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SURVIVING
PROSTATE CANCER
INVOLVE
YOUR PARTNER: As
we say, it is a long road that you have started on. It is vital to have your partner
and family on the journey with you. You should go to all medical meetings together.
Often in the confusion one of you may miss something important.
Discuss
the meeting as soon as possible and make notes. Your family will suffer different
stresses to you. Encourage them to talk to the people on our Mentors pages.
DON'T
KEEP IT SECRET: Apart
from your partner and family you should not hesitate to discuss your diagnosis
openly. Keeping it a secret makes it much more difficult to deal with. People
are usually very supportive to those diagnosed with cancer - and you will be surprised
at what you may learn. The only downside is that well meaning people may flood
you with information - books, pamphlets and alternative medicine ideas - and that
can be overwhelming. So it may be best to start talking to a few people at a time.
LOOK
FOR SUPPORT:There
is a great deal of value in joining a Support Group. A study
published in 2009 sets out why this is, but perhaps the key is in this extract
from the report: "... …….the presence of healthy men at the groups provided
important "proof" and "hope" that survival was possible, regardless of the specificities
of men's PCa biomarkers." Your doctor may know of such a group or you
may get the details from your hospital or from your local newspaper. On line you
can find details of US Support Groups at US-TOO,
Malecare , Man
to Man, PSA Rising
has details of local Support Groups in many US States and internationally, such
as CPCN (Canada) , PSA
(United Kingdom)
You may try and pick your way
through the information you are given, but better still, go to our Resources Links
on the Resources page. There are also many places on the Internet where you can
talk to people. Here are some of the Message Boards
and Lists focussing on prostate cancer. There are many of them and one of
particular interest to the wives and female partners of diagnosed men is A
Prostate Cancer Forum for Ladies Only a group dedicated to educating women
about Prostate Cancer; its treatments and side effects. If you have not used Lists
before you might find it worthwhile to read the FAQ
- Frequently asked Questions. Most of the founding members met on the WebMD
(Prostate Cancer section) message board. You can join that website simply by registering.
TAKE
YOUR TIME: Many
medical people will urge you to immediate action but this is very rarely necessary.
Of course you must not neglect your disease. But since most Prostate Cancer is
slow growing you should have time on your side. Time to go through these steps
which we recommend and make the decision that you feel is best for you. The "window
of opportunity" is a lot larger than most people think. The tumour detected
has in all likelihood been growing for many years - a month or two is unlikely
to make any difference in outcome.
ASSESS
STATUS BEFORE DETERMINING STRATEGY: The steps described below are
all part of this process.
They will help to focus on what are considered the three most important aspects
in the successful treatment of prostate cancer:
Selection of a treatment that is most appropriate for you
Your preparation for the intended treatment
Your choice of the doctor or team most qualified to treat you throughout the course
of the illness
Medical
Oncologist Dr Stephen Strum describes in great detail how, in his opinion A
Strategy Of Success in the Treatment of Prostate Cancer can best be developed.
ASK
YOUR DOCTOR THESE QUESTIONS:
There are some basic questions that we suggest are answered at any meeting with
doctors when investigating treatment options:
1.
What are the positives from this treatment and what is the weight of evidence
for the treatment?
2.
What are the negatives/side effects of the treatment both long term and short
term? How do we deal with them?
3.
Where can I go to get articles that can back up the information you are giving
me?
4.
Can you give me contact information so I can contact and talk to patients who
have been treated with this protocol?
5.
What are our other options?
Most
doctors will like the questions, because it is easier for them to deal with people
who take an interest in their diagnosis and their options. It may be worth considering
changing doctors if they don't answer the questions or object to them.
There
is a more comprehensive list of the questions that
expans on these basic quesitons and will give you invaluable information. You
will see there the suggestion that you should take along a tape recorder so that
you can review your discussion. This is an excellent idea as is the advice that,
if the doctor objects to your tape recording, you might consider find another
doctor.
UNDERSTAND
YOUR DIAGNOSIS:It
is of utmost importance that you understand your diagnosis and what it means.
All of the terms used will be foreign to you and the medical people often will
not have time to explain them all. It is also important to understand that there
is very little certainty in the process of diagnosis. The reports you will receive
will represent the interpretation of the data gathered by the tests or scans.
You might find it useful to read Interpreting Reports
We list some of the common terms you will come across on our Diagnosis
page and give you links to find more information there.
COPY
YOUR MEDICAL REPORTS:
Always obtain copies of every medical report and test which you undergo. Keep
these reports in a safe place. Go through them thoroughly and make sure you understand
them.
Look out for typos and personal information which you know is
incorrect - they will give you a feel for the potential for inaccuracy in other
matters. Make notes of matters you do not understand to discuss with your medical
people and/or your Mentor.
SECOND
OPINIONS:We
recommend getting at least one other opinion on your diagnosis as a matter of
course. This is not implying that your first medical adviser lacks competence
in any way. But diagnosis is not an exact science and one opinion may differ significantly
from another. Some suggest that a minimum of three specialist should be consulted:
a surgeon/urologist; a radio therapist; a medical oncologist. In the majority
of cases they will most likely recommend their speciality, but in doing so they
should explain clearly why they are making that recommendation over any other.
You should certainly get another opinion if you feel you are being pushed
into a decision that you are not comfortable with or if you cannot get satisfactory
answers to your questions from your medical adviser.
GET
INFORMATION:There
is an amazing amount of information available. So much so that it will confuse
you. On the Resources page, which follows the next
page - Treatment Choices - we list some sites that we think may be most useful.
We try to keep this list as up to date as possible based on feedback from Members.
If you find a site not listed which you think would be useful, please tell us.
CHOICE
OF TREATMENT:The
radical prostatectomy is often referred to as the 'gold standard' of treatment
(especially by surgeons), although this is rapidly being overtaken by what is
commonly referred to as the Da Vinci procedure - laporoscopic robotoc surgery.
Surgery is closely followed by external beam radiation as being prime recommendations
for treatment.
But there are other treatment options which you should
consider. It is very important that you believe that the treatment you
select is the best one for you. This belief is one of the key factors in
survival and recovery.
DISCUSS
YOUR CHOICE:Once
you have selected a treatment which you feel will suit you best, discuss it fully
with your medical adviser. If you choose a treatment which is not regarded as
'main stream' you may encounter considerable opposition. Listen to and analyse
what is being said to you. If necessary obtain other opinions. You might find
it useful to join a Discussion List, details of which you will find at the end
of the next page - Treatment Choices.
If you have found a Mentor who
has had the same treatment as that selected by you he may be able to give you
information with which your medical adviser is not familiar.
SHARE
YOUR EXPERIENCES:If
you have found this site to be of value, then others will probably do so too.
Join us! and become a Mentor and help others on
their journey. Please tell everyone on your e-mail address list about this site
- they may know someone who will benefit from visiting us.
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of Page
NOW,
PLEASE CONTINUE TO THE NEXT STEP... - TREATMENT
CHOICES
