Sue's Story

Do you have any tips or advice that may help others support those who are going through treatment, including with any ongoing side effects?

You need to carry on planning holidays and treats. Don’t put life on hold . Night sweats are unpleasant- cotton bedding and a cooling mattress topper are helpful. Separate beds can enable you both to get more sleep. There are positive benefits to having a partner who is less aggressive and competitive too!

Please tell us how their treatment impacted your life the most.

Our sex life is zero- no testosterone = no sexual desire which is very difficult to come to terms with. I worry more about 8 weekly PSA results than my husband does. Stress caused under active thyroid so now on thyroxine. But after 5 years of feeling depressed I am coming to terms with the situation

Thinking about your own wellbeing, what has helped you to cope, and where have you gone to find support? What tips and advice would you give to others?

Counselling can help you come to terms with the profound changes that testosterone deprivation brings about. The medical profession don’t seem to address this at all, but relationships often become deeper and more affectionate once the sex drive has vanished and if you love someone it’s a relatively small price to pay for them continuing to live . My husband now has bone metastasise so his cancer is no longer deemed curable but us treatable . It’s a matter of living with and managing the cancer - a bit like diabetes. When all is said and done life is terminal but we don’t spend every day worrying that it will soon end.

Hormone Therapy (tablets)

Do you have any tips or advice that may help others support those who are going through treatment, including with any ongoing side effects?

Please tell us how their treatment impacted your life the most.

Thinking about your own wellbeing, what has helped you to cope, and where have you gone to find support? What tips and advice would you give to others?

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