Elevated PSA and just diagnosed with cancer .Freaking out!

My brother has just had his prostate removed. His PSA test was elevated, just, otherwise he had no symptoms. He was given various options including radiotherapy, but he just wanted to be certain to get rid of the cancer, I think because his wife had died of bowel cancer played a part. He had a robot to help with the op and it all went well. He did feel very tired afterwards he said. Two or so months later he is going sailing again. He was very relieved when the surgeon said you have no cancer. As time goes by the more he thinks he did the right thing.

I would listen to stories from this website as well as other prostate cancer support sites. Many men have been through this and can give you a better idea what the surgery entails and what to expect . GOOD LUCK!

Hi edward727...

I was diagnosed in Australia, late 2017 with agressive prostate carcinoma, confirmed immediately thereafter with digital examination & 2 mri scans. I was 62 years of age at the time.

Uroligist kindly offered to 'whip it out' for me pronto. Being the 'stud' I had led myself to be, I demanded another option, radiotherapy, including anti hormone treatments during 6 months last year

I'm now in remission from prostate cancer, able to achieve familiar erections, non dry ejaculation; about 30% 'back to normal'. Took a bit of a journey to get here though, including a self inflicted nervous breakdown during 2018; alcohol abuse.

From my point of view I wisely chose non-surgery over radical prostate removal; non spread of cancer to other areas of anatomy

Of course there is a long term side effect, in my case, radiation proctitis or pelvic radiation disease or a f****d up colon. This affects my quality of life since February, but - it's getting better, slowly, however, very slowly. I am however, able to f**k again, so how good is that! From my point of view at the age of 64? Pretty damn good.

Wish you well for your journey. Think carefully, trust your medical specialists and chose well. It's your body and life.

Kin regards......

Edward,

No need to be "freaking out". You didn't mention the Gleason grade of the cancer. I assume you had a biopsy. Did your urologist suggest "watchful waiting" also called "active surveillance". If you have a high level of anxiety you may not be psychologically suited for waiting. There are two ways to go, as you know, removal and radiation. I had radiation five years ago and my cancer is 100% gone - my PSA is 0.2 and holding steady. However, my prostate is still in place, so I began to have symptoms of BPH. In other words, the prostate grew and began to block my urine flow, and this effected my entire life. I have had two surgeries to counter this, but am still having some issues. After removal (RRP) it can take up to a year to become fully continent again - in other words, you will have to relearn how to control your urine flow. There is also the possibility of ED (erectile dysfunction). Anyway you look at it, whether your prostate is removed or radiated you are going to have some issues. But, the main goal is to get rid of the cancer before it spreads. Prostate cancer is normally confined in early stages, so in almost all cases the radiation or surgery can be successful. Before making any final decisions you may want to consult with several doctors who do the various procedures to get a second or third or fourth opinion. Prostate cancer is slow growing so you have time to consider all your options.

Tom

i had prostate cancer 2 years ago and had the option removal or radiotherapy i took radiotherapy after a friend of mine had his removed and advised me that he had problems with holding his urine in after the op so i opted for radiotherapy my psa is now 0.2 and only have to go for check every 6 months now and can hold my urine good luck in what ever option you take

Take your time and do your due diligence.

Pca is slow growing and there is usually no rush to jump into tx without having all the facts first.

The typical/normal reaction of most men is to just "take it out" thinking this will solve all the problems...that is not always the case and is not always the best option.

Do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions.....eventually you will find what is right for you.

Good luck.

Edward,

I went through this also, because of my age at the time, (I was 52), my doctor advised me to have my prostate removed. It was a little painful after surgery, after a day or two it became less and less, nothing you can't handle. I was very fortunate, I had very little incontinence , I was able to get a full erection in just two weeks post surgery. It's been two years now and my psa has been undetectable. Yes it it a little depressing not being able to ejaculate anymore but I feel it's better than the alternative, the function and the feeling are the same. Sit down with your doctor, get second and third opinions and discuss what options best fit you depending on your age, your health etc, try to find a doctor who has a lot of experience, who has done hundreds if not thousands of these surgeries. Good luck to you

Edward, you don't say your age, or your Gleason score - and that would be a consideration with your decision. If you can avoid surgery without having your prostate removed, that would be good. Many doctors recommend what they are good at doing. If your doctor is good at prostate removal, he would recommend that most likely. You should explore all your treatment options before making a decision. As with any treatment for prostate cancer, there are side effects. Read about the treatments and their side effects along with the success rates. There are many treatments available - based on your situation... age, Gleason score and type of prostate cancer. Look at radiation therapy, and look at Brachytherapy. Brachytherapy is the low dose radiation seed implants - one time treatment done as an outpatient. Explore all your options before making your decision. Good luck to you.

I I had a robotic prostatectomy in 2016 the possible side effects you can look up and ask your doctor and do a lot of research. I was in the hospital for 2 days and then off work for 3 weeks. I had a catheter for a week and had mild incontinence of which I had to wear a cautionary pad for 3 or 4 weeks at night. and then for the next year or so I had to be careful and make sure that when I had the feeling that I need to urinate that I was only a few minutes away from a bathroom. this is not an overly painful surgery. my sex life was altered severely but with help I am still able to have sex. there are a lot of options that I knew about before I had this procedure and I chose this because I simply didn't like the idea of knowing there was cancer in my body. you must research as much as you can so you know the risks and side effects of this operation so you can make your own decision. the reality is that there is a extremely high percent of a chance that you will not have sex normally again without help. you must know this fact and believe it and sometimes you have to drag it out of your surgeon because for some reason a lot of them like to sugarcoat the sexual affect possibilities and likelihoods. other than the sex thing everything else is perfectly normal and I lead a perfectly normal life able to do anything that a 60 year old is able to do. I do not regret the decision I made. good luck