Why did you choose surgery instead of radiation or vise versa?

Oh yeah! Do those Kegel exercises. I didn't realize how important they were until I stopped doing them for about 3 days straight after the catheter was removed. I still do them daily now.

Van I to am 59 had 3+4=7 and surgery June 12 this year. 0 PSA so far with another check next week, same results I hope. I use 1 to two lightest pads a day. 97% of leaks is after peeing just hard to stop drip drip drip. If you would not mind sharing I am curious where you are as far as ED. I use pills and pump and 95% of time successfully inter course is achieved. Have had 4 successful inter course without pump. Starting Trimix this week, just arrived today. Had good result in doctors office. Thank you and wishing all happy healthy days. Jason

Even though I am in my 50s, my onco team recommended radiation. My prostate cancer had already metastasised when it was discovered, and I'd reacted badly to major surgery on my spine to debulk the lesion (extended ileus — digestive-system shutdown — for nearly 2 weeks, along with a whole string of other complications like steroid- and IV-feeding-induced diabetes, pneumonia, etc etc) for 2 months, plus paraplegia from the spinal-cord compression. If all of that hadn't happened, I think I would have opted for surgery was well, but since the horse had already bolted (so to speak), there was little use going to all that extra trouble to shut the barn door just a tiny bit tighter.

I have a friend who watched his dad die of prostate cancer about 25 years ago. As soon as they detected an elevated PSA in him in his 50s, he insisted that they take it out right away instead of waiting and monitoring. He didn't want to relive his dad's experience. I know some celebrities like Stephen Fry have gone public about making the same choice.

Radiation can also cause you to need pads for a while if it damages the bottom of your bladder. That can happen even with modern techniques like SBRT.

I had a radical prostatectomy in 2006 via robotic. I had to have 2 large pads every day for leakage.

The biggest problem with pads (IMO) is the emotional impact. Once one gets over ones own ableism (the inner voice telling you that you're a failure or an object of shame/pity), wearing a pad is not a huge deal. After childbirth, many women have to wear pads for the rest of their lives because of occasional leakage.

Surgery allows for a complete pathology to be performed, definition of margins, and removal of known cancer cells. With other treatments, you must rely on imperfect medical tools/procedures (MRI, biopsy, etc.) and hope for the same. For myself (56 when RP was performed), I wanted to fully understand the situation ensure all known cancer was removed from my body. Obviously, cancer is cancer and you can't say PC will never return. However, having a RP removes the currently defined cancer in your body, and in my opinion, gives a man the best chance to live a PC-free life going forward. Also, if PC comes back, this path allows for more treatment options (difficult to have a RP post radiation).

Just my opinions based on my experiences/research. Everyone is unique and must make a personal decision based on their circumstances.

Good luck to everyone!!!

Jim

You have pretty much described the outcomes that my urologist discussed with me when deciding which treatment options to consider. With that in mind, I have my surgery in two weeks. Hoping for the best! 🙏🤞

This is "off topic".
Tom, I'm 70 years old and I have never been any sort of mechanic. When my washing machine developed problems 5 years ago I thought that I could fix it by relying on You Tube videos. Big mistake! I ended up ruining both the washer and the dryer.
Now I spend 2 hours a week at the laundromat. It's OK, I do like to read!

kjacko - Best of luck with your surgery and I pray all goes well. I assume you have chosen a center of excellence for your surgery. I did a lo of research and chose Mayo - Rochester and Dr. Igor Frank. Amazing hospital, surgeon, and staff. The quality of life for the rest of your life will depend on the competence of the surgeon and his staff.

I will be praying that all goes well and you come out with negative margins and full control of your equipment.

Jim