Ten Tips to Help You Through Recovery

1. Take an assessment of how your treatment will affect your ability to perform your job, care for your family, and continue with your daily activities.

2. Involve your family and friends in your cancer treatment and recovery.

3. Communicate your feelings and concerns to your health care providers, family and friends.

4. Make healthy lifestyle choices by consulting with your health provider or a nutritionist.

5. Get plenty of rest.

6. Exercise, as appropriate for your physical condition.

7. Be sure to seek support for other areas of your life impacted by your diagnosis.

8. Seek support from survivors of the treatment option you chose.

9. Be aware of possible sexual and incontinence issues.

10. Make sure you understand whether your cancer is being removed completely or is being contained. Continue to monitor your status and markers.

Have a good weekend.
Blessings,
Rick

Recovery From Treatment

Recovery from treatment is different for everyone. Once you have selected your treatment option, talk with survivors of that option who can help you understand what you can expect during the recovery process.

For every treatment, recovery can vary in length. Treatment extends for months or years for those choosing hormone therapy. Sometimes hormone therapy is intermittent, so a survivor of this option will have valuable information to share with you about what side effects to look for and how best to deal with each one. Medications are often given to address the side effects that you may experience.

You'll need to alert you employer to any changes in your schedule or time off that you may need from your job.

Tomorrow we'll talk about some more tips to help you through the recovery process.

Have a good Thursday.
Blessings,
Rick

Questions To Ask Regarding Treatment

Here are eight questions to ask your doctor regarding treatment.

1. What are the treatment options for this stage of cancer?

2. What therapy do you recommend for this stage and why? NOTE: The final decision is yours alone.

3. What are the risks, benefits, and side effects associated with this type of therapy?

4. What percentage of patients usually respond to this treatment?

5. What can I do to improve success of my therapy?

6. What are the other treatment options that I should consider?

7. Where can I get more information about other available treatment options?

8. Can you provide a reference to another physician or two who are not with your practice or this medical center/hospital for a second and third opinion?

Tomorrow we'll talk about some tips for helping you through your recovery.

Have a good Wednesday.
Blessings,
Rick

Questions To Ask After Diagnosis (continued)

1. Is there any seminal vesicle involvement?

2. What are the chances that the cancer is contained within the prostate?

3. What is the stage of my cancer? Ask for an explanation.

4. Has my cancer spread, and if so, how far?

5. Where can I find advice about coping with the emotional impact of diagnosis and therapy?

6. Are there prostate cancer support centers nearby for me and my family?

7. Do you have literature that suggests how I tell my family and employer, etc. of my prostate cancer?

8. Should I speak with a social worker?

Have a good Tuesday.
Blessings,
Rick

Questions To Ask After Diagnosis

Here is a short list of questions to ask after diagnosis.
1. What is my PSA? Ask for a good explanation.

2. What is my Gleason Score? Ask for a good explanation.

3. How many biopsy cores were taken and what are the locations of each biopsy?

4. What percent of each core was cancerous?

5. How close to the peripheral border of the prostate were the positive biopsies? Ask for a good explanation.

6. What additional tests will I need and what will they be used to determine? (CAT scan, Bone scan and MRI scan).

7. When should I expect the results from these tests and will someone call me or should I call to obtain the results?

8. If I need to get copies of my records, scans, X-rays, etc. who do I contact?

Tomorrow, we'll cover 8 more questions to ask after diagnosis.

Have a good Ground Hog's Day.
Blessings,
Rick