Newbie and scared

I just recovered from an operation for Pca and am very pleased with the results.  My stats are very similiar to yours and I am back to work after 5 1/2 weeks recovery.  I opted for the longer recovery because I have to lift heavy loads from time to time.  I am dry 99% of the time and am able to have "normal" sex without the use of a pump or viagria.  So,  try not to worry and am looking forward to your complete recovery.

Jeff,

Take some deep breaths. Read some of the signatures & past posts. Also the stickys at the top of the page. You'll most likely do just fine. I'm a relative newby, surgery a little less than 3 months ago. So far, so good.

I truly wish you the best of luck.

steve

Most of us have been where you are wondered what was in store for us and the uncertainty of our future.

If possible, take some comfort in the fact that:

1) Your case was caught early and your stats indicate a very very high probability of a complete recovery.

2) Prostate cancer has one of the highest survival rates of any cancer.

3) That for most men the incontinence is temporary. The erectile dysfunction is a tougher problem to overcome but most men are able to regain that function again too. either entirely on their own or with the help of medication.

Read all the posts here that you can (knowledge is power) but remember that this group is not (in my opinion) a true cross-section of prostate cancer patients. Most are either newly diagnosed or newly treated or are men with more serious cases of cancer or have more serious side effects from their treatments. In other words, you will probably read a lot of posts about on going problems that most men who are treated never experience.

Dan

I,m three weeks post-op robotic. Everything caught early no spread. Dad and older brother pca. So far recovering well. Mild leakage only at end of day. Good blatter control day and nite. Starting to get some erectile response. Was put on daily(30) cialis one week post op. Doctor said to promote early blood flow for healing more so than for erection.  Returned to work this week as well. No lifting anything over ten pounds for three more weeks. Not that I did before surgery.  All will go well !!!!

Yup -- they are going to cut you open and rearrange your insides -- you have every right to be scared. But you can also use this next three weeks to do something.
Step up your exercise -- a fit body recovers more quickly.
Look at your diet -- less red meat and fat and more veggies and whole grains -- it won't do anything for your cancer, but it will up your chances of a long healthy life.
Read and learn -- look at the links at the top of the topics list. Knowledge fights fear.
Oh, and give your prostate a chance to work whenever you can!

Jeff,

Welcome --After the intial shock wears off, I suggest you put your energies toward reading as much as possible on the treatment options and lifestyle changes that will help in beating this thing. There is a whole lot of info out there and you need to become your own expert and advocate. Lots of decisions to make.

Welcome Jeff,
Yes, when I heard the word cancer it took my breath away, the when I called my wife to tell her the tears fell. It does get better and hopefully they will get it out of you and send you on your way to a healthy life. Keep us in the loop as you approach surgery.
Michael

Jeff,

Welcome to our world, unfortunately for you. But glad you found us.

I can't really add anything of substence to all the good advice you have been given so far.

We will help and support you in any way you need. No such thing as a dumb question, and sometimes the smallest of details can be frustrating. We can help you with that kind of s tuff.

The fear, is normal and expected. The best cure; knowledge, learn all you can about what you are faced with, and don't let anyone or any doctor bully you into rushing into a treatment decision.

Hi Jeff,pc hit me at 46 and when the doctor told me the news,I saw my life in about one minute.

it is ok to be scare,but you came to the right place and we are here to walk with you every step of the way.I walked the entire road by myself,but you will not.It will be just fine God bless you.

Hello TinFoilHat,

I too am a scared newbie. AS you stated, "I think what's thrown me for such a loop is that is came as a total shock." I've pretty much narrowed my treatment choices down to Brachy and da Vinci. I am hesitant to do anything.

I feel almost perfect today. Physical relations with my wife are great. My stream is weaker than I'd like, but the valves all work. The question seems to be whether to Brachy now and suffer the side effects gradually, or surgery and experience the effects immediately.

There are some good people here. We'll get through this brother.

Hi Jeff,

We had a two-pronged way of working through the fear.

The first was knowledge. As you are scheduled in for surgery a good book to get is Patrick Walsh's book - he is the pioneer of the nerve sparing technique. Another good resource is the sloan kettering nonograms which you can google - you plug in your numbers and it spits out your 5 and 10yr recurrance free survival rate and you will see these numbers are very high. The entity that is prostate cancer is complex but its worth trying to understand the basis simply because it allows you to understand pathology reports, enables you to ask the right questions and gives you back some control of what seems to be a situation which is out of control.

The second was the acknowledgement that we needed support - from family and friends and the lovely people here at Healing well.

Hope this helps you,
An

Jeff (TinFoilHat), it's perfectly natural to be "scared to death" ... many of us have been where you are now and know all too well those feelings (they're horrible). My husband - who is a self-admitted "baby" when it comes to any type of pain or discomfort, went through the surgery with no problems. His biggest complaint was the catheter for 9 days...I think that's a pretty standard complaint as no one likes having that darn thing stuck in them. But, it comes out and then life becomes more normal.

The anxiety leading up to surgery is often worse than the actual operation ... after all, you'll be in happy land for a few hours and will have absolutely no idea of what's going on. The after effects differ from patient to patient and, hopefully in your situation, will be minimal. I do hope that your doctor hasn't made any promises one way or the other as to what you will or won't experience after surgery. Some doctors like to tout percentages - how many men regain urinary continence X number of months after surgery, etc. Even though I did not go through the surgery, I watched my husband and best friend struggle with the after effects and there are always some. Not saying this to scare you but simply so that you are not surprised should the healing process not go as "predicted."

The best thing you can do is learn as much as you can about your disease...try not to focus too much on statistics because as many of us already know, you are not a statistic. At 48 years of age you should have no difficulty with the surgery and I'm confident you'll come through with flying colors. I'm sorry that you are dealing with this at such a young age and am glad to hear that your brother is doing well - so will you.