How My Father Dealt With Prostate Cancer
My father had a cold every now and then but was relativity getting along well with his life. He could have never imagined that one day he would be diagnosed with a significant illness like prostate cancer.
Even when he went to see his doctor, he was only experiencing a desire to urinate frequently. Aside from that, he was a healthy 72-year-old newly married man running his own landscaping business. He was a father to 3 children, had 10 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandkids. To this day he enjoys golfing and watching football.
Shocked and terrified
He started complaining to his doctor about the frequent urge to urinate that he had been having for the past 3 months. His doctor sent him for a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and a urologist, who had him get a biopsy, which confirmed that he had prostate cancer that had spread beyond the prostate.
My father was shocked and terrified, having lost a wife to her health issues; he just didn’t want to go through this again. He was terrified that he would follow in her footsteps and more, so he also had recently gotten re-married. How would his new wife handle this news?
None of us knew much about this disease and didn’t know of anyone in the family that ever had it. My father told me that he was afraid that this would be the reason future generations might get it, as the doctor told him it was inherited.
Treatment
His doctor assured him that there was nothing to be concerned about because he was fortunate to have discovered the condition early. After learning about several treatment options, the doctor put him on medications, internal radiation therapy (brachytherapy), which he agreed to with my doctors about.
He said he doesn’t remember much about the procedure, but he does remember having tubes and catheters in his prostate for a few days, which he despised. They sedated him and stayed in the hospital for a few days. The doctors kept a close eye on him because of his age and other health issues. He did begin to feel better each day. It took him about two months before he could do heavy chores.
He is now healthy again, and the doctors have assured us all that there is nothing to worry about, but to make sure to get regular checkups.
Side effects
He used to feel fatigued during and after the treatments, having trouble starting to urinate, frequent visits to urinate, pain, and swellings. It was good for him that the situation kept improving daily.
He thanks God for allowing doctors to detect the disease early and for being on a successful treatment plan. We need him to show the family the ropes, as he utters.
There is hope for those recently diagnosed with prostate cancer; I think it's good to trust in God and follow a doctor's advice. I recommend that men get checkups early. My father will be 89 in a few months, as of my writing this, and living his best life!
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