After Prostate Surgery

Quality of life after prostate surgery/chemo?

My father is 75 yrs old and has been diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. He doesn't know if he wants the surgery or go through chemo. Anyone know what the quality of life is after each surgery and or chemo?

Public Comments

1. A trans-urethral resection of prostate (TURP) is a relatively common procedure, usually for an enlarged prostate. It may be that he has the surgery followed by chemo to get rid of any last trace of cancerous cells. A TURP can be quite scary in the first few days post op because there will be a large-bore catheter inserted into the bladder, plus bladder irrigation to flush out any clots - it sounds worse than it is, honestly! It can affect sexual function after surgery and chemo, but other than that he should get back to his normal activities fairly quickly.
2. My husband had prostate cancer in the early stage. His doctor recommended the seed implants. It was so much easier than regular surgery. He had them one day. The next day he went grocerie shopping with me and returned to work the next day. He has done extremely well and is free from cancer 2 years after. You might want to talk with your dad's doctor about the seed implants and see if he thinks they would be right for your dad. I wish you and your dad the best of luck and hope everything turns out ok with his cancer.
3. Chemo is very difficult to go through, but honestly I did not have a choice. I suffered through it and actually today I got a clear pet scan about an hour ago. It was worth it. I treasure every minute I have on earth and with my family. It is a personal choice, but if the doctor tells him he can be cured, then he should go for it. That is what I did. (3 years of chemo and a stem cell transplant.)
4. My step-father had prostate cancer about a year ago and did the seed implant and was actually back to work within two days and never had any problems and highly recommends this to the other options. He went for his checl-up and is cancer free. Good Luck to your father and do some research on the seed implant.
5. It really depends on his health now. If he is robust, he can choose surgery or radiation. If he is a little frail, then radiation would be the route. I'm 56, and chose surgery. I did one heck of a lot of research, and interviewed several surgeons before deciding. I had the new DiVinci robot surgery (laposcopic) and was discharge the next day. Life is good. Bottom line - if its early, he will be fine, as the other folks here have indicated. Prostate cancer is easy to treat.