re: Found out today I’ve got Prostate cancer. Advice on radiation or surgery?

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It’s an extremely invasive surgery. They nearly split you in two.

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Obviously not the Da Vinci robotic surgery

I was down only 8 weeks because my job requires lifting over 10 lbs. 2 years in, my points of entry are barely noticeable.

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OMLandshark

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I think you're overshooting here. This is the OT, most folks here (including you) know what kind of advice is available. Whether you're buying a washing machine, All-terrain tire, computer mouse, seeking alcoholism treatment advice, marriage counseling, chainsaw chain sharpening or cancer experiences, someone here has been in your shoes.

No one is going to base their treatment plan off of what they read here, posted by "strangers." But they'll see that many have walked in their shoes and came out of it. You can give the standard "buyer beware" crap, but come on. No one is printing this thread and taking it to a urologist.

Good luck OP. This is beatable, and you can still have an erection after the treatment. You've got this.

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159FWCoonass

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Member since Apr 2015

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1 post

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I love the OT.

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159FWCoonass

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Member since Apr 2015

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1 post


I love the OT.

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Post more.

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If they can’t recommend the best course of action, you probably need a new medical team. I was diagnosed with kidney cancer in late February. I went from having two kidneys one Friday to only having one kidney the following Friday. My doctors moved with great urgency. Damn thing had been there for a year before I had a symptom and had taken over my entire right kidney. DO NOT MESS AROUND!!!

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There are few options with kidney cancer, you can live fine with one kidney with no change in quality of life so a comon course of action is to remove it. Prostate cancer is often not aggresive, and can take many years to spread if every. There are several treatment options that may have the same outcome, but with different side effeects. Only the patient knows what is important to them in terms of acheiving a balance between risk from treatment, difficulty of recovery, chance of recourance, options for future treatment if there is a recurrance, and quality of life post treatment.

My dad had it. Did radiation.

My uncle had it. Did the surgery.

My dad was still fricking my mom after he beat it.

My uncle lost all interest and ability to get hard.

My dad lived five years longer than my uncle.

Draw your own conclusions.

I was diagnosed in 2016 and elected to have the prostate removed. I was off work for a month. Incontinence was a huge problem for me. I used pads or Depends and some days they were so heavily saturated they leaked through. I loved my coworkers; they never once made a thing of it. As time went on the incontinence became less but every time I found myself in an awkward position, say working under a car or bending or maybe just picking something up, I peed. Finally by the middle of last year the incontinence pretty much dried up. That said, I still hit the head before going anywhere. I always look for bathrooms and hit them when available. I never pass one up if given the opportunity. Concerning erections, they were pretty much non existant. Pills didn't work and I finally reached the point of giving myself injections. Injections worked but I struggled with sticking a needle in it for sex and on top of that the erections were painful. I went back to pills but with limited success. Around the same time the incontinence came under control the erections started coming back and today I still have pills but don't always use them. Pay attention to this part. Doc told me after the surgery that I would lose size if I didn't use it. I knew I was doomed as my wife has a really low sex drive and sure enough shrinkage happened. I'm told that could have been prevented so keep that in mind.

I have a friend who had the surgery after mine and he was back to work and pretty much normal in two weeks. We're all different.

I really don't know if I'd do surgery again. It was a tough road for me but I'm cancer free.

One last thing. If you do the surgery you'll have a catheter for a short while. Put the bag in a bucket and carry the bucket around. It makes everything way more convenient.

Good Luck!

Prayers to you OP

My FIL was told 24 years ago that he needed to have the prostate removed or stuffed with radiated pellets. He chose to just use Avodart. He is 87 and his PSA levels are fine.

"I feel fine and it’s early stages but anytime you here the C word it will hit you."

This is so true! I almost rear ended the car in front of me after getting my diagnosis.

You're a young guy and I suspect sex is still a part of your lifestyle. The priorities when surgery are in this order:

~Remove the cancer
~Remain continent
~Retain potency

If you're able to do all three, it's a Grand Slam.

The skill of the surgeon is VERY IMPORTANT. Make sure it's someone that has extensive experience for the best outcome.