Tips and advice for any bladder or bowel side effects of treatment
Start using sanitary pads before your operation, it takes a bit of time to work out a method that suits you, as for myself I had never slept in any night wear, but after my operation I had to get used to wearing briefs with a pad, it might sound daft, but I had to be confident I wasn't going to wet the bed, you have to make sure the briefs you were of the correct type, no point wearing baggy pants with a pad at night , as you won't realise what's happening when your asleep, so snug fitting briefs that hold the pad in place are the best, believe me, it takes a little while to get used to them, saying that, you will have a catheter fitted for two weeks after your operation, so the opposite is needed, baggy boxers, hope that's not confusing.
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.
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.
