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Rod's Story

Ethnicity
Any other White background
Age
60-69
Work
Retired
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Geography
South West
Relationship status
Married/In a Civil Partnership
Listen

Radical Prostatectomy (Surgery)

Tips and advice for any bladder or bowel side effects of treatment

Try do your pelvic exercises as much as you can

Tips and advice for any sexual side effects of treatment

If you can avoid removing the Prostate it will certainly give you a better life, I am left with Incontinence both ways, due to a nerve being severed, I cannot get an erection & have not had Penertration Sex since 2015.. Talk to your partner about what treatment you would like to pursue..

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

When having my Prostate removed they also found that I had tumour in my large intestine which they removed at the same time, It left me in a hell of a state, my emotions were then & still now 9 years later hard to control... My advice to you is if you are deciding to have the Prostate removed, ask all the questions about support afterwards....

How this treatment impacted my life the most

At home I am left having to pee with a funnel... It has left me incontinent both back & front... When we go out I always have to sit down to pee, as I won't carry a funnel, this leaves me with a 30% chance of messing myself.... I am on lifetime Pads (3 per Day minimum).... I cannot do pelvic exercises due to Fibromyalgia, very bad muscular problems... I have no chance of having Penetrating Sex which does effect my relationship with me Wife... I am constantly peeing or leaking, which sometimes changing the bedding in the middle of the night... It has left my life in tatters, my self confidence has been slashed to ribbons.... I have been diagnosed with PTSD, which stems from my Army days, so I am on strong tablets to control my emotions.... I don't have any support anymore, except from the Incontinence Department once a year to check if I need to increase my Pads... Other than that I am fine...

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

No

Why did I give this answer?

If I knew then what I know today I would have never allowed myself this treatment... Although it did save my Life for which I am greatfull, but I did have other choices which I should have taken or at least researched I just jumped in the Removal option....

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