After Cancer, Ambushed by Depression

[Kathy Meade]

Dana Jennings again has hit the nail on the head. To read his article click here.

Are you or someone you love experiencing similar problems?

Are you getting the support that you need?

What could be done differently to help you?

[Robert]

Kathy,
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I experienced some of what Dana is describing. I have at times been depressed but I would not exactly call what I experienced so much a depression as just a tiredness. I recall experiencing mostly a profound tiredness without so much of the "grayness". It was all compounded by a stressful job situation which I changed and then as I got the chance, I began to just let myself sleep and to take care of my body and the more I did that the more I realized I needed to give myself time to heal mentally as well as physically. I have a lot more to say on this topic and some bones to pick out there.

Robert

[Steve Z]

Kathy,

Thanks for starting this discussion (and so many others). Been there, done that - after a while I got counseling and it helped some. None of the magic pills worked - that may prove to be a good thing...

Prostate cancer treatment or effects always involve the possibility of being functionally emasculated. Once diagnosed, we all face the grim possibility (especially considering the shortcomings of TRUS biopsy) of dealing with what Dana has had to endure. In today's American equality culture, the only things that define functional masculinity are what orifice or appendage that you have sex with and how you urinate - we've made the rest equal between the sexes. --Think about it--

Prostate cancer treatment should involve the psychological aspects early on, but my experience was that this was not the realm of the urologist, and that my psychologist was as uncomfortable as I was (perhaps more so) with the prospective loss of of sexual and urinary function. Freud wouldn't have wanted go to there either --Think about it--

Any ideas of how to change any of this?

NOTE: The odds of coming out of conventional treatment for prostate cancer (radical prostatectomy) without sexual or urinary problems are less than a coin toss - a game of sexual and urological Russian roulette with more that one bullet loaded. Quality of life...

[George A. Brown]

Kathy, Dana is really directly on point in his article. Depression has so many faces and levels of intensity that at times it seems to be the cancer itself. I am going to expand on this discussion as soon as I can get my current depression in a manageable state, perhaps in a few days. Thanks for the outlet. George

[Steve Z]

The current standard of care is a psychological nightmare - take a coin toss as to your furture sexual and urological, and bowel (if radiation) health??? The threat is as bad as anything I have ever experienced, Dana's actuality is worse.

At present, there is a suppressed scream of men who have had their lives changed forever by prostate cancer, many needlessly. --THANK DANA FOR LETTING US HEAR THE SCREAM--

- The lack of response to this excellent topic gives us all some idea of how repressed this topic is.

- The fact that the largest group on this site is Surgery followed by ED (and other problems) speaks volumes.

It is interesting that Mike didn't want to have a social network when he set this all up. I didn't understand then - I think that I do now: people will be driven by their fears before their hopes. The Internet has only made us into more of a herd animal - not a more logical ones.

I am sick to death of those who advocate earlier biopsy for lower PSAs. At some point, the urologic community will have to admit that the test is wrong only about twice as often as it is right. More, earlier PSA testing only results in many more ambiguous situations. It might be easier if we just removed the prostates from all men over the age of 60 - it would make for some great support groups, and would surely help grow the advocate community!

IMHO:

-- Men need better psychological counseling by those who truly understand the problem and can help men deal with it.

-- That PSA is the "best marker of cancer" only says how little we know about any of this.

-- My bias (given my treatment decision) was for focal treatment. Better imaging is needed to make this work.

Anyone who has found my comments offensive or particularly disturbing is welcome to follow the advise of the largest groups on this site. Good luck!

And George is right: this is a good outlet for those who are able to express the hurt. George is one of the brave who has told the truth.

Want some interesting reading - Google "clinical depression".

Steve Z - depression survivor