Decision time!

Any surgeon recommendations welcome as I investigate further.

Hi Glen,

Whilst I second the opinion that any risk of extra capsular spread should push you to consider mopping up any stragglers through HT/RT the bottom line is that you must choose with your heart. Do your research, watch the operation on You tube and get a feel for which of the two rather arduous journey's suits you best. Surgery is simply the short sharp shock solution. HT/RT is a gentle but long and at time arduous route. Both however will bring you to the same destination.

Although I was only T1C one core out of six came back positive near the periphery which was reason enough for me to lean towards HT/RT. It suited me anyway as I frankly didn't fancy surgery. The bottom line of an RP to me was akin to giving the surgeon a pound coin to life the teddy bear out of the lucky dip machine without leaving any fibres behind........(Didn't go down well when I told the Surgeon that, although the Oncologist thought it was pretty accurate and bloody funny)

You are only a year or so older than me and like others offering you personal advice regarding surgery please feel free to PM me if you wish to discuss the alternative.

Good Luck and Good Health.

David.

Blighty,

I wish you well with your choice but it does annoy me to read that yet again surgery is being pushed by both nurses and Urologists without adequate time or effort being given to allow you a balanced choice. I am fully convinced that there is a heavy bias in the health profession pushing people into surgery before they've had a chance to speak to Oncologists at more length. Surgery is slightly more expensive than RT but it gets you out of the system quicker, leaves you and your family to pick up the mess left by complications and in general is less of a burden to the system. I have a friend who had an RP in March. He was back in intensive care in 48 hours, had horrendous complications that had to be dealt with at home without any other recall than a 999 call.

My own journey with Christies in Manchester could not have been more different. Great care, good team and a back up service that I feel able to use without having to worry about being carted off to A&E in the middle of the night.

RT does not wreck you any more than surgery. I have just completed a course of V-MAT IGIMRT and four weeks after finishing just got my Pilot's licence medical back. Yes, the first week was a little bit fraught with inflammation of the bowel lighting me up like a Rectal version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer but things have settled and apart from some insomnia caused by the HT I'm doing fine.

As I've said to Glen. Do you own research, look at all options then, and only then, go with your heart.

Chris

I know I am not the only one who having agonized on what primary treatment to have, that having made a decision there can be a sense of relief and hope you now feel the same Chris.

I was very similar to you - my oncologist preferred HT/RT, rather than surgery, as she thought the surgery often missed stuff and people ended up having RT afterwards anyway. Her judgement was RT to the lymph nodes too (even though there was no sign of anything there) as a precautionary measure. It looks as if the overall outcomes from surgery and HT/RT are about the same.