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Worry about meeting the consultant on Monday

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User
Posted 21 Mar 2022 at 12:45

Hi JaneyP, how can the medical staff know if there is any problem if we/you do not let them know?  They are doing their best, but we need to help them by giving them all the information

User
Posted 21 Mar 2022 at 12:48

Dear Hermit,  as I said before, we need to let the medical people know how anybody feels as they cannot be expected to read minds.  If something hurts, tell them.  If something is bothersome, tell them.  They then can either alleviate the problem or pass it on until somebody comes up with a solution.  

User
Posted 21 Mar 2022 at 13:02

Do you imagine that men being treated for prostate cancer do not talk to the medical staff? Do you think that we 'do not give them all the information ...? Do you suppose that the medical staff (from the nurses all the way up to the consultants) don't ask questions of their patients, and act on the responses? When I was having bowel problems after radio therapy I 'complained' (well, actually I told the consultant) and was prescribed a cortico-steroid foam which helped to solve the problem. In some case, though, there is no 'solution'. Hormone therapy can make you very emotional. Radio therapy makes you tired. Prostatectomy brings incontinence, at least initially. You live with it. In my experience, staff will do all they can to help answer questions and resolve problems. In my case, the senior nurse practitioner on the team called me unexpectedly on Christmas Eve for no other reason than to ask how I was getting along. That's what I call caring ...

Hermit

Edited by member 21 Mar 2022 at 13:16  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 21 Mar 2022 at 13:04

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Hi JaneyP, how can the medical staff know if there is any problem if we/you do not let them know?  They are doing their best, but we need to help them by giving them all the information

You are at the very start of your journey but just to reassure you, when men see their urologist, oncologist or clinical nurse specialist (if they have one), most go through the PCa quality of life questionnaire (FACT-P) on a regular basis. That is how BAUS is able to publish the data on likelihood of side effects from the different treatments. 

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/12/e013555

 

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Cancer-quality-of-life-survey-summary-report-first-data-release.pdf 

Edited by member 21 Mar 2022 at 13:10  | Reason: to activate hyperlinks

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 21 Mar 2022 at 17:15

Hermit, I am glad to hear that you are able to talk to nurses and consultants and that they are looking after you properly.  Hopefully that applies to everybody having to deal with this horrible disease.

User
Posted 21 Mar 2022 at 17:30

Hi LynnEyre, OH has last seen the urologist when he was given the official diagnosis 21st Feb, he had an appointment with the onco 1st April, that has been moved back to the 8th of April, he has not got a clinical nurse specialist, it is a team and he cannot just ring them, can only (if lucky and the phone is not off the hook) leave a message and they ring back eventually.  This will not change once treatment starts, if he has a problem not covered by the book we will have 2 options - 111 or 999 if it is really urgent.  The nearest he got to a QoL question is when he saw the surgeon  and got told that if he was incontinent several weeks after the OP he would be referred to a nurse and if after taking Viagra for 3 month without success he would be referred as well.  

 

User
Posted 21 Mar 2022 at 18:47
You seem very angry; perhaps a bit understandable but isn't going to help in the medium to long term. The FACT-P questionnaire is used with men who have had treatment, obviously that doesn't apply to your OH yet.

It is a team at the moment because OH hasn't chosen his treatment. Once he has decided which treatment he is going for, you will know whether to contact the urologist's secretary or oncology team with any problems.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 21 Mar 2022 at 18:56

Not 'nurses'. I have one who contacts me routinely to (e.g.) tell me my latest PSA score. She is the one who called Christmas Eve. Not 'consultants'. I am under the care of one (named) consultant urologist, although I have been seen by others on his team. If I have a question or a problem, I call the nurse practitioner or the consultant's secretary. Both are busy people - so I just leave a message and they get back to me.  I expect that is how it will be for your husband, once he has chosen which treatment route he wants to follow. Don't start to worry about 'what if ...'. Just deal with things as they arise. And prostate cancer isn't the sort of thing which would ever lead to a 111 or 999 phone call.

Edited by member 21 Mar 2022 at 19:02  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 21 Mar 2022 at 22:34
I have an absolutely brilliant cancer nurse who I can leave a message for at any time and she calls me back within a few hours. Really couldn't have asked for better treatment or kinder or more considerate medical staff. Previous posters are spot on about communication. When I was having my RT the nurses asked me every day how I was feeling and if there was anything I needed to talk about.

I honestly would wait until husband starts whatever treatment it is he decides on before forming judgments about quality of care. I am 100% satisfied with the care I received.

Cheers,

Chris

User
Posted 21 Mar 2022 at 23:12

Yes, I would of course use the words bearable and tolerable, but that's because we have cancer and any treatment needs to be aggressive, it has to kill the cancer but not kill the patient. But the staff do a good job they ask questions, etc. and if you read my posts you will often see me praising the food at the Christie, in fact the Key Lime Cheesecake is positively to die for.

Dave

User
Posted 22 Mar 2022 at 06:14

Hi Dave64diag2018, OH is currently looking at Brachytherapy and a referral to the Christie as our hospital does not offer it.  Thank you for your recommendation.  Will pass it on.  Like to hear positive experiences.

 

 

User
Posted 22 Mar 2022 at 06:18

Hi LynnEyre, yes I am angry.  Angry that that damn cancer has invaded my OH and is causing him problems and despair at what he has to go through (even if bearable) to get rid of it.  He is a good man, a great husband and father and done his bit for the country.  He does not deserve this and to know that because of this our son has a higher chance of beeing attacked by this damn disease makes it worse.

User
Posted 22 Mar 2022 at 06:22
I have on question I hope you can help. OH is currently on the waiting list at our hospital for RP, the surgeon we saw has only been at the hospital since February, I cannot find him on BAUS (I know he may not be registered) and I have googled him and can only find him as a doctor at Rotherham General (he is not called Smith or Jones). Rotherham General does not do RP, that is done in Sheffield. When asked he told me he had done 120 to 130 RPs, where can I check his stats, please?

Thank you

User
Posted 22 Mar 2022 at 10:00

Hi Desperate Wife...there is no point being angry. My hubby is also a good man,husband,father and has always worked to give us the very best. At no point have we questioned"why him?" bearing in mind that one in two people are likely to get cancer in their lifetime. We have had tears and I have had tears alone ...usually at 3am. We have made sure we have told his brother to get tested and our son and other male family members when they reach an age.Our main frustrations have been down to the fact that we got very little information at the time of diagnosis,particularly about making treatment decisions. Contact with anyone on the telephone has been a nightmare with answering machines or no one answering and waiting around for days to get a call back.We read everything we could and I follow lots of people on the online community. My cup tends to be half empty while my husband's is half full. We eventually opted to pay for a private consultation (I couldn't go due to COVID restrictions)where hubby got more details of his situation and an almost agreement to his decision to go for RP. Diagnosed before Christmas at Gleason 9,grade 5,T2 and therefore high risk and as the consultant said,"as aggressive as it gets",we have chosen to dip into savings and he will have his op 12April. I appreciate we may be more fortunate than others in that we can pay privately but as many people here say,this is a journey and you have to take it step by step. We know it won't be all plain sailing and we know all the negatives,but we also read about the positives and I am trying to get some of my husband's attitude of make a decision,get the cancer out and move on with no looking back. Please try not to be angry. It is sad but take it one step at a time. I too was panicky and afraid but am slowly getting my head round it

Edited by member 22 Mar 2022 at 10:02  | Reason: Spelling mistakes

User
Posted 22 Mar 2022 at 17:35

Hi Paulit, thank you for your kind words.  Not getting proper information at time of diagnosis and when seeing the surgeon is one of my main problems as well.  

I managed to speak to one of the nurses and she actually told me that if he goes for RP there is a meeting 2 weeks before and all will be explained then.  How can you make treatment decisions without proper information from the hospital?  

We are meeting the oncologist 8th April (unless it gets postponed again) maybe (if we are lucky) we might get some more information.

Currently there is actually nobody at the hospital looking after OH as the urologist told us he would not be seeing us again.

The only places I actually got information is this  forum.  

I keep suggesting that we get a mortgage on the house and he goes to Germany for treatment with Nanoknife and instead of retiring in 2 years I carry on working for some more years.  OH will not hear of that.

 

User
Posted 22 Mar 2022 at 18:41
This is a long ongoing thread and various treatment options have been mentioned with Nanoknife now being raised as a possible treatment in Germany. If this form of treatment is an option, it could be done in the UK and possibly within the NHS where follow up would be easier and most probably aa saving in cost and reduced travelling.

Unfortunately, you have neither shown the diagnosis of your OH nor other sallient details under Profile/Bio so members can reasily check position.

Barry
User
Posted 22 Mar 2022 at 18:55

Hi Old Barry, sorry, I do not know how to do that - but just to let you know OH is PSA 8, T2a, Gleeson 4+3, M0 N0.  He has been told that at our hospital he can choose between RP and RT as that is all they offer. Well he is not happy with either choice and has been told by the urologist that due to the position of the enemy HIFU is not an option.  So it is either Brachytherapy or Nanoknife that is left for him to choose from Brachytherapy is offered at the Christie in Manchester and UCL, Nano knife at UCL.  Unless there is another treatment option which I have overlooked.

 

 

User
Posted 22 Mar 2022 at 19:08

Hello again Desperate Wife...your husband's situation is almost the same as my husband....Gleason 9(5+4) T2a NO MO.....please please try and make a decision ..both RP and RT have plus and minus but,honestly,now that my husband has made a decision,we both feel some sort of calm and just look forward to 3 weeks from now,him having his op and then moving on to recovery and getting on with life, holidays and all of the plans that have been put on hold because of the diagnosis. Good luck to you both

User
Posted 23 Mar 2022 at 00:53

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Hi Old Barry, sorry, I do not know how to do that - but just to let you know OH is PSA 8, T2a, Gleeson 4+3, M0 N0.  He has been told that at our hospital he can choose between RP and RT as that is all they offer. Well he is not happy with either choice and has been told by the urologist that due to the position of the enemy HIFU is not an option.  So it is either Brachytherapy or Nanoknife that is left for him to choose from Brachytherapy is offered at the Christie in Manchester and UCL, Nano knife at UCL.  Unless there is another treatment option which I have overlooked.

 

You are correct Barry - we don't have all the information. OP was told the op would not be bilateral nerve sparing which suggests not T2a - or if it is, that the a is very, very close to the edge. Hence HIFU being ruled out, I suspect, which probably rules out Nanoknife as well. I have previously made the point about nanoknife being available in England but I think that until OP has the detailed diagnosis and explanation of why nerve bundles need to be removed, there is going to be little progress. 

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 23 Mar 2022 at 06:15

Good  Morning  Paulit, thank you very much for your kind words.  

I wish you and your husband all the very best for his operation.  May it go perfectly.

OH is waiting for the appointment with the Oncologist on 8th April, he will then make his decision which way to go.  

 

User
Posted 23 Mar 2022 at 12:36

Hi DW,

It's quite easy to enter information in your Profile/Bio. You just click on Account and then Profile and Edit. Summarised salient details can then be readily seen by other members if they click on your name symbol/avatar without searching through many posts. You can also click on the avatar of other members to view their basic details, if they have entered them. Try mine as a test as it will show if you click on it. This also provides a useful record for oneself.

We are of course dependent on involved professionals regarding the interpretation of scans and biopsies and occasionally even they disagree and want to adopt a different treatment path. However, they sometimes fail to inform patients of certain options, particularly where they cannot offer them. So we can say to them "is there any other alternative, would xyz be a possible option?" But we have come to learn that with a certain diagnosis some treatments will almost certainly be ruled out. When I had salvage treatment for failed RT, the possibilities in the trial were HIFU or Cryotherapy. The tumour in my Prostate was in a position where the HIFU could be focused but if it could not have been reached, I would have been offered Cryotherapy.

Edited by member 23 Mar 2022 at 12:43  | Reason: Not specified

Barry
User
Posted 26 Mar 2022 at 14:36

True, it would be nice for you to be there but you don’t have to be. I recently had a c section and had to just get on with it whilst looking after baby, not sleeping and doing the blood thinking injections!

User
Posted 29 Mar 2022 at 08:14
Hi Everybody, we are seeing the oncologist next week Friday, so then it is time for OH to make up his mind and that includes referral to another hospital. I have read a lot of good things about the Christie in Manchester (and it is not too far to travel). Are there any other hospitals you would recommend (London is easy to get to as well)? Thank you
User
Posted 29 Mar 2022 at 08:46

Until you know what his treatment options are, and he has chosen which path he wants to take, what is the point in asking about other hospitals? Once diagnosed, referral to another hospital will not change the diagnosis. You seem to be getting ahead of yourself, and if I may so so, clutching at straws. If his options are limited to prostatectomy or h/t and EBRT, they can be be done in your local / regional hospital - you mentioned Rotherham, so I guess that would be (Sheffield) the Hallamshire, or Weston Park for radiotherapy. With 20 or 37 sessions of radiotherapy spread out over 4 - 8 weeks, I would want to stay local! If brachytherapy, then it would be Leeds, and for nanoknife, I don't know. But just wait until you have the final word from the oncologist - and even then, he will not have to make his mind up on the spot. He can take a few days, even weeks, to think about the alternatives.

Hermit

Edited by member 29 Mar 2022 at 09:01  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 29 Mar 2022 at 09:02
I am somewhat puzzled why Nanoknife is being considered as a treatment. If HIFU has been ruled out, surely that also rules out Nanoknife, does it not?

Best wishes,

Chris

User
Posted 29 Mar 2022 at 17:44

No, it will not change the diagnosis - but OH has ruled out HT/RT, he does not like the side/after effects and is not keen on RP (again the after effects).  Nanoknife is not ruled out as unlike HIFU it can be used in difficult to reach places and if it failes it can be repeated.  

User
Posted 29 Mar 2022 at 17:54
Nobody likes the side-effects of cancer treatment, but you put up with it to get the cancer sorted, and speaking from personal experience, the side-effects of HT/RT aren't that awful. I'd honestly suggest you look at long-term outcomes, and not the minor inconvenience of the side-effects of treatment and recovery.

Best wishes,

Chris

User
Posted 29 Mar 2022 at 17:57

Hi Chris, you are correct that getting that cancer sorted is the main priority, but has OH has been told he has choices, he needs to choose what in his opinion gives him the best QoL.

User
Posted 08 Apr 2022 at 17:26
We saw the oncologist Dr X today (were told by others he really looks after his patients and he lived up to his reputation). Had a very long conversation regarding all the options.

option 1 is 3 month of Bicalutamide with tablets to prevent male breasts, then 30 sessions of RT and then another 3 month of Bicalutamide.

option 2 - referral to Lincoln for Brachytherapy, again 3 month on Bicalutamide, couple sessions of HDR Brachy, 15 sessions of EBRT and then another 3 month of Bicalutamide.

option 3 - (the one OH prefers) referral to UCLH for treatment with Nanoknife.

Question - has anybody been on Bicalutamide for 2 * 3 month sessions, what was your experience?

The only other option is RP - we are now trying to work out which treatment has the least effect on OH's quality of life during and after the treatment.

Before anybody says anything - yes, I know he can cope. But I have to watch him go through hell - that is how all these treatments look to me and after all that there is no guarantee that that bloody cancer will not come back.

User
Posted 08 Apr 2022 at 18:02

We are all different but I underwent surgery and all that involved was going in one day and coming out the next . I did have a catheter in for 7 days but that was just a temporary inconvenience. Three people I personally know  had surgery over 12 years ago and have had no problems since. That said, one, who is now 80, now has a slight leakage but that is probably more to do with his age rather than the fact he underwent surgery. And reading the experience of men who have recently undergone surgery  on this forum most, like me, have have had no major problems following the removal of their prostate. Your husbands cancer grading certainly makes surgery an effective option.

 

Ivan

User
Posted 08 Apr 2022 at 21:59

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
And reading the experience of men who have recently undergone surgery on this forum most, like me, have have had no major problems following the removal of their prostate.

That made me laugh since in the last couple of days we have had posts from 2 men who are having or have had penile implants, a man who hasn't had an erection since 2019, a man who can't urinate asking what to do if he goes into retention, and a couple of men dealing with recurrence. I guess we all just see what we want to see. 

 Desperate wife, have you managed to get any clarity yet on why the surgeon said the RP would not be full nerve sparing? The answer to that will also indicate the likelihood of the main side effects that impact on QoL after the other treatments as well. Assuming that it has turned out to be a misunderstanding and the surgeon had not said the op would be non nerve sparing, I would have thought the brachy option is a no-brainer. 

The bical wouldn't usually be 2 x 3 months - stopping bical and then starting it again can feed the cancer so it will probably be a continuous 6 months of daily bical tablets with RT (or brachy / RT) in month 4. John had 6 months of bical - he didn't like it but managed to continue working full time, going to the gym 5 nights a week and playing rugby. He had hot flushes and grew some moobs (our NHS CCG doesn't allow tamoxifen or RT to prevent this) - the flushes have turned out to be permanent but he has learned to manage them. The moobs were also permanent but he is a big rugby type and already had pecs so it is hard to tell which is muscle and which is breast material! Moobs tend to be more obvious on slim men or men who don't do gym work. If he is getting tamoxifen from the start, the risk of moobs is very much reduced although tamoxifen has its own side effects :-(  

Edited by member 08 Apr 2022 at 22:01  | Reason: Not specified

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 08 Apr 2022 at 21:59

Hi DW, yes it’s tough as the spouse/wife/partner. I’m not going to lie. Really tough. There are no guarantees it won’t come back, but my motto as a cancer survivor has always been to take everything on offer (once you have researched and made an informed decision). There will never then be the “if only I had” scenario. The specialists looking after your husband are just that, specialists in their field. Weigh up all the options and go with it. You can go crazy with stats, concentrate on the outcome. You have to put your faith in their expertise. I can only tell you what we have gone through. Of course, if your husband opts for treatment rather than surgery none of what I’m about to say will apply! My oh opted for surgery, he only had 2 options to chose from; the other being ht and rt. The week leading up to surgery was difficult emotionally. My oh was definitely not looking forward to radical surgery (who would be) and was concerned about incontinence. However, as a couple we knew that if he was fully incontinent that was something we would deal with as opposed to not removing the prostate. The first 7-10 days post surgery were tough whilst the catheter was in (lots of people on here told me it would be). Lack of sleep, OH not getting comfy and not being able to bend etc. However, he still did gentle walks daily, pottered around and slept when he needed to. When the catheter was removed it was a different story. Psychologically it was major for him. He did get a Uti from catheter, treated with antibox. He has been dry day and night from when the catheter was removed. we are surprised, stunned and extremely pleased. He was very disciplined with his exercises before surgery and has continued since catheter removal. The exercises are so important. Of course it’s very early days for us, we are not counting our chickens just yet! We don’t know how successful the surgery has been and if more treatment will be required. We are only 17 days post surgery. He is doing extremely well and has exceeded both our expectations. Sounds like you have had a positive discussion with an understanding oncologist, can you do the same with a surgeon to discuss RP? Focus on the positives, you have a selection of treatment options available which in itself is a huge positive. The cancer is treatable. You will both get through this. X

Edited by member 08 Apr 2022 at 22:06  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 09 Apr 2022 at 07:14

Hi LynEyre, the urologist told us it would only be nerve sparing at one side as the cancer is close but not touching the inky band and to ensure there is a good negative margin.  The surgeon only mentioned that it is nerve sparing on one side only, we left that office with still a lot of questions unanswered. I am wondering if it has anything to do with the fact that the surgeon is by his own admission inexperienced and will be supervised by one of the senior surgeons.  Otherwise it is extremely difficult to get hold of anybody on that team.  The Oncologist is totally different.  Told us if we have any more questions we are welcome to request another appointment and made sure that all questions had been fully answered before we left.

User
Posted 09 Apr 2022 at 07:23

Hi JaneyP, thank you for giving good news regarding your husband's excellent lack of incontinence.  I passed this on to my husband, he read the HT leaflet last night and he was horrified at the side effects so currently RP is his preferred choice, but hoping that the referral to UCHL for treatment with Nanoknife is successful as that seem to have less after effects.  

Wishing you and your husband that everything goes perfectly from now on.

User
Posted 09 Apr 2022 at 08:47

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member


Question - has anybody been on Bicalutamide for 2 * 3 month sessions, what was your experience?

The only other option is RP - we are now trying to work out which treatment has the least effect on OH's quality of life during and after the treatment.

Before anybody says anything - yes, I know he can cope. But I have to watch him go through hell - that is how all these treatments look to me and after all that there is no guarantee that that bloody cancer will not come back.

I was on bicalutimide for six months prior to RT and a year after it as a primary therapy. It really was not "hell"; as I've commented previously, I found the whole treatment process to be entirely tolerable. 

There are never any guarantees with any treatment that cancer won't return, but the success rates with both RP and RT are very good. 

My previous offer to have a chat with your husband on the phone about what RT/HT treatment is actually like still stands if it would be helpful to him.

Best wishes,

Chris

 

User
Posted 09 Apr 2022 at 08:56

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

 he read the HT leaflet last night and he was horrified at the side effects so currently RP is his preferred choice, but hoping that the referral to UCHL for treatment with Nanoknife is successful as that seem to have less after effects.  



Do bear in mind that although there's a huge long list of potential side-effects from HT, no one person will experience all of them. I had very few myself - fatigue was my main one.  Judging from my own experience and reading many other reports of HT on this forum, it's a treatment that the majority of men tolerate well.

Best wishes,

Chris

 

User
Posted 09 Apr 2022 at 09:59

And, Lyn ,with your glass half empty mindset you only see the negatives rather than the positives. There have been many examples of men on here that have undergone surgery and have not experienced major issues just as there are men who have not experienced issues when undergoing other forms of treatment. A balanced view goes a long way you know!

 

Ivan

User
Posted 09 Apr 2022 at 15:21
In terms of personality, I am actually a glass nearly full sort of person but I have been on here long enough to understand that the people who struggle most with the emotional impact of side effects and recurrence are the ones who went into their treatment ignorant of the potential ramifications or with a rose tinted lens. As example, the newish member who posted just in the last few days that he was aware of the risk of incontinence but assumed it wouldn't affect him as he is fit. I don't post the negatives because I think it will turn out badly; I am compensating for the over-optimistic posts that go "oh you will be fine, most men are." It is called realism.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 09 Apr 2022 at 15:25

Realism is fine it is just a shame many of your posts are the complete opposite

User
Posted 09 Apr 2022 at 15:32
I have always found Lyn's posts to be factual, detailed, concise and helpful. She obviously knows a great deal about prostate cancer and its treatment. She is neither optimistic not pessimistic, whether replying to those who say ' Side effects? Nah - I'll be fine!' or those who rend their clothes and talk about 'going through hell'. In my opinion, and speaking as one who has been through treatment for prostate cancer, she tells it like it is. Lyn, please continue with your helpful and supportive reponses.

Hermit

User
Posted 09 Apr 2022 at 15:37

You are entitled to your opinion, Hermit, but reading a lot and putting it into acceptable practice is not the same thing. Yes, some of Lyn's  responses are fine but her approach has driven at least one man from this forum.

User
Posted 09 Apr 2022 at 15:47

Hi  Chris, thank you very much for your kind offer.  I have passed it on to him

User
Posted 09 Apr 2022 at 15:51

Hi Chris, yes it is true that not everybody will get all side effects, but everybody will have to make up their mind if they are willing to risk getting some of the side effects.  

User
Posted 09 Apr 2022 at 16:25
Everyone will get some of the side-effects, but in my personal opinion they are a small price to pay for getting the cancer sorted, particularly if, as you say, he's only going to be on HT for 6 months. That's a very short time, and most of the side-effects are temporary.

Best wishes,

Chris

User
Posted 16 Apr 2022 at 11:37

Where there is time to consider and this seems one of them, it is worth considering all options. It is stated that at present patient favours Nanoknife but it is not clear whether he is suitable for this comparatively innovative form of treatment. Just in case he is not found suitable, it would be sensible to have a second choice from those he could have. My understanding is that Brachytherapy with seeds is generally the most successful overall form of RT and more so where augmented by some IMRT External Beam. So I would chose between this and RP.
Here you can see how over 100,000 men have responded to treatment in various studies with the results formed into an elipse You just need to start by entering your risk group. Worth fully exploring the site :- https://www.prostatecancerfree.org/compare-prostate-cancer-treatments/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0umSBhDrARIsAH7FCodZMqS7xzo0yXDW4-qioVlLFaEZRpbvg3BVaniDHCzqIqZOpREbJ8gaAiXTEALw_wcB

 

It should be remembered that the worst cases for what may generally be a more successful treatment are sometime bettered by the best cases of what is generally a less successful group.

Edited by member 16 Apr 2022 at 11:38  | Reason: to highlight link

Barry
User
Posted 16 Apr 2022 at 12:58
Barry, DW has stayed elwhere now that husband has decided on RP 🙂.

Cheers,

Chris

User
Posted 16 Apr 2022 at 16:41

Hi Barry, we did discuss Brachy with the the oncologist, our hospital does not offer Brachy so OH has also a referral to Lincoln as they do HDR Brachy.  Only thing is as our oncologist himself has done Brachy at other hospitals he recons it would be 6 month of chemical castration, 2 sessions of HDR Brachy and 15 session of ERBT.  As all treatments are curative OH will have to make up his mind fairly soon.  Due to having the least side/after effects Nanoknife is his 1st choice with RP 2nd and anything to do with CC 3rd. 

User
Posted 16 Apr 2022 at 18:31

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
Barry, DW has stayed elwhere now that husband has decided on RP 🙂.

Cheers,

Chris

Barry
User
Posted 16 Apr 2022 at 18:36

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
Barry, DW has stayed elwhere now that husband has decided on RP 🙂.

Cheers,

Chris

Can't see where patient has decided to have RP and subsequent post to mine and yours seems to indicate a final decision has not been made. 

Edited by member 16 Apr 2022 at 18:46  | Reason: Not specified

Barry
User
Posted 17 Apr 2022 at 08:17

Hi Barry, Chris is right, OH has decided that if he is not suitable for Nanoknife RP is second choice.

Reason Nanoknife if is first choice is that if he has a recurrance (current recurrance rates seem to be 15%) he can either have a repeat of the process or if not suitable he has all the other options still available.

Of cause the fact that so far no incontinence has been reported and that current ED rates posted are 5-10% are also a factor.

Plus instead of a 3 - 4 h op for RP, it is a 1 - 2 h procedure and instead of staying in hospital 1 - 2 days for RP, Nanoknife  it is usually day care.

 

 
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