James's Story

Ethnicity
White British
Age
70-79
Work
Retired
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Geography
Scotland
Relationship status
Married/In a Civil Partnership

Radical Prostatectomy (Surgery)

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

Strongly advise the pelvic floor exercises before and after the operation. Although incontinence was a serious problem afterwards, I did not allow it to interfere with my normal life (including golf, hill walking etc) by planning ahead where to stop to change pads and by ensuring that you have an emergency bag in the car to carry spare pads, pants and even a pair of trousers. I also always carry a spare pad and disposable bag in my jacket pocket.

Tips and advice for any sexual side effects of treatment

Unfortunately in my case it has totally destroyed this element of my life but I do know others who suffered the same taking an injection immediately prior to sex which greatly helps.

How this treatment impacted my life the most

With the exception of sex life which has totally ceased, the only other item which has had an impact on my life is the incontinence, which unfortunately is still continuing due to some scarring complication. Overall I can continue with normal life but with a bit more planning ahead to accommodate the incontinence

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

Not sure

Why did I give this answer?

Robotic surgery was good and made me cancer free with the opportunity if required for any further treatments, however it left me with no sex life and ongoing incontinence issues. I also know others who have not had any of these issues. I also have several friends who have had alternative treatments such as radiotherapy and brachytherapy who again are cancer free but with mixed issues also. I was however informed that if required it was more difficult to have further treatment using these methods.

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