Rediscovering life and manhood after prostate cancer
I was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the end of 2019 and feared losing my manhood and my life. I was lucky to have my prostate surgically removed before the cancer spread more widely. The most minimal roadmap for recovery was provided. I want to expand the roadmap and the conversation about recovering life and manhood after prostate cancer. My own and other survivor’s stories illuminate the range of prostate cancer treatment and survival experiences around the world.
The roots of this blog lie in the step by step sharing of my story as it unfolded over the last two and a half years. My aim is to mark some points on the rather uncharted landscape, so you can build your own roadmap. It is a direct and personal account of my body, head, heart and soul journey as well as the inner and outer resources that helped me along the way. Grateful thanks to my wife and an increasing number of other cancer survivors for sharing their stories on these pages.
The goals: rebuild health, expand identities, make the most of what we have.
Before and after my surgery: three short videos
Get the lowdown in 5 minutes: click above for short, revealing videos before and after
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Journeys of recovery from – and adaptation to – prostate cancer
Below are the thumbnails of the most recent posts – click on each for the full story. For chronological order, please visit diagnosis, treatment and recovery pages. More here every week. I invite you to subscribe (see above and sidebar on the right/below) so you don’t miss a thing.
Year 2: keeping it all together
13 September 2021: My second year since prostate cancer surgery feels like I'm constantly juggling health demands to keep my life together. Separately, there is progress on many fronts: diet, fitness, cancer, urine control, sexual function, relationship adaptation, mental and emotional [...]
Guest poem 2: Lonely nights
By Steve Jones I wrote this about 8 months ago and wanted to share a part of my long, hard, mentally exhausting road back to sexual health and my New normal after my prostate cancer was removed surgically (Robotic Radical Prostatectomy) [...]
Guest post: Persistent Pleasuring for the Penis
By Michael Ward Prostate cancer. Its mere mention provoked dread and fear for me. At first it was the cancer's threat to my life, then afterwards erectile dysfunction (ED) threatened aspects of my identity. I am so aware of others [...]
Guest post: As good as it gets
By George Smalberger Here's my good luck story ending in full quality of life recovery after prostate cancer and its treatment. I had my prostate surgically removed two years ago, and I just carry on. I think I am one [...]
Guest post: tracking nocturnal tumescence after prostatectomy
By Michael Ward Here's what I got when I tracked my involuntary nocturnal tumescence for the year after my radical prostatectomy. In plain language, that's "how hard was my morning wood." It was useful during my recovery because I didn't [...]
Guest post: PSA rising again – personal action
By Dr Rhys Leeming It’s a devastating moment when, after all your initial treatment and painful recovery and a seemingly miraculous cancer cure, you realise your prostate cancer has actually come back! It happened to me in April 2022. This [...]
The wobbly zone in my prostate cancer ED recovery map
15 August 2021: 18 months after surgery, my prostate cancer ED recovery is like our late winter weather: unsettled, hopeful, up and down. For the last month or two I thought my erectile dysfunction was over but it's not so solid [...]
Guest post: emotional impact of ADT
By Adrian When my prostate cancer came back in 2020, I had salvage radiation for six weeks and now I am on ADT hormone suppression treatment for three years. It has changed me big time. And it has motivated me [...]
Guest poem: Caught in a shock
By Wayne May Caught in a shock that interrupts routines Caught in a shock that interrupts routines life and death play tennis with my feelings. My body tries to respond and finds it’s not able Strangely [...]
Day 497: Non-surgical treatment for Peyronie’s disease
8 July 2021: Prostate cancer treatment increases risk of Peyronie's disease which leads to bent or misshapen erections. This is caused by the buildup of a hard knot or lump, known as plaque, in the membrane that surrounds the erectile tissues [...]
PSA rising after treatment: like snakes and ladders
My PSA has started to rise, 18 months after my prostate cancer treatment. Guest Post by Dr Rhys Leeming I’m beginning to see later life in general, and Prostate Cancer (PC) in particular, like a game of snakes and ladders. [...]
Day 423: Why is health care so splintered?
25 April 2021: Everybody agrees that integrated health care is the best way to address illness and enhance wellness. But actual prostate cancer care is divided into narrow splinters of excellence. That's what I and 99% of the prostate cancer [...]
Invitation to contribute
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