Patient Stories - Ralph, 59

My name is Ralph and I am 59 years old. I am delighted to be one of the ‘worried-well’, so often derided as time- and money-wasters by the media and the health professions. I am confident that my membership of this club has resulted in a longer lifespan.

In the mid-1990s, a close friend of mine died from prostate cancer. As a result I started having my PSA checked annually. In December 2002 my PSA was normal at 3.4 but when I developed blood in the semen 2 months later I knew that all was not well. I saw a consultant, had a physical examination and a scan. I accepted the diagnosis of prostatitis with some suspicion, although my symptom did clear up. By January 2004, the blood had returned and my PSA reached 5.1.

I knew that something was wrong, saw a consultant privately within days and had a biopsy. I went along on my own to get the result and was bluntly given the news that I did indeed have cancer. I was given a booklet on the disease and sent home to await an appointment with a consultant.

The choice of treatment was not easy. I was 59, retired, reasonably healthy and I wanted to travel. I could not countenance carrying around a radioactive tumour for the next 20-30 years so brachytherapy was not an option. Hormone treatment and radiotherapy were treatments about which I had deep reservations, and I was frightened about the risks of incontinence and impotence following surgery. ‘Watchful waiting’ could never be an option for me - I was still too young and I saw this treatment as akin to sitting on the fence, which has never been my style. This brought me back to surgery, despite my fears of incontinence and impotence.

My consultant recommended that I visit two of his colleagues: the first was a leading surgeon specialising in the traditional operation with its additional risks of internal bleeding and a long recovery. The second was a pioneer in laparoscopic [keyhole] surgery which has far fewer risks and much quicker recovery times. My wife and I were very impressed by Mr Christopher Eden in Basingstoke, who discussed laparoscopic surgery. The enhanced vision during the operation meant that there were lower risks of bleeding, incontinence and impotence. I would be mobile within 24 hours and home within 3 days. He was reasonably sure that my cancer was contained within the prostate and was suitable for keyhole surgery. I made my decision to opt for laparoscopic surgery during that meeting and never once did I regret it.

My cancerous prostate was removed in early January, 2004 and all I have to remind me one year on is 5 tiny scars, which are already fading. My hospital care was first class and I do not recall having much pain. I was out of my hospital bed the day following surgery and home on the third day. I used pads for 6 weeks but pelvic floor exercises and determination meant that from 3 months after surgery I had no bladder problems. Impotence, thank goodness, has never been an issue. I can still walk, swim and cycle and score goals against my 10 year old grandson.

The hardest thing for me to accept was the diagnosis of cancer and that if I had not been one of the ‘worried well’ that I might well have become terminally ill in my 60s. The decision to opt for laparoscopic surgery, although a major one, was not difficult. Meeting Mr Eden was the turning point for us and I cannot praise him and his team enough.