I would like to hear how younger men have dealt with some of the annoying symptoms (irrespective of how trivial) of PCa treatments and share some of the strategies I have adopted. There are a few threads on ED (so lets not cover those), however I am mostly interesting in dealing with the other areas on one's life - work and leisure.
At Work - I work in an office
1) Inform HR of your diagnosis. Even if you don't tell colleagues/boss keep HR informed just in case
2) Take loo stops before long meetings. Even if you don't think you want to go, its better than having excuse yourself during a meeting (esp if you're presenting)
3) Plan loo time in your diary. I used to be back-to-back meetings all day- now my PA builds in 15 minute breaks.
4) Keep some spare pants and pads in your desk. I have not needed these, but I know they are there if I do
5) Don't go back to work immediately after a hospital appointment. I found I couldn't get my head back into work mode after visits to my surgeon or oncologist. I now book these for late afternoon or book the rest of the day off
Sports
I was very worried about a planned ski trip three months into my treatment. I was especially worried about being caught short on the slopes or having an accident if I hit a mogul. In fact its was not a problem. I dialed back the level of skiing a bit with easier pistes, took any loo stop opportunities I could and reduced my fluid intact in the morning to one cup of tea. I had no issues.
I found similar with other sports events when you are out for a while - watching football, rugby etc. Managing the fluid intake ahead of the game meant I could sit through the match. However , it does mean no pints in the pub beforehand.
I look forward to hearing about other top tips.
Thanks
CRAIG