HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Brachytherapy HDR

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
1 2 3
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 5/4/2022 7:43 PM (GMT 0)
The reality is that a cancer diagnosis changes your life. There is no way around it. I suspect, however, that many of us find that the mental/spiritual changes are more positive than negative. I'm a surgery patient who has had no major side effects from the treatment. I had moderate BPH (Benign Prostate Hypertrophy--old man prostate trouble) before surgery, and my continence is as good, or better, than before. I have no ED issues--2.5 mg cialis daily helps with that.

I eat a reasonable diet, I never smoked. I've recently started swimming 3 mornings a week, and feel better than I have in years. I'm absolutely aware of the value of enjoying each day as it comes, work is not my only focus, and retirement is coming fast--and I can't wait to start on my bucket list.

So, life is different....but in many ways better. I've made life-long friends because of the PC that I would have never had without it. Reality is: life changes all the time. It's all about what you make of it. He's still the same man you met a long time ago....and he needs you more now than he ever has, even if he can't bring himself to say it in so many words.
Posted 5/4/2022 8:52 PM (GMT 0)

ConfW said...
This PCa is really depressing especially when I browse through the forum from cancer.org. It appears that more people selected surgery than radiations from that forum. Someone said one’s life will never be the same after PCa and I am so sad 😢.

I can tell you that my life is pretty much the same after cancer as before--other than I hang around here on Healingwell. And my brother that also had PCa has told me the exact same thing. (FWIW, I had radiation and he had surgery.)

I'm editing this to add: I don't think I necessarily made the point above that I was trying to make. Which is this: the chances of your husband doing well are very good. Maybe even Extremely Good. The diagnosis part is tough because it's scary and unknown. But you and your husband will get through this. And the fact that you're advocating for your husband will help him tremendously.
Posted 5/4/2022 9:11 PM (GMT 0)
@JNF, we do eat Mediterranean diets and with a lot of garlic for years. Growing up my family ate a lot of veggies, fruits but his family didn’t and I have changed his eating habits since we have married. I think in general we are eating pretty healthy but this PCa is still here. We don’t eat much of red meats but my husband loves wines and a big piece of steak. Life would have no meaning if we can’t enjoying the good foods so I can’t take them all away. I have been asking my husband about Epstein second opinions but our daughter is concerning about his biopsy results:
Prostate, left mid: Prostatic adenocarcinoma, 3+4 (grade group 2), with focus suspicious for prostatic intraductal carcinoma.
Prostate, lesion#1, biopsy: Prostatic adenocarcinoma, 3+4 (grade group 2)
From this forum I have read about Genetic testing so I may consider asking my husband to do it.

@halbert, Thanks so much for your encouragements and I am crying as I read it. I know I have to be strong for him but it’s so hard to see him suffering. Since the pandemic we do a lot of walking and canceled our gym memberships but I am considering either getting an elliptical for him or getting back into the gym. My husband did a lot of swimming in his younger years so perhaps he should get back into it especially one of his knee is bothering him for sometimes now.
Posted 5/4/2022 10:08 PM (GMT 0)
Confw, i had surgery 7 years ago and radiation + Hormone therapy 3 years ago. My life has changed in a few ways, but my quality of life is just as good as it was.
i get a bit anxious around PSA time.
I'm a bit more concious of what and how much i eat, (but not as concious as i should be LOL)
My testosterone never quite recovered from the hormone therapy but it recovered enough that i feel ok.

On the plus side, i truly appreciate every day more than ever. Even though my case was not a serious or life threatening one, it was enough to make me face my own mortality for the first time. So now i wake up each morning and say thank you.

I still enjoy my hobbies, i am fairly active, enjoy lots of good times with family.
Life is good, and it will be again for your husband. Please dont think the worst. I was despondent between the time i was diagnosed and the time i was treated. It was a waste of time. Things work out in the end.
Posted 5/4/2022 10:37 PM (GMT 0)
Cancer has affected our lives as a couple, but hasn’t changed us. We still enjoy what we always have and look for more ways to live life. We certainly didn’t alter our lifestyle because no one can tell us with certainty what would work. With two bouts of BCa my wife went through h%$l with surgery, chemo and radiation each time. On the other hand all I did was put up with ADT for three years. Pretty easy. We are aware and concerned, but certainly don’t fret about any of it. We have our normal checkups and screening and so far so good.
Posted 5/4/2022 11:02 PM (GMT 0)
One more direct comment: I know you're anxious, and want the best for him. Asking questions here is great, and you're getting some good responses. That being said, ultimately the treatment course he chooses is his to make. He has to be good with it. And good with it is as much of a 'gut call' as it is based on logic and data. I'd say that if he is comfortable with his doctors and his experience so far at UCSF, then he needs to clear his head and get it taken care of.

It's ok to be anxious, but this is a time to be supportive of him, not telegraphing all kinds of anxiety onto his own, and continually digging for the perfect answer that settles all your concerns. I'm not saying this very well, I hope I'm not sounding too harsh. But the reality is, that it sounds like he has made his decision, it sounds like a good one with a great path forward. Please try to relax and let it move along and get it taken care of. In all likelyhood his treatment will be a minor inconvenience that is over in a few days. The waiting after for the first PSA a few weeks later is hard, and the continual waiting for the next test, and the one after that can be wearing--but trust the process. He'll be fine.
Posted 5/5/2022 8:51 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for sharing your knowledges and experiences with me about this terrible disease as I didn’t know much before joining this forum. This community is so wonderful. The outpouring supports I have received are so much appreciated.

Michael_T, Thank you so much for your encouragements. Never before can I imagine that we will have to deal with this issue. As you have said, the unknown is what terrifying me. I know all of this will be soon over and I am praying, hoping that my husband’s treatment will successfully terminated this cancer for good.

Pratoman, Thank you. I have read your journey and you are amazing. I am a worrier and it’s hard to not feeling anxious, despair sometimes especially when dealing with cancer. I will try my best to be strong for my husband and we will get through it.

JNF, so sorry to hear that you two have been through so much and I am so glad that you both have won the toughest fights. Should my husband decided to go ahead with the radiation next week, I hope it will be a successful one like yours.

Halbert, Thank you for your caring and encouragements. No, you are not harsh at all but in fact, you are helping me. I know it’s my husband’s decision and he has to choose the option that he can live with as there are no perfect options. I wanted to share with him what I’ve read/learned so he can make a wise decision so I will not have any regrets later.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
123