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David's Story

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

Active Surveillance

Tips and advice for any sexual side effects of treatment

Symptoms seemed fairly common with acute surveillance. Little or no obvious symptoms with a PSA test every 3 months

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

I had a major brain injury in 2012 which I recovered from but was left with anxiety and depression. The medication I took for this helped with the added depression and anxiety during prostate issues - I’d recommend anyone feeling this to talk to their GP or urology consultant

How this treatment impacted my life the most

Anxiety and wondering if the cancer would get worse quickly

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

Yes

Why did I give this answer?

I was fortunate my prostate cancer was contained within the prostate and hadn’t begun to spread so had few if any symptoms so choosing acute surveillance allowed me to effectively get on with my life whilst being monitored every few months

Radical Prostatectomy (Surgery)

Tips and advice for any sexual side effects of treatment

There are physical and chemical treatment options but I didn’t find any of them worked well for me

Tips and advice for any physical side effects of treatment

I found once I began to recover from the operation and the normal effects of surgery, I was able to undertake the wide range of sports and physical activities indeed increasing these further as my body strengthened

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

Talk to your consultant, understand why your PSA score and Gleason score have increased and the implications which have lead to the recommendation to have a radical prostatectomy

How this treatment impacted my life the most

Radical prostatectomy should result in less effect on urinating and on sexual activity. I found that the urinating and leaking required purchasing of a pad I wear daily to absorb leakages. After 3 years this works well and is thin enough to be worn comfortably day and night. Sexual disfunction unfortunately is still with me and has been the major disappointment in my treatment

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

Yes

Why did I give this answer?

It means that as I continue to have 3 monthly PSA tests, they consistently score 0 meaning I remain prostate cancer free so apart from the side effects the operation has so far been a complete success

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