UPDATE - Issue 40 - Spring 2010
Patient story – Peter Barton
In issue 36 of Update, we published Peter Barton's story of his own journey with prostate cancer - from diagnosis through to treatment. Over a year later, he wrote to tell us how he has been recovering and coping with the side effects of surgery.
It is now 15 months since I lost my faithful friend - my prostate. Since then I have been coming to terms with a sort of bereavement because most of us men have little idea what a good friend is until we lose it and most of us know little of this walnut sized gland just below our bladders.
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Fortunately, and I use the word with caution, my prostate gave me a rapid warning that it was unhappy just before it decided to release its cancerous cells around my body. I was very ill with a urinary tract infection in hospital and the urologist decided to run further tests to identify the cause and discovered the tumour.
This was a considerable shock to a strong farmer and his wife and family and the subsequent investigation of options was rather depressing as none of the experts could really give the answer we were seeking - 'will I survive and without serious side effects?' Rock and a hard place come to mind and there is clearly reticence by specialists to advocate one treatment against another.
I eventually settled on robotic assisted laparoscopic surgery undertaken by Mr Chris Ogden at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London. The procedure was quick and I was home in 48 hours, sore but pain free. Chris Ogden is a delightful and honest surgeon and had informed us about the likely side effects and the risk of both incontinence and sexual dysfunction.
In the immediate post operative period the incontinence was very poor and quite distressing, however, within a few weeks this had reduced to one pad during the day and one at night for protection.
This has worked well for the past 15 months provided there is no severe activity like squash. The strain of reaching for high shots is too much for a much reduced bladder sphincter and I once fell over whilst playing badminton and the assembled throng of concerned players had no idea I was quite literally pissing myself with laughter.
Tena No 2 Pads are brilliant - both comfortable and discreet, no odour and super absorbent. Sadly I have not found my situation to have improved much over the past year and I could not claim to have complete continence, however it is not too taxing. The claim that most men do recover total continence has not been my experience so far.
The other vexed question is impotence. This is a big thing (no pun intended) for younger men and frankly has been difficult to come to terms with. The loss of one's capacity to reproduce both physically and mechanically is dire. For most this seems to be the reality and is for me at this time. My friend asks whether it is better to be alive or have a great sex life but this misses the heart of what it is to be a man. I have found Viagra to be of some help though timing is quite critical and needs experimentation. Dry orgasm is a strange thing though acceptable in the circumstances.
Incontinence and
impotence together
are a big thing and
I long for the day
when urologists can
offer something less
damaging
What I am saying is that incontinence and impotence together are a big thing and I long for the day when urologists can offer something less damaging to the prostate patient. There are reviews being undertaken on the effectiveness of alternative surgeries as there is some evidence to show that the modern laparoscopic techniques may not be so effective as the more radical traditional approaches. I am taking part in an interesting patient research study which will hopefully shed some light on this important subject.
So, to summarise, I am feeling well and have a PSA of less than 0.05 which means undetectable. I can do most things men of 66 can do except be wholly continent and father children. I consider myself to be very fortunate to have been diagnosed and treated quickly by an excellent team. I lost two good friends to prostate cancer during the week before last Christmas and this helped me to put things in perspective.
I do hope that this reassures those embarking on this journey or those recovering. Much still needs to be done but research is improving along with awareness and soon treatments will become more accurate if indeed treatments are required at all. The need to quickly define the 'pussycats' from the 'tigers' is perhaps the most important single issue for men.