Hi . Im new to this forum 59 yrs old with prostate cancer

Hi, Sorry to hear you are going through this and now have to wait for your MRI results. I was recently diagnosed in 2025 (Gleason 4+5) and found the waiting between diagnostic tests the most worrying periods & it’s hard to focus on anything else. I don’t have surgery but have just started Chemo and am strangely in a better place mentally now I have a course of action in progress. I am 57 and like you my primary concern which keeps me awake at night is the impact this is having and will have on my family. My two children are mid & late teens. The mindset I am trying to develop to cope with this is that (1) Even with my Stage 4 diagnosis, life can be extended for a few years and this will give both me and my family time to come to terms with the realty and accept it -it’s currently too raw (2) Your family/children will take a lead from your mindset in that if you are positive with them about enjoying life one day at a time, they will feed off this and will be positive in return - which fuels your own positive mindset (3) if the final day does come a little earlier than hoped, reflecting on how you have ‘done your job well’ in raising 2 wonderful children to be independent and equipped to deal with their lives ahead must provide you with some satisfaction - after all at the most fundamental level, that is the purpose of life. Stay positive my friend!

Good morning Bill2chat and welcome to the group. Firstly a Gleason 6 3+3 is usually slow growing and gives you options from Active Surveillance to different types of treatment with the biggest issue being which one you will choose. It also means that you can be on the curative pathway and have a normal lifespan as 98% of men die with it and not of it.

This book which you can download for free explains the diagnosis process, what the results mean and the options for treatment.

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

Waiting for results is the worst part of the prostate journey but once you have sorted out what is best in terms of treatment or AS then things usually settle down and you can get on with living life with your family.

If you don't have a catheter then pelvic floor exercises can help to strengthen the sphincters needed for urine control and help with erectile disfunction. The SQUEEZY APP can guide you to doing them properly. There are also tablets which help improve blood supply to the penis and men can also benefit from a vacuum pump so have a word with your GP.

Please ask any questions and those who have been there, done that and worn the T shirt will try and help you.

Hello Bill (Bill2chat)  

Welcome to the group although I am so sorry to find you here. I assume you had the TURP operation (which reduces the size of your prostate) to enable you to pass urine easier?

A Gleason Score of 6 is quite low and not aggressive so it should if anything be slow growing and the wait of 7/8 weeks for the MRI isn't an issue here. (In the good old USA a Gleason 6 isn't considered to be cancer!!).

Sadly on this cancer journey - the hardest part is the diagnostic part at the start and to put your mind at rest you have the lowest ranked Gleason Score you can get. I would also tell you that 98% of men with Prostate cancer die WITH it than of IT.

Sit back - try not to worry and enjoy your family. Feel free to ask any questions, however trivial you think they are - someone on the Community will have an answer.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Mark10 - this is a positive and heartfelt reply. With today’s medical advances, I hope you have many many more years with your precious family.   AW

Hi Bill2chat - well, you have already had replies from two of the most experienced operators on here: Millibob (our champion) and Alwayshope (our most knowledgeable expert).  I agree that Gleason 3-3 is low grade (despite your significant other issues & side effects from your TURP).  You are eminently curable. Diagnostic time will be a challenge but you should come out the other side intact and looking forward to a normal life post cancer.    AW

Hi Bill2chat 

You’ve had a lot going on since September and it’s not surprising that you feel like this. By the sounds of it you are going through one of those powerful moments in life where the rug is pulled out from under your feet and you see that you are not invincible, I guess it’s a time where you process your own mortality and in turn what’s actually important to you. 
I don’t think you are going to depart this life anytime soon , a Gleason 6 is nice and low and prostate cancer is one of the better cancers to have as it’s so slow growing as a rule and easy to treat. 
I would say your main problem is recovery from all these operations, that’s going to take some time physically and mentally. There’s lots of men here that can help you with ED problems and things that they have done and some posts that you may find helpful, but for now it’s early days  and things need to settle down and mend.
You sound like you have a lovely wife and family, I think maybe you need to let yourself heal physically and concentrate on enjoying your family at this point, make some plans - family holiday/ get togethers,  you’ve had the heads up on life and what’s important, you should have lots of time left to be with them. 
I know this sounds a bit mean, but Mr BW has become a better man in some sense, since he’s been through a similar process with his cancer. His values have sharpened, he’s grown emotionally and he understands completely what’s important to him and what is not. Maybe embrace this time in your life as a positive as the blinkers are off, you know who you are and what is dear to you. Plan to make future memories with the people you care about and give your wife lots of hugs, she sounds great x 

Lx

Thank you Barry , your comments are all very true and appreciated. Im positive that time will heal many of my health concerns . Thanks

Hi Bill2chat sorry you are at this horrible not knowing stage, but rest assured once results are in you will feel better.  As for departing just yet, that isn’t likely with a 3+3.  I was 9 at the start of my journey 8 years ago!  David