Steve's Story

Ethnicity
White British
Age
50-59
Work
Manual work
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Geography
South East
Relationship status
Married/In a Civil Partnership

Radiotherapy

Tips and advice for any sexual side effects of treatment

My wife is very understanding. But I get incredibly upset because I don’t “feel” anything.

Tips and advice for any physical side effects of treatment

If you get the sweats make sure you’re near a fan. If you exhausted take time to listen to your body & take it easy. Try not to use chocolate & pastry’s as a crutch

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

This is hard you feel as if nobody else understands what you’re going through. I received no support for from the NHS during this time besides my treatment, no follow up calls to see how I was doing nothing , granted we were just coming out of a global pandemic, but the level of care was just not there.

How this treatment impacted my life the most

I just wasn’t in control anymore, my radiotherapy took place in the weeks before Christmas 2021. My dad had died the year before & I have two teenage daughters and an elderly mothers. To say the was stressed and anxious is somewhat of an understatement. I’m considered all sorts of things , but I feel like I’m getting back on track now. Every day is hard and some are harder than others. But you must keep going on.

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

Yes

Why did I give this answer?

My surgeon was a complete cnut , he had no empathy at all , I didn’t want him to take me out for a drink but just a small bit of human kindness would have been greatly appreciated at such an emotional time. The minute I asked about other options he seemed disinterested and was quite happy to pass me in to the next healthcare professional v

Share your story with others

By sharing your story you can help others. Share what went well, what didn't and everything in between. Your experience is valuable. Help make the prostate cancer community stronger.

Share story