relative newbie here (last month), and already the forum and its fabulous members and moderators have been a tower of strength.

Thinking of you, and I'm on tip-toes giving you a hug.

David

Hi Graham (Tango),

Everyone in this group can certainly understand the shock you are currently feeling at this moment in time, but you have made a positive first step in dealing with it by joining this fantastic group.  It's a great bunch of people who are now here to support you in whatever way we can.

When I was diagnosed I felt a bit lost, but focussed on the fact that I was told it was a curative pathway, & the more I read up & researched the subject, the more I started to come to terms with it & relax.  Funny as it seems it's best not to google prostate cancer as there is so much misinformation out there, but instead rely upon sites such as Prostate Cancer UK (who have some great information booklets) & Macmillan.  I'm sure Millibob or someone else will be able to add the links to these.

At training sessions in work we were always told there is no such thing as a stupid question, so ask anything you want as it's the best way to find something out.  Someone on here will then be along with an answer or advice for you based on their own experiences.

Best Wishes

Brian

And as if by magic-:

Buzzers said:

I'm sure Millibob or someone else will be able to add the links to these.

 link to the Hormone Therapy information:

shop.prostatecanceruk.org/.../hormone-therapy

And the Radiotherapy information:

https://shop.prostatecanceruk.org/our-publications/all-publications/external-beam-radiotherapy

You have two wishes remaining .

Best wishes - Brian.

Cheers Brian,

Not sure how many hospitals do this, but when I had my initial treatment discussion, I was given what seemed like every booklet Prostate Cancer UK produce to take away & read up on.  Lots of reading (& then re-reading after confusing myself or more likely brain overload) & frequent use of different coloured high lighter pens certainly helped.

Now, for the 2nd of my 3 wishes, this coming weeks Euro lottery winning numbers would be nice 

Ah - I have just popped out for a pint with the dog - I will see what I can do tomorrow!!

I am human!!

Hi Graham Sorry you’ve had to join the club but happy you’ve posted to tell your story,it’s a worrying time waiting,when I was diagnosed last month I was lost,me and the wife just burst out in a flood off tears but then finding this forum really helped and put my mind at ease, onwards and upwards as they say ,take care Robert

Hi Tango,

I’ve already been tagged by Millibob - and here I am.  First of all: don’t panic.  Your PSA score of 14 is “elevated” but not exceptionally high (I have a friend whose PSA was over 2,000, and it is now 0.07 after some pretty sophisticated treatment.  PIRADS 5 MRI merely means that they had a clear picture of the lesion on the machine (presumably because the growth was near the edge of the prostate so it wasn’t obscured by anything else). Then the biopsy result and Gleason score (plus the lymph node involvement) means that the consultants can tailor your curative treatment pathway. Because of this, I assume they want to hit the cancer hard with a triple process: hormone therapy, brachytherapy and external beam, intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). I know that these are complicated terms but, believe me, they are fine tuned accurate processes with excellent results for curing you.  Even in the worst case scenario, you should live for 10-15 years. But concentrate on the cure (you will see figures of 90% cure rate: don’t forget that some of the 10% who aren’t cured will have had a much worse prognosis than you. In layman’s terms they “want to throw the kitchen sink at it”.  But don’t be frightened: I’ve just been through this exact triple process - so check out my bio, and the links within it!  Welcome to our supportive community of brothers (and sisters) in arms!    AW

Thankyou for your lovely words it is very good to read the positivity here as im still finding things very confusing