Taking stock

As can be expected I have needed to have a bit a rethink about what is important. Feedback on the forums on the Prostate Cancer Charity suggest that it is important too. First off I wanted to be informed. I want to know what I can expect from prostate cancer and the treatment of it. The Prostate Cancer Charity website has been invaluable. It has what it calls The Toolkit which contains fact sheets covering Diagnosis, Treatment and Lifestyle. A couple of these were given to me in the information pack provided by the hospital and I've printed off several more and have started to read through them.

The other important aspect of the Prostate Cancer Charity web site is the Message Board. There are many long term members of this forum who have been living with protate cancer for years. What stands out about them is their cheerfulness, optimism, determination not to give in to their condition and their encouragement to new members most of whom will be newly diagnosed. These fellows have taken control of their lives. I don't know whether there is any scientific evidence to back this up, but it seems to me that being positive and taking control makes a big difference to ones prognosis, even when the initial clinical signs are not at all encouraging. This has given me a big fillip.

I'm a born optimist and am generally cheerful so what I am working on is taking control. Firstly with regards to diet. The general concensus seems to be that a dairy free diet that avoids red meats and is low in fat and sugar is the way to go. The dairy free part is going to be the hardest aspect for me. I love cheese and butter but I'm sure I can adapt. Replacing meat with fish will be no hardship.

Exercise is also important especially keeping the bones strong because the hormone therapy can lead to osteoporosis. I will be walking in the fresh air as often as possible. This will load the skeleton and be good for vitamin D. On sunny and bright days anyway. I'll also get some resistance exercises in the gym and do a bit of cycling.

From a practical point of view I am sorting things out so that, some distant time in the future, my wife will be able to get on with things with the least hassel possible. This will be an ongoing project.

The cytology tests of the second urine sample I gave proved suspicious so I will be having an internal examination of my urinary tract later this month. I will also be having a CT scan of the urinary tract. The CT scan is OK but I can't say I'm looking forward to the other.