What about women and prostate cancer. No, you, as a woman are not at risk for prostate cancer, it’s a man thing. But you may be involved in you life time as your mate, husband, lover, friend or loved one discovers he has prostate cancer or is at risk of getting prostate cancer.
When I learned my husband has prostate cancer I was a bit flippant about it. My dad had had prostate cancer for many years. They watched it. They didn’t treat it. Doctors said prostate is the slowest of cancers and no big problem. For older men.
Dad’s prostate cancer was a non-issue for many reasons. He was elderly - like in his upper 70s. He had other health concerns. His cancer was small, slow and his cancer indicators like the PSA blood test, didn’t change from year to year.
My husband is different. He’s young. Much younger than dad was. His prostate tumors are “fairly agressive” the doctors say. His indicators are higher and changing more quickly. He needs intervention quickly and we need to make some decisions with clear thinking and good input.
Here’s what we did, and I recommend you do something similar with your mate.
- Get him a biopsy if your doctor has a concern about your significant male’s prostate.
- Go with him to doctor appoinments as a second set of ears and eyes.
- Take notes.
- Listen carefully to the explanation of the biopsy results and ask a million questions.
- If surgery is indicated, consult with at least one surgeon who does robotic surgery, one who does open surgery and a separate urologist. Ask if you should see an oncologist (cancer specialist).
- Together, read a lot about the disease, the outcomes, the risks and the treatments.
- Ask more questions. Then, talk together calmly and help your man come to a decision.
- Act - with a calm sense of urgency. Don’t procrastinate.
For more information, read my blog at DemystifyingDigital.
A few more resources to read together:
A government sponsored site about prostate cancer.
Can Pills Prevent Prostate Cancer??
Saturday, 7. March 2009
I congratulate you for advocating a “multidisciplinary” approach for patients newly diagnosed with prostate cancer. Many patients are prodded to have (robotic) surgery soon and do not consider other options. A good resource for decision-making can be found at nccn.org (National Comprehensive Cancer Network”), “Practice Guidelines” for PC.
My husband has PC, and I edit a blog for a nonprofit organization called “Living With Prostate Cancer” (prostatecancerblog.net). I have posted a lot of info there that would be helpful to wives of men with PC.
Good luck to your husband.
Leah
prostatecancerblog.net
For Malecare
Saturday, 7. March 2009
Thank you for your comment. Your site does, indeed, have good info on it. My husband and I felt strongly that exploring all options was the only way to go about this. I look forward to more input from you, Leah.
Monday, 12. October 2009
Prostate cancer isn’t serious. It barely kills anyone. Who cares?