Active Surveillance
Tips and advice for any bladder or bowel side effects of treatment
Tips and advice for any sexual side effects of treatment
Learn to live with it, there is no alternative.
Tips and advice for any mental and emotional side effects of treatment
Pay attention to the people who know you best, it's not always possible to detect a change in your personality, so if family and friends think your mood or demeanor has changed, go and tell your doctor, I wish I had done earlier.
How this treatment impacted my life the most
I was under active observation for about 7years, my PSA blood test results fluctuated between 5 to 9, at the times of higher levels I became more anxious, I would have preferred to be given MRI scans at these times, rather than to be told to wait to see what my next PSA result would be, this could be six months later, which put me personally under a lot of stress and anxiety.
If I had to do it all over again, would I choose the same treatment?
Yes
Why did I give this answer?
I chose to have the active surveillance treatment at the time for a number of reasons, financial, timing, loss of a sex life, reluctance to be incontinent for however long that might be, advice from urolagy consultant and from a surgical consultant.
Radical Prostatectomy (Surgery)
Tips and advice for any bladder or bowel side effects of treatment
Tips and advice for any sexual side effects of treatment
I think we all know the consequences of having your prostate removed, but if you are at that point, then it's a life or death situation, so the choice is made for you.
Tips and advice for any mental and emotional side effects of treatment
I would just say talk openly to the people who matter the most to you, the worst thing to do is to bottle up your emotions.
How this treatment impacted my life the most
Once I had recovered from surgery, the biggest impact on my life was being incontinent, you have to plan how to live with it, it's surprising how much it can dominate your life, the fear of giving off the odour of urine from the pad your wearing makes you very self conscious, especially with strangers, who don't know about your condition, personally, all I seem to be able to smell is the odour, scent, off the sanitary pad, maybe I will get used to it with time.
If I had to do it all over again, would I choose the same treatment?
Yes
Why did I give this answer?
I was at the point were my cancer might spread outside my prostate, after my lat MRI scan there had been a significant change in the prostate, so the choice had been taken out of my hands.