Clive
Mattson and Jackie live in Essex; UK . He was 61 when he was diagnosed on November
11 2007. His initial PSA was 3.6 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 3 + 4 = 7 and although
he does not state his staging, it seems that this would have been T1c. His choice
of treatment was Da Vinci prostatectomy. Here is his story.
In September
2007 I was invited by my doctor to take part in screening program - ProtecT. I
was experiencing no symptoms associated with a Prostate problem.
The first
stage of the screening program was to undergo a blood test. The tests on the blood
indicated a PSA score of 3.6 ng/ml. It was explained to me that the PSA level
is 'indicative' not 'diagnostic' and that anyone in the screening program with
a score of 3 or higher would be invited to visit Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge
for a biopsy to be undertaken. The biopsy results would be diagnostic.
The
biopsy was performed in early November. The day I was informed of the biopsy result
I refer to as 1128 - November 28th. Ten samples were taken during the biopsy and
5 of them contained cancerous cells. Three were Grade 7 (3 + 4) and two Grade
6 (3 + 3).
Being told you have cancer is like being hit with a baseball
bat - how could it be? I have no symptoms. Did the results belong to someone else?
Life isn't fair and so on....
I still work and I had clients to visit over
the next couple of days which involved an over night in an hotel. This was good
for me as my mind was totally occupied with work and (maybe deliberately) I ignored
what was inside me. My wife however, was alone at home and was experiencing the
opposite - all she could think about was my situation.
We now had to tell
family and friends and the support and sympathy was massive. My two sons were
great and their positive view of the situation was a great inspiration. What I
did find difficult to handle was the time of year - Christmas was coming up and
carols were being played in stores and I have to confess I 'lost it' on more than
one occasion whilst out shopping.
When I first went for the blood test,
I met John - the husband of a friend of Jackie, my wife. John had been diagnosed
with prostate cancer about 3 months prior, and he became my mentor, and was (and
still is) a great source of support. John's message was 'BE POSITIVE - CANCER
IS A WORD NOT A SENTENCE', and that's what we've tried to be - with some success
I think. In fact, shortly after '1128' we ordered a new sail for our sail-boat
to be delivered in time for the 2008 season. There was no-way this was going to
beat us.
The next process was to verify that the cancer was still localised,
and so I had an MRI scan which indeed did confirm that. So we now knew that the
cancer had been identified early and it had not spread. This was good news.
The
ProtecT screening program offers three methods of treatment to those identified
as having prostate cancer.
1. A Watch and Wait brief with regular monitoring
of the PSA level.
2. Radiotherapy
3. Radical Prostatectomy (surgery)
The
initial, knee-jerk reaction was - 'get rid of it, have surgery'. We then attempted
to take the emotion out of the process and considered each option bearing in mind
that I still wanted to work and get back to normal (whatever that is now) as soon
as possible. The decision was remained - surgery was the preferred option.
The
surgery would take place at Addenbrookes Hospital Cambridge UK. This hospital
also has the Da Vinci Robotic equipment which provides for a less invasive approach.
Following discussions with my mentor, John, and viewing the operation on the internet,
we met with the medical team and agreed that I should undergo a radical prostatectomy
using the Da Vinci Robotic equipment.
February 4th 2008 will never be forgotten.
It was my 62nd birthday; our 41st wedding anniversary; and the day I entered hospital
for the removal of a cancerous prostate.
The operation took place the next
day on Tuesday 5th Feb and I was wheeled in the theatre at 0815. Literally the
next thing I was aware of was being wheeled back into the ward at 1630. It was
over!!
It was wonderful to see Jackie that evening. The phone at home
hadn't stopped ringing with calls from friends and family.
That night I
slept intermittently - the wonderful nursing staff took my blood pressure and
temperature every 30 minutes, but no pain killers were needed. Absolutely remarkable.
The
only problem I had was a leaking drain tube and it was this that stopped me from
going home on the 6th - the day after the operation!
The problem cleared
overnight and I returned to home-sweet-home on the 7th, just 2 days after surgery.
The only discomfort I had was wearing a catheter - not the most pleasant of things.
But a small price to pay.
One week after the operation the catheter was
removed and I'm now religiously doing my Pelvic Floor Exercises (Kegels) to counteract
the inevitable incontinence.
As I write this it is Thursday 14th February
- one week after being discharged from hospital. This morning the District Nurse
visited and signed me off. I'm doing OK.
So, what of the future? When we
decided that surgery was our preferred method of treatment, it was fully explained
that incontinence would be an issue (certainly initially) and that impotence was
a probability. Those bridges will be crossed and dealt with when we reach them
because THERE IS A FUTURE AND IT DOESN'T INCLUDE PROSTATE CANCER.
It would
be totally remiss not to pay tribute to the support received from family and friends,
particularly Jackie. This has been a joint battle from the start.
The compassion,
kindness and understanding shown by Prof Neal and his entire team at Addenbrookes
Hospital cannot be ignored. Ten days ago I had cancer. Thanks to them it is gone.
We're
now looking forward to our new sail.
Clive Mattson
Saffron Walden,
UK
Feb. 14th 2008
Clive's e-mail address is: clive.mattson@catmere-end.eu
