So it’s been four and a half years since my radical prostatectomy. How am I doing? (Remember, what follows is a graphic description, so proceed only if you want to read…)
Continue reading “Life After Radical Prostatectomy: 54 Months Later”
Author: Dan
Home Run Challenge, 15-21 June
The Prostate Cancer Foundation and Major League Baseball join forces next week to raise funds to help find a cure for prostate cancer with their annual Home Run Challenge. Check it out.
Now if we could only get the National Football League to do something similar in September during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month before they start wearing pink in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month…
Month 55 – Sick of Being Sick
I hate getting sick.
The week before Memorial Day weekend, I came down with a nasty end-of-spring head cold that kept me home from work a couple of days. It also put me back into incontinence pads.
Heavy coughing certainly increased the likelihood that I would have stress incontinence episodes, so I started wearing pads as insurance. I’m glad that I did, because several times they were definitely needed. I will admit, however, that I did better than I expected in many cases, and I attribute that to my recent weight loss.
The one thing that I’ve had difficulty controlling is stress incontinence while I’m standing. If I’m standing or walking when I sneeze or cough, there’s a much greater likelihood of leakage, no matter how hard I try to control my pelvic floor muscles. That’s where the pads came in really handy.
The unfortunate thing with this head cold is that, even though the worst of it lasted only a couple of days, the nagging cough lingered for a good week and a half after. Ugh.
The moral of this story: Keep pads on hand for those unexpected times when you may need them.
This recent Prostate Cancer Foundation article, Excess Weight Linked to Worse Prostate Cancer Diagnosis, reinforces my will to keep losing weight. Sure, it may be a case of me closing the barn door after the horses have escaped, but getting to a healthy weight can only be a good thing in the long run for a whole host of reasons.
Month 54 – Walking for Better Outcomes
I came across this article, Walking Boosts Outcomes for Prostate Cancer Survivors, on the Prostate Cancer Foundation website a few weeks ago, and it struck a chord with me.
When I began my weight loss regimen back in December, I made a concerted effort to increase my physical activity, mainly in the form of walking. I’m not close to the level of activity that is talked about in this article, but it has helped with losing weight and with mitigating some of the minor side effects I had been experiencing post-surgery.
I know it’s only anecdotal observation on my part, but I feel that the number of stress incontinence episodes are down and, when I do have them, they’re not as significant as they once were. I’d like to say, too, that it’s improved my erectile dysfunction, but, if I’m being honest, I’m not so sure that it has. If it has, it’s only been slightly. At least things aren’t getting worse.
Month 53 – Cancer Sucks
It’s not been a good month for my friends.
One learned that her husband was diagnosed with colon cancer and the other learned his mother was diagnosed with lymphoma. Cancer sucks.
Another friend who’s been through her own cancer battle shared this article on her Facebook page, and it’s worth the read, even if you’re not newly diagnosed.
The Things I Wish I Were Told When I Was Diagnosed With Cancer
I wish my friends and their families well as they go through this new journey.
As far as my own journey is concerned, I’m living my new normal just fine every day. Quality of life is good.
And that’s about it for this post.
Month 52 – Less PSA Testing; Rise in Prostate Cancer
Wow. It didn’t take long for this to happen.
You may recall that in 2012, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), recommended abandoning PSA screening of any men of any age. (In 2009, they recommended no screenings for men over 75.) Now there’s early research showing a 3% per year increase in intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer cases.
The article, Did PSA Test’s Decline Spur Rise in Prostate Cancers, cautions that this is only one study, but that there was a measurable difference since the change in USPSTF guidelines:
Between 2011 and 2013, the study authors noted a 3 percent per year increase in the percentage of prostate cancer patients who had a PSA level of 10 or higher at the time of their diagnosis. PSA levels of 10 or more signify intermediate or high-risk prostate cancer.
Further studies, of course, are needed to confirm these findings. But if they are confirmed, this could be quite troubling.
The rationale behind eliminating PSA screening was that too many men were being over-treated and suffering life-long side effects impacting quality of life, when they could have lived a relatively normal life with a slow-growing cancer inside them that would have never killed them.
If I were starting this journey today, I’d want to have the formerly routine annual PSA tests and then scrutinize my treatment options very carefully. I would not want to wait until I became symptomatic and discover I have a PSA of 10 or more on initial diagnosis.
* * *
As far as my personal status is concerned, I continue to lose weight (now 23 lbs. / 10,4 kg since 1 December 2014), and my occurrences of stress incontinence continue to decline. (The were pretty infrequent before, but even less so now.) Sexual function seems to be about the same or just a tad better.
Month 51 – Weight, Incontinence & New Screening
Last fall, I could feel my clothes getting a little tighter, but every time I stepped on the scale, it showed me right at my usual weight. But when I went to the doctor and stepped on his scale, I was startled at what it read. Bottom line: My scale was inaccurate and I had managed to creep up to my heaviest weight ever. It was a real wake-up call.
I have to wonder if my weight was impacting my stress incontinence. It seemed as though I was having more incidents of it than normal. Sometimes, I simply attributed it to being tired, because I do know that when my body is tired, the incidence level goes up.
I’ve made a concerted effort to lose weight. Since 1 December 2014, I’ve managed to lose 17.9 lbs (8 kg) and I feel much better and my stress incontinence has returned to what it was before. I’m still well above my optimal weight, so I’ll keep at it to see if I can continue to lose weight and hopefully make improvements.
I know this is all anecdotal, but I’ll keep monitoring it and discuss it with my urologist during my next visit (which isn’t until September, so hopefully, I’ll have lost some more weight by then).
* * *
The Prostate Cancer Foundation recently reported the findings of a study that uses MRI technology in conjunction with biopsies and ultrasounds to be able to better distinguish between high-risk and low-risk prostate cancers. This is exciting news. If proven out, this could minimize overtreatment of patients with low-risk cancers, and allow those with high-risk cancer to be treated more aggressively.
Month 50 – Four Years Cancer-free & Cancer Death Rates
Okay, I’m the first to admit, that’s an odd combination of topics in the title.
First, the good news: My PSA remains undetectable four years and three days after that prostate was plucked from my body. My birthday was this week, so still being cancer-free is a great birthday present.
I got my latest results online this afternoon, and I have an appointment with my urologist on Tuesday. We’ll see what she has to say about the frequency of monitoring. This result was at an eight-month interval; prior to that, I was being checked every six months. Who knows… Maybe she’ll say come back in a year. (Honestly, I’m not sure how I would feel about that.)
Aside from that, my sexual function issues and mild stress continence remain the same as before–no real changes to my “new normal.” I’m generally okay with that.
Oh. I haven’t had time to create it yet, but look for a new page on the blog, “Life After Radical Prostatectomy – 48 Months Later” coming soon.
* * *
As you can tell from my last post, I’m focusing a bit less on the physical aspects and a little more on the emotional aspects of being four years out. I never really threw myself into the dating pool after the surgery, because I had it in my mind that I was “damaged goods” and that no one would want to deal with that. It’s taken me quite a while to beat that thought into submission, and I’m ready to try. Who knows what will happen. I may get rejected 9 times out of 10 once the person learns of my issues, but it’s the one person who says that it’s not a problem that will likely be the best one to hang onto.
So dating is one of my New Year’s resolutions, and the other is to lose some weight. I really think that’s been a contributing factor in some of my stress incontinence issues. Since 3 December 2014, I’ve lost 11.5 lbs / 5,2 kg. Not bad considering the amount of food thrown at me during the holidays. Will power.
* * *
On a different note, the Prostate Cancer Foundation recently published a story talking about the decline in cancer death rates over the last 20 years.
Jemal also noted that during the past two decades, deaths from colon and prostate cancer have been nearly cut in half, and breast cancer deaths have dropped by a third.
“Really, it’s due to screening, as well as improved treatment,” he said. “It’s really remarkable.”
One thing that will be interesting to see is how the death rates are affected by the recent changes in prostate cancer screening guidelines. I hope that there’s not a reversal in that trend as a result.
Life After Radical Prostatectomy: 48 Months Later
So it’s been four years since my radical prostatectomy. How am I doing?
Continue reading “Life After Radical Prostatectomy: 48 Months Later”
Month 49 – Dating After Prostatectomy?
Thanksgiving has come and gone, and Christmas isn’t that far off. The holidays are upon us.
Normally, I’d travel to see my sister and her family back in Chicago for the holidays, but this year, my new job has me working over Christmas and New Year’s, so I’ll be staying put. Alone.
Sure, I’ll spend time with old and new friends, but it’s still not quite the same as being with family. That brings me to this month’s topic.
I was single when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and I’m still single now. While I would like to be in a relationship–to create my own family–I keep getting hung up on the, “Who would want to date a guy who has difficulty getting it up and can’t ejaculate” thought. Because of that, I haven’t bothered to jump into the dating pool.
Sure, sex isn’t everything in a relationship, but it does count for something in most.
The other confusing thing to me is when in the dating process to tell a potential partner that all the bells and whistles in the sex department don’t work as they should. Early? Late? After you jump into bed? “Surprise!” I don’t know. (Feel free to post any thoughts in the comments section or send me an email through the Contact Me page!)
I guess perhaps the best thing to do is just throw myself into the pool and see what happens. I may not need to say anything until I see that things are moving in the right direction but before they get too serious.
– – –
On the physiology front, I’ve had a couple of days since my last post where my body apparently got pretty tired and it didn’t take much to set off my stress incontinence–even just standing up from a chair. That was a bit disconcerting, but I really think my body was just telling me I needed some more rest.
I’ll be going for my next PSA test the first week of January, and should get the results by the 13 January. (I may delay next month’s post a couple of days to get them.) This will be 8 months from my last PSA, so hopefully all is well.
Dan's Journey through Prostate Cancer 