You will definitely need to weigh the threat of cancer against the potential changes it may make to your relationship and sex life. There’s lots of info and help online and it really helps to speak to specialists that are out there to help you. I spoke to PC UK Specialist Nurses about side effects over quite a period as things changed. I also found it useful to join a couple of private Facebook groups where those affected by PC share experiences, as side effects can be wide and varied.
The hospital that treated me did a great job of informing me about what to expect pre, during and post op. This info whilst scary was invaluable. One effect was that I was told that it would be possible that I might experience a certain amount of what they called post op or 'cancer related' fatigue. This fatigue actually started for me just before diagnosis when I was prescribed a drug to help with pain i was having. The fatigue / mind fog / memory / confusion is by far the biggest impact my PC journey has had on my life. It didn’t get better and still persists after 5 years. I’ve had support from PC UK fatigue specialists, psychologists and psychiatrists and of course my wife who is the closest person to me is the only one who really knows how life on the chronic fatigue spectrum really affects me. Over time I’ve managed to get to a position where I now live with this condition and have to actively manage it on a day to day basis. I’ve had lots of help and support from family and friends and my employers have been extremely supportive, but the ‘fatigue condition’ has changed my life completely. Just as a caveat, pre and around the same time as diagnosis there was an unusual amount of stress, change and anxiety in my work-life and unusually several close friends and family bereavement’s. This along with some quite testing post surgery trauma maybe all played a part and have exacerbated my overall situation.
Yes
Whilst my PSA levels seemed on the moderately low but still concerning side my wife and I agreed on surgery very soon after the biopsy positively identified cancer. Once the prostate was out histology reports indicated that the prostate was 28% cancerous. I’m glad I had it removed as 28% was scary plus there was a nodule that looked close to breaking through to lymph system. The chronic fatigue I’m now left with is better than potentially losing my life to prostate cancer.
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