Physical Emotional And Social Effects Of Cancer
Cancer and its treatment cause physical symptoms and side effects, as well as emotional, social, and financial effects. Managing all of these effects is called palliative care or supportive care. It is an important part of your care that is included along with treatments intended to slow, stop, or eliminate the cancer.
Palliative care focuses on improving how you feel during treatment by managing symptoms and supporting patients and their families with other, non-medical needs. Any person, regardless of age or type and stage of cancer, may receive this type of care. And it often works best when it is started right after a cancer diagnosis. People who receive palliative care along with treatment for the cancer often have less severe symptoms, better quality of life, and report that they are more satisfied with treatment.
Palliative treatments vary widely and often include medication, nutritional changes, relaxation techniques, emotional and spiritual support, and other therapies. You may also receive palliative treatments similar to those meant to get rid of the cancer, such as chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation therapy.
Before treatment begins, talk with your doctor about the goals of each treatment in the treatment plan. You should also talk about the possible side effects of the specific treatment plan and palliative care options.
What Treatment Options For Sexual Dysfunction Are Safe After Prostate Surgery
All of the treatment options come with risks, even the all-natural ones. You need to be careful about sourcing supplements, being confident in the supply.
Many US-based manufacturers were caught by the FDA selling natural Tongkat Ali which actually contained prescription ED drugs! Likewise, overtraining can lead to injury or soreness. However, theres no doubt that the natural approach is safer than the alternative.
Only purchase Tongkat Ali supplements from a reputable company that provides 3rd party lab tests to prove that it is an unadulterated and safe supplement.
If you are looking for a safe and natural testosterone boosting supplement that contains Tongkat Ali, we recommend our Testo-Booster supplement.
The side effects from the most commonly used ED pharmaceuticals include minor ones, such as headache, flushing, runny nose and pains in the stomach or back.
In some cases, dizziness and a sudden drop in your blood pressure can take place. Thats why men with heart conditions have to be evaluated by a physician before they take it, and may have to rely on a lower dose.
Around 1 out of every fifty men who take those drugs will also experience painful or persistent erections.
The highest risk group, however, is those who undergo surgery to get an implant. Thats why its always the last choice. As the surgeon needs to make an incision into the scrotum, penis and often the abdominal wall, there is a risk of infection.
Learn The Facts About Prostate Cancer
Most people dont think prostate cancer is going to happen to them, unless their father or brother had it, says Oliver Sartor, MD, a professor of medicine and urology at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.
However, given that about 164,000 men in the United States will be diagnosed with the disease in 2018, according to the American Cancer Society , its likely that you or someone you know will be affected. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in American men, right behind lung cancer.
But while its a serious disease, and it does take lives, most men dont die from it. In fact, the ACS says that more than 2.9 million Americans whove been diagnosed with prostate cancer are still alive today.
Despite this prevalence, myths and confusion abound when it comes to understanding your own personal level of risk, and what to do when your doctor says you have prostate cancer.
The diagnosis almost always hits people out of the blue, Dr. Sartor says. Itâs not what you plan on, and of course itâs very disruptive. For many men, prostate cancer creates a general cognitive dissonance: Why me? What did I do wrong? What am I going to do about it now that my life is being threatened?
Additional reporting by Andrea Peirce
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How Important Is The Psa Test After Prostatectomy
The answer is: very . A major milestone in prostate cancer treatment is obtaining your PSA level close to zero after surgery. The expected result after prostatectomy is an undetectable PSA or level of 0. The surgery itself is a cornerstone of a mans life, but the tests that follow, especially the PSA test, can be very dreaded.
The PSA test is a blood analysis that checks for the level of the prostate-specific antigen in the blood cells. The PSA is an enzyme secreted only by the prostate cells. When the PSA level is zero or close to zero after radical prostatectomy, the patient is reassured that he is cancer-free and can regain peace of mind. In the majority of cases, this is the scenario. There are also rare cases when the follow-up tests reveal an elevated PSA after prostatectomy. What to do if this is your case?
Transurethral Resection Of The Prostate
This operation is more often used to treat men with non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate called benign prostatic hyperplasia . But it is also sometimes used in men with advanced prostate cancer to help relieve symptoms, such as trouble urinating.
During this operation, the surgeon removes the inner part of the prostate gland that surrounds the urethra . The skin is not cut with this surgery. An instrument called a resectoscope is passed through the tip of the penis into the urethra to the level of the prostate. Once it is in place, either electricity is passed through a wire to heat it or a laser is used to cut or vaporize the tissue. Spinal anesthesia or general anesthesia is used.
The operation usually takes about an hour. After surgery, a catheter is inserted through the penis and into the bladder. It remains in place for about a day to help urine drain while the prostate heals. You can usually leave the hospital after 1 to 2 days and return to normal activities in 1 to 2 weeks.
You will probably have some blood in your urine after surgery.
Other possible side effects from TURP include infection and any risks that come with the type of anesthesia used.
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What To Expect After Surgery
A prostatectomy is major surgery from which your body needs time to recover. Your doctor will discuss the details of your recovery with you.
Typically patients stay in the hospital overnight after surgery and then need to recuperate at home for a month before returning to work. Most men can start to drive a few weeks after surgery. You should avoid heavy lifting for several weeks after surgery. It usually takes about six weeks for most men to feel back to normal.
This page provides general information about what you can expect in the first hours and days right after surgery. You may also want to read more about:
Radical Prostatectomy To Remove The Prostate
| Making decisions about surgeryTalk to your surgeon about what types of surgery are available to you. Ask about the advantages and disadvantages of each option. There may be extra costs involved for some procedures and they are not all available at every hospital. You may want to consider getting a second opinion about the most suitable type of surgery.The surgeons experience and skill is more important than the type of surgery offered.Compared to open surgery, both standard laparoscopic surgery and robotic-assisted surgery usually mean a shorter hospital stay, less bleeding, a smaller scar and a faster recovery. Current evidence suggests that the different approaches have a similar risk of side effects and no difference in outcomes.Whichever surgical approach is used, a radical prostatectomy is major surgery and youll need time to recover. |
View the Cancer Council NSW editorial policy.
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Urinary Problems After Surgery
Leaking urine
Most men cant control their bladder properly when their catheter is first removed. This is because surgery can damage the muscles and nerves that control when you urinate.You might just leak a few drops if you exercise, cough or sneeze . Or you might leak more and need to wear absorbent pads, especially in the weeks after your surgery.Leaking urine usually improves with time. Most men start to see an improvement one to six months after surgery. Some men leak urine for a year or more and others never fully recover, but there are things that can help and ways you can manage it.
Difficulty urinating
A few men may find it difficult to urinate after surgery . This can be caused by scarring around the opening of the bladder or the urethra .Some men find they suddenly and painfully cant urinate. This is called acute urine retention and it needs treating quickly to prevent further problems. If this happens, call your doctor or nurse, or go to your nearest accident and emergency department.
Watch Paul’s story for one man’s experience of managing urinary problems after surgery below.
Sexual problems after surgery
Erection problems
Change in penis size and shape
Changes to orgasm
The seminal vesicles, which make some of the fluid in semen, are removed during surgery. This means you wont ejaculate any more. You may have a dry orgasm instead where you feel the sensation of orgasm but dont ejaculate. This may feel different to the orgasms youre used to.
Cost Of Enlarged Prostate Treatment Without Insurance
At New York Urology Specialists, we offer affordable treatment for men. Our prices are low for patients without insurance and for those who have high insurance copays, high deductibles, or insurance plans that do not cover treatment costs.
At New York Urology Specialists, we offer a flat-fee all-cost-includedRezum procedure. The procedure is performed in our office under local anesthesia. Men from other states can save thousands of dollars over local hospital fees by coming to New York Urology Specialists for treatment. Please contact us for current prices and discounts for patients without insurance or with high insurance deductibles.
At New York Urology Specialists, we offer a flat-fee all-cost-includedUrolift procedure. The procedure is performed in our office under local anesthesia. Men from other states can save thousands of dollars over local hospital fees by coming to New York Urology Specialists for treatment.
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What Else Do You Need To Make Your Decision
Check the facts
- Sorry, that’s not right. One treatment may be better for you than the other because of how long you might live , your other health problems, and how you feel about each treatment. You and your doctor can talk about what is better for you.
- You’re right. One treatment may be better for you than the other because of how long you might live , your other health problems, and how you feel about each treatment. You and your doctor can talk about what is better for you.
- It may help to go back and read “Get the Facts.” One treatment may be better for you than the other because of how long you might live , your other health problems, and how you feel about each treatment. You and your doctor can talk about what is better for you.
- That’s right. The chances of side effects from surgery are lower if your doctor has done a lot of these surgeries.
- That’s not right. The chances of side effects from surgery are lower if your doctor has done a lot of these surgeries.
- It may help to go back and read “Get the Facts.” The chances of side effects from surgery are lower if your doctor has done a lot of these surgeries.
1.How sure do you feel right now about your decision?
3.Use the following space to list questions, concerns, and next steps.
Testing For Prostate Cancer Metastasis
After your biopsy, additional tests or imaging may be performed to check for cancer spread, though these are not required in all men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer.
You may need additional tests if you have:
- High PSA levels
- Computed tomography scans of your abdomen and pelvis
- Bone scans
- Magnetic resonance imaging of your pelvis
Many centers, including SCCA, are testing other means of finding cancer spread using new types of positron emission tomography scans. Sometimes lymph nodes around the prostate may be checked for metastasis in order to design treatment appropriately.
At SCCA and University of Washington Medical Center, a long-term effort has identified cells in the bone marrow that originated from prostate cancer, even in the absence of other evidence of spread. With these and other studies being offered to men with advanced prostate cancer, we hope to find ways to identify men at the highest risk of relapse so this knowledge can inform our treatment recommendations.
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How Do I Clean My Urinary Catheter
You need to wash your penis and the whole catheter tube gently with soap and warm water two times a day. It will be easier to remember to do this regularly if you plan to do it in the morning and before you go to bed at night. You may clean your penis and whole catheter tube this with warm soapy water and a wash cloth or in the shower. Do not take a tub bath while you have your catheter in place. It is important to keep your penis and the catheter clean so that you do not get an infection. Cleaning your catheter in the shower. When you take a shower to clean your catheter:
- Do not use very hot or cold water when you shower.
- Wash your penis and the catheter tubing very gently. Be careful not to pull or tug on the tubing.
Cleaning your skin and catheter out of the shower.
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Side Effects Of Prostate Surgery
The major possible side effects of radical prostatectomy are urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction . These side effects can also occur with other forms of prostate cancer treatment.
Urinary incontinence: You may not be able to control your urine or you may have leakage or dribbling. Being incontinent can affect you not only physically but emotionally and socially as well. These are the major types of incontinence:
- Men with stress incontinence might leak urine when they cough, laugh, sneeze, or exercise. Stress incontinence is the most common type after prostate surgery. It’s usually caused by problems with the valve that keeps urine in the bladder . Prostate cancer treatments can damage this valve or the nerves that keep the valve working.
- Men with overflow incontinence have trouble emptying their bladder. They take a long time to urinate and have a dribbling stream with little force. Overflow incontinence is usually caused by blockage or narrowing of the bladder outlet by scar tissue.
- Men with urge incontinencehave a sudden need to urinate. This happens when the bladder becomes too sensitive to stretching as it fills with urine.
- Rarely after surgery, men lose all ability to control their urine. This is called continuous incontinence.
After surgery for prostate cancer, normal bladder control usually returns within several weeks or months. This recovery usually occurs slowly over time.
There are several options for treating erectile dysfunction:
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Prostate Surgery Errors Can Have Serious Consequences And Give Rise To Malpractice Claims
When a patient is diagnosed with prostate cancer, depending on the patients age, the characteristics of the cancer, and other factors, a urologist may recommend surgery. However, if surgery is not indicated, if proper safety measures are not taken prior to or after surgery, or if errors occur in surgery, a patient may suffer serious harm , and may have a viable malpractice claim.
Prostate surgery errors include the decision to offer a patient surgery in the first place. Surgery for prostate cancer typically involves removing the prostate and often some surrounding tissues . Surgery can be a good option if the cancer has not spread outside of the prostate. But if the surgeon failed to take reasonable steps to confirm that the cancer has not likely spread, she should not then recommend what amounts to an unnecessary surgery.
Similarly, it may not be in the best interests of the patient to have surgery. Consider an elderly gentleman with a slowly rising PSA level. While technically his chances of having prostate cancer are increasing, the likelihood that he will suffer from prostate cancer during his lifetime may be so small, and the risks of surgery so high, that it makes no sense to offer the patient surgery. If a surgeon fails to give the patient any other options, and harm occurs in the surgery, that may give rise to a viable claim.
Can Prostate Surgery Shrink Your Penisconclusion:
Despite all of the advances made in recent years, theres no guarantee that prostate surgery wont result in temporary or permanent shrinkage.
Fortunately, there are even more reasons to be optimistic about prostate issues in general.
Thanks to improved monitoring and imaging technology, men with slow-growing prostate tumors can now opt to merely keep an eye on the problem rather than going under the knife.
Indeed, a 2019 report suggests that up to 42% of these low-risk men are holding off on surgery and performing active surveillance on their disease instead.
Though this might mean a few more trips to the doctor every year, it will also ensure their sex life stays on track, and their size remains intact.
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