David's Story

Tips and advice for any bladder or bowel side effects of treatment

Removal of the catheter, week after surgery, created a tear in urethra, which developed into a stricture. The tear initially meant there was a considerable amount of blood when peeing. As this healed scare tissue developed causing the stricture. This reduced urine flow and it would take sometime, 10 minutes, to empty my bladder. This impacted on my sleep at night. By the time i had finished going to the loo I had become fully awake and had trouble getting back to sleep. Investigations to resolve issue were held back until fully recovered from surgery, 3 months, so sleep deprivation became an issue. Patience was key to coping and normal services were easily restored with a simple procedure to open up the urethra.

Tips and advice for any physical side effects of treatment

The recovery process took much longer than was suggested. The pain in my neck and shoulders a couple of days after surgery was intense, but dissipated gradually. Fatigue has been an ongoing problem and I have found it is important to keep active, but not over do it. Patience is a virtue as there seems to be, for me anyway, no quick way of getting back to full fitness. Accept the situation and commit to doing your best to find ways forward in dealing with the problems.

Tips and advice for any mental and emotional side effects of treatment

So much seemed to have changed in the way my body was working. I led an active healthy life and had no symptoms indicating prostate cancer apart from a slightly raised PSA level, 3.8. The day I went for the operation I was feeling fit and healthy, if rather emotionally fraught. After surgery , and for several weeks, energy levels were low and body felt weak. I started to feel very vulnerable as all the things I enjoyed doing were no longer possible. Time brought about healing and as I started to engage more in the activities I enjoyed and spent time with family and friends, not focusing on the experiences post surgery, things improved. Two years on I still experience anxiety and mood swings, but support from the right people enables me to move on.

How this treatment impacted my life the most

It stopped me doing the things I had already planned and inhibited planning for the future. It created a high degree of uncertainty about how my body would respond to the demands of the active lifestyle I was previously living . It created a sense of vulnerability and constant 'what if' thoughts fueling anxiety. It took time, effort and support from the right people to get thinking back on track and the restoration of normality in the way one appreciates what life has to offer.

If I had to do it all over again, would I choose the same treatment?

Yes

Why did I give this answer?

Physical recovery from the procedure was relatively quick. Restoring confidence and reducing sense of vulnerability is taking much, much longer. My operation, it seems, was a success. This treatment resolved the immediate threat. It removed the cancer. I believe it enabled me to avoid a much longer, protracted treatment, which could have caused similar and more wide ranging side effects to those I have experienced. I think this treatment was right for me.