In the words of the first radiation oncologist I consulted: “There is no right or wrong decision!”
Sounds simple but after looking back on the last 6 years since being diagnosed, it’s the best advice I’ve ever gotten.
Every one of the great posts offered here reinforce the fact that there WILL be side effects of some kind no matter what treatment you choose. You can draw up a list of this one vs that one and you’ll drive yourself crazy trying to figure out which one you could live with over the other…it’s a waste of time.
Today’s surgical and radiological techniques are both amazing and will get the job done…..maybe.
The more you live and learn with this disease the more you realize that it is totally unpredictable; PET scans, PSA’s, Gleasons and Deciphers are all great - but only up to a point. There are NO guarantees that your test results will accurately predict the future path of your journey.
This forum is filled with men who have metastatic disease - despite low scores, clean scans, etc. Others, whose high scores and scans positive for spread foretold shortened lifespans, are here going strong for decades.
So there are no wrong decisions - nor correct ones! The reason I chose surgery was due to my pessimistic nature: I always plan for failure and 5 yrs later I got it. Just finished radiation for recurrence so my “guess” for surgery was correct….or was it? Maybe radiation would have killed it all the first time…..or not?
See?? An endless loop of second guessing that never ends. Just make a decision that feels comfortable for YOU and no one else; put your head down, Charge in and get it done. Best of luck!
Phil