Prostate Cancer, Incontinence and Testosterone

(Edited) Apologies if you have read this before. When I posted it there was an issue with the tags and it crashed Safari on my iPad (reported to Sadie) and the thread seemed to disappear into the ether. The later post on the possible benefits of a blast of testosterone are noted, and I shall raise this when (if ever) I get to see the specialist. (End of edit).

It all seemed to be relatively simple. My bulbar sling was continuing to lose its effectiveness, so the next step seemed to be an artificial sphincter. Roll forward to the winter of 2014-5. I started with a (bad) cough and cold in September, and it continued to come and go until the end of February. I spent the majority of the winter feeling absolutely lousy. I managed to persuade my GP that this was a bit unusual, so as part of my ongoing medication review, he included iron and testosterone blood tests. The latter, in his words, was the third lowest measure he had ever seen, and was highly likely to be the cause of my low resistance to bugs and general feeling of fatigue. As a result, I have been referred for consideration for testosterone supplement therapy.

Now then, first the incontinence. One effect of low testosterone is loss of muscle strength, and possibly......incontinence. So that is one question. Do I really need an artificial sphincter, or would building up muscle bulk via T therapy do the trick? Hmmm.

Secondly, testosterone and prostate cancer. Testosterone in relation to tumours has been likened to pouring aviation fuel onto an open fire, but is this really the case? A browse through Google suggests that the jury might still be out, particularly for the post-radical prostatectomy with unmeasurable PSA men like me.

That's two more factors to think (worry) about. Eventually I shall have to make up my mind. Reference to one typical article below for interest.

http://www.harvardprostateknowledge.org/testosterone-supplementation-after-prostate-cancer

Anyone else out there in a similar situation?

Edited by member 30 Mar 2015 at 19:41  | Reason: Not specified