YANA
- YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW
PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE
AN
INFORMATION GUIDE
TO
PROSTATE CANCER
This is part of an Information Guide. Introduction: Index
GENERAL
QUESTIONNAIRE
A major treatment centre in the US has developed a questionnaire for men treated
at the facility to establish a database on side effects or morbidity. Unfortunately
they do not publish the results of the survey, except in the broadest of terms.
The questions asked give some indication of the side effects that may be expected
after treatment.
These are the questions:
URINARY FUNCTION
1. On average how often do you have burning pain or discomfort when you urinate?
1. None
2. Less than one time in 5
3. Up to half the time
4. More than half the time
5. Almost always
2. If you have burning pain or discomfort with urination, on average how bad
is it?
1. None
2. Mild discomfort, not bothersome
3. Moderate, need medication such as Pyridium
4. Severe, need narcotics
5. Uncontrolled pain all the time, may need hospitalisation, surgery
3. Have you noticed any blood in your urine?
1. No
2. Yes, about once per month or less often
3. Yes, weekly
4. Yes, daily
5. Yes, severe blood loss; may need transfusion, cautery
4. Do you leak urine?
1. No, except perhaps just a few drops right after urination
2. Yes, when I get the urge to urinate I have passed some urine before I get
to the toilet.
3. Yes, I leak some urine when I cough or lift something
4. Yes, I leak doing almost anything.
5. Yes, no control at all, wear catheter
5. If you leak urine, how much do you leak?
1. None, except I might pass a few drops right after urination
2. Just a few drops in my underwear, I do not need a pad
3. More than a few drops, I use less than two pads per day
4. Quite a lot, I use more than two pads a day
5. No control at all, wear catheter
6. On average, when you get the urge to urinate, how long can you comfortably
wait before going to the toilet?
1. 30 minutes or longer
2. Must go within 30 minutes
3. Must go within 15 minutes
4. Must go within 5 minutes
5. Must go immediately
7. When you first get up in the morning or get up at night for urination, is
your urine stream slow to get started?
1. No
2. Yes, just a few seconds
3. Yes, about 15 seconds
4. Yes, about 30 seconds
5. Yes, about a minute or more
8. Overall, how bothersome are your urinary symptoms?
1. Not bothersome
2. Minimal and occasional bother
3. Mild bother, minor effect on lifestyle
4. Moderate bother, moderate effect on lifestyle
5. Severe bother, severe lifestyle effect
SEXUAL FUNCTION:
9. Can you get an erection well enough to have sex relations?
1. Yes, normal erection
2. Yes, some decline in erection ability but have satisfactory sex relations
3. Yes, only a partial erection but enough for sex relations
4. No, only a partial erection, not enough for sex relations
5. No, I cannot get an erection
10. When you have sex relations and ejaculate, do you have pain or discomfort
with ejaculations?
1. No
2. Minimal discomfort, no real bother
3. Mild discomfort, can easily tolerate
4. Moderate discomfort, uncomfortable with having sex
5. Severe, pain is so bad I stopped having sex
RECTAL FUNCTION:
11. On average, how many bowel movements do you have each day?
12. When you get the urge to have a bowel movement, how long can you comfortably
wait before going to the toilet?
1. An hour or more
2. 30 minutes to an hour
3. Less than 30 minutes
4. Less than 5 minutes
5. Must go immediately; may lose control before getting to toilet
13. Have you lost control of your bowels before getting to the toilet?
1. No
2. Yes, less than once a month, do not need pad
3. Yes, monthly, sometimes wear a pad
4. Yes, weekly or more, wear pads most of the time
5. No control at all, must wear pad all the time
14. Do you have pain or discomfort with bowel movements?
1. No
2. Yes, occasional and minimal discomfort, do not use lomotil daily
3. Yes, mild but tolerable discomfort, use aspirin, tylenol, steroid enema
4. Yes, daily and intense, may need narcotics such as cocaine for pain control
5. Yes, severe and excruciating pain all the time, need hospitalisation
15. Have you noticed any blood in bowel movements?
1. No
2. Yes, about once a month, or less often
3. Yes, 1-2 times per week
4. Yes, daily
5. Yes, severe blood loss; may need transfusion, cautery
16. Overall, how bothersome have your bowel movements been?
1. Not bothersome
2. Minimal and occasional bother
3. Mild bother, minor effect on lifestyle
4. Moderate bother, moderate effect on lifestyle
5. Severe bother, severe lifestyle effect
There is also a Sexual Health Inventory for Men. This consisted of 6 questions,
but was recently augmented by a seventh, which is placed first in the survey
with a statement:
If you are taking Viagra, please answer according to how your erections are
when using Viagra.
Are you currently taking Viagra: Yes: No
If yes, circle dosage: 25 50 100
1. How do you rate your confidence that you could get and keep an erection?
1. Very Low
2. Low
3. Moderate
4. High
5. Very high
2. When you had erections with sexual stimulation, how often were your erections
hard enough for penetration (entering your partner)?
0. No sexual activity
1. Almost never or never
2. A few times (much less than half the time)
3. Sometimes (about half the time)
4. Most times (much more than half the time)
5. Very high
3. During sexual intercourse, how often were you able to maintain your erection
to completion of intercourse?
0. Did not attempt intercourse
1. Almost never or never
2. A few times (much less than half the time)
3. Sometimes (about half the time)
4. Most times (much more than half the time)
5. Always
4. During sexual intercourse, how difficult was it to maintain your erection
to completion of intercourse?
0. Did not attempt intercourse
1. Extremely difficult
2. Very difficult
3. Difficult
4. Slightly difficult
5. Not difficult
5. When you attempted sexual intercourse, how often was it satisfactory for
you?
0. Did not attempt intercourse
1. Almost never or never
2. A few times (much less than half the time)
3. Sometimes (about half the time)
4. Most times (much more than half the time)
5. Very high
Back to: Recovery: Index: Introduction: Homepage Links