Husband aged 78 just diagnosed

Hello Welshwhisperer from another wife. Firstly I wish you well with your own recovery. For your husband the only treatment he will probably not be eligible for is surgery because of his age. Apart from that then what treatment he will be offered will be determined by the type of prostate cancer he has along with any other medical conditions so if you can give us a little more information like his PSA, TNM and any information from the biopsy then this will help us give you more tailored information. He may be offered anything from Active Surveillance to hormone therapy, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. I don't know how much you know about prostate cancer but there is a good book you can download for free as a starter.

https://issuu.com/magazineproduction/docs/js_prostate_cancer_guide_for_patients_ezine

Just to reassure you, prostate cancer is normally slow growing. Also my husband is now 81 and is about to have more radiotherapy and chemotherapy and he has been on hormone therapy since July 2020. At the moment the best thing you can do for your husband is to encourage him to get as fit as possible and to have a positive attitude. There is plenty of help around so ask any questions and we will try and help.

Hello Welshwhisperer 

A warm welcome to the Macmillan Online Prostate Group, although I am so sorry to find you here. I am Brian one of the Community Champions here at Macmillan.

I can't say much more that said by Alwayshope in the post above. I would say however that if you do have any questions, however trivial they may be feel free to ask them - you will get answers.

One fact I use quite often is 98% of men diagnosed with Prostate Cancer die WITH it not OF it.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Welshwhisperer

I second what Brian and Alwayshope have said. My husband has just turned 80 and was also diagnosed in 2020. Only been on testosterone lowering injections and more recently some meds which aim to do the same job. The reason for this treatment is because prostate cancer needs testosterone to allow it to grow.

The chances are that this will be the first line of treatment for your husband and if so, will slow down its progress. They do unfortunately have side effects, which vary from men to men, and are very similar to those which many women may experience during the menopause. 

Whilst my husband has never had hot flushes, he does have mood swings. This will inevitably affect you, so you will need a certain amount of patience on those days when tears seem to outweigh smiles.  It will be a bit of a roller coaster for you both so just pull together and you will get through it. Even if your husbands diagnosis is not curable, it is most definitely treatable.

Best regards

Gina