When I was home for Christmas, my dad told the family that he has prostate cancer and will be starting radiation treatments in January. I was wondering if those who have been through this have advice on what to expect and anything I can do to help him get through the 2 months of treatment?

My Father-in-law went through the chemo and treatments for cancer in his throat. Does this apply, or you looking for prostate specifically?

I don't have any advice.... but one thing is for sure... sorry to hear this and I'll be praying for him and you at this difficult time.

My uncle went through radiation treatments a couple of years ago for prostrate cancer. He seemed to handle it all very well. I saw him several times during the two month process and he always looked good and said he felt good also. I think his main complaint was being tired.

My father also had prostate cancer. It's been over 10 years now for him. It's always scary when someone close to you says they have cancer. Previous to my dad mentioning cancer, I lost a brother-in-law (age 29) to brain and bone cancer. Four years ago this coming January 2, I lost my stepson (age 23) to leukemia.

There are many treatment options available for prostate cancer, of which I am sure your father had to think about. My father opted for surgery and had his prostate removed. As far as I am aware, he did not require any radiation or chemo. Every case is different, as we are all individuals.

My father is healthy today and as active as ever. The cancer scare did prompt him into retiring earlier than he had planned, but I think he is busier now than when he worked full-time. He regularly goes in for (PSA?) testing and for the past ten years has been clean.

I wish your father the best of luck. I hope he maintains positive thoughts and is determined to beat it. My father read up as much as he could find on the subject to help him make his decision on his treatment. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Chris

My father also had prostate cancer. He had only the radiation..no surgery. Came through everything great and lived for another ten years. When he did eventually die, it was totally unrelated. From what I understand, this type of cancer is one of the most treatable. Make sure he follows the doctor's advice for his recuperation because sometimes that makes all the difference. Good luck to him and you...prayers are coming your way...

My dad had prostrate cancer about 2 years ago. For his treatment, they did radiation seed implants. Within 6 months his cancer was gone, and now his PSA level is normal. The seed implants didn't give him any side effects, and he went about life as normal while they were working their "magic". Before he was diagnosed, he wasn't having any symptoms. Went in for a DOT physical, and they found his PSA level was really high. It's important for men to go to the doctor annually, just like most women do. Catch these types of things early.
I'll be thinking of your father and hoping things go well.

My husband has recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The doctor told us that if he chooses to have radiation, he cannot have surgery in the future. He is getting a second opinion regarding the surgery but will probably go that route. Each case is so individual, it is sometimes difficult to generalize as far as treatment is concerned. My prayers are with you and your family.

You can have surgery, however many doctors will not perform such surgery because, as was explained to me, the surgery would be a blood bath. For that reason, I decided to have robotic surgery for prostate cancer. I am 55, had surgery last May, and after 6 weeks after surgery, my psa went from 4.5 to .1. I feel great.Consider the robotic surgery, if your psa levels and age will allow it.

Please go to www.diviciprostatectomy.com It will ease your mind.

I believe the site is www.davinciprostatectomy.com. It has some very good information.

Thank you so much to everyone for taking the time to share your heartfelt thoughts, advice, and information. The more I learn about the disease, the more hopeful I become that we can get through this.

I have a friend whose prostate cancer is so advanced, he can't do the radiation. It has spread. Right now, he gets hormone shots every 3-6 months to slow the growth of the cancer. But he is not in pain and is living his life as normally as possible day by day. He is at home, and continues to work (office job). I thank God for every day we have him with us.

I will pray for your dad. There are so many advanced forms of treatment out there now, his chances for recovery are good.

Nanwa, my dad had prostate surgery in June. He chose the surgery because he didn't want to go the radiation route and then not have that work because then he wouldn't be able to have the surgery. It was a wise choice, the cancer had spread to his lymph glands, so radiation would not have worked. He takes hormone shots every 3 months and at his last checkup everything is fine. He is 80 and the doctor told him he'll die of old age before he dies of cancer.

You're doing the right thing - read up on it all you can. There are so many advances in treatment now.

My husband who is 50 was diagnosed this past fall with Prostrate cancer and like previous poster said men should be tested regularly like women, I received a health flyer at work that listed the test men should have at 50 and that is what prompted him to go to the doctor he also was not having any problems. He chose to have the radiation seeds implanted, which he did the beginning of December, the only problem he has had is the amount of times he has to go the bathroom and the length of time it takes to empty his bladder, the doctor says it will get better, he will follow the implants up with 5 1/2 weeks of radiation which he will receive every day. He was told that surgery on the prostrate could cause incontenience which after talking with previous patients they agreed because some of them need to wear depends, the hormone shot can cause decrease or no drive, there is also cyro theraphy but this has not been used long so there is no track record on this treatment, a side effect of the seed implant is that seeds can move and most of the time they travel to the lungs which does not cause any problems. The doctor has warned my husband that after the radiation he will be very tired.