Prostate cancer: Something to think about.

The following is a comment to a previous post- Who regrets prostate treatment worse…

I did my due diligence after diagnosis at age 54 and decided on surgery first, salvage radiation in case of recurrence. Because I was well informed, my oncologist/surgeon was extremely honest and blunt. With my high PSA (40.98) and short doubling time he would be performing a non-nerve sparing Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. This would result in no possibility of spontaneous erections following surgery. He would do his best to preserve continence. And if he couldn’t get a good ‘feel’ through the Laparoscopic tools, he would cut me open and ‘gut me like a fish’ to ensure the best possible outcome… life. Surgery was performed in November of 2008.
It took 3 months to get continence back. There have been no erections, even using trimix.
In June of 2011 my PSA started to rise, and in June of 2012 I underwent 40 radiation treatments. Both my primary oncologist and radiation oncologist explained the probable loss of continence and probable chronic colitis following radiation. The only adverse reaction is chronic colitis, but I am still in remission.
I do not regret having surgery, radiation, or the 6 months of hormone therapy post surgery. Based on the aggressiveness of my cancer I would probably be dead without all of the therapies. It’s important knowing all possible outcomes (death, complications from infection and scarring, incontinence, and erectile dysfunction) to make a decision that is right for you.
I have an acquaintance who is dying from aggressive prostate cancer. He was diagnosed with late stage cancer at 64, after not seeing a doctor for 15 years. For anyone in remission, no matter what symptoms we have as a result of treatment, those symptoms are a cakewalk compared to what my acquaintance is going through.

Something to think about.