Dad diagnosed with prostate cancer

[Nottsangel2015]

So my dad has been diagnosed with prostate cancer , dr's seem positive no reason shouldn't make full recovery etc... He is having a full body mri in the next couple of weeks to ensure not spread further but hoping that's the case he will have no surgery just hormone treatments radiotherapy.
Obv it came as a shock when my mum and dad were there today for results and as such I think they failed to ask a few things.
If anyone has been through or had a family/friend go through this.
What is the prognosis? Is it reasonable to expect him to fully recover?
Does having this mean he will be more at risk to developing secondary cancer?
What are the side effects of the radiotherapy? Apparently not as invasive as chemo but will there be side effects such as hair loss, sickness etc...?
Will he require the catheter to stay in long term as they are under the impression it will be removed after the mri? (It was put in a month ago after having a blockage - what led to this diagnosis)
I'm just obv shocked myself and waiting until their next appointment seems an age away.
Thank you x

Prostate cancer can have a good prognosis.....he should have a specialist nurse to coordinate everything regarding scans / treatment and I would ask your dad if he has access to such a specialist nurse...you may be able to talk to her about general things which are worrying you( with your fathers permission of course)
He may only need hormone treatment but if he does need radiotherapy he may feel tired and will have been warned about possible side effects...will not lose his hair and unlikely to have nausea but may have diarrhoea ( which should be self limiting- but can go on for longer)....you can check out the cancer research website and Macmillan for further information
Many men develop prostate cancer and cope very well with treatment although can become impotent and suffer from hot flushes and joint pain and swollen tender breasts.....it can be many years before ( and if ) it ever spreads there are further treatments available
Hope this helps and reassures you

Thank you so much for your reply :-)
It's been quite a shock but I think it's set in now and I feel more optimistic about it. They've told my dad no reason why he won't live another 10 years which would make him 87 but still doesn't seem long but I guess it never is when it's your family, if it was anyone else I'd be saying you've had a good life if you love that long!
I was worried about how the treatment would affect him but feel reassured now I know it won't be too evasive.
My dad has said to come along to the next appointment with his consultant to see that they are not glossing anything over and that all can be treated.
Thank you for taking he time to respond :-) X

A close friend went thru this. He was told-generally - by Drs, that people die with prostate cancer not from prostate cancer ,iykwim

OP, I'm sorry to hear about your dad's diagnosis but glad his prognosis is good. My Mum was diagnosed with cervical cancer stage 3 a year ago and her prognosis wasn't great, in fact at one point we were told she was terminal but after radical surgery she's clear. I have no experience of dealing with prostrate cancer, but I just wanted to say that it's a long road, with lots of bumps, some days you'll be closer than you ever thought possible, some days feel like the end of the world, but as long as you all have each other, you'll get there. It's ok to be scared, and to cry, it's also ok to crack jokes and have conversations you never thought you'd have. Your dad is lucky to have such wonderful family support, my mum says that's what got her through her darkest days.

My dad is going through this right now. Early 50s. Picked up on male mot
He's just had surgery and full prostate removal. Surgeon is pleased with how it's gone. Currently resting at home

Radiotherapy may come next
Looks like I'm just a little bit ahead of you on this journey

We went through this with my dad. He had hormone treatment and radiotherapy. He enjoyed complaining about his sore breasts (he didn't get much sympathy from the women in the family for that) and was more tired than usual during treatment but he's fine now, no catheter and is just having his psa levels measured every few months. I went with him for his treatment a few times which helped give me peace of mind.

Has your dad told what his PSA and Gleason score is? Those are the things that go together to tell you what the best treatments would be. But for many men, prostate cancer is very effectively treated.
The catheter may be something a bit longer term - if he goes on hormones, his prostate will shrink and hopefully things will unblock, but if he was suitable for surgery, then that can be a good option for men with retention as they get their cancer removed and the blockage solved. But his multidisciplinary team should talk about all of this with him.

Theres a really good prostate cancer 'toolkit' you can download from PCUK which has all the questions to ask and explanations of everything.
He shouldn't be afraid to ask people to write things down for him so he has that information later, its so easy to forget things in a stressful appointment

Thanks for starting this thread op I wasn't brave enough myself

I'm so saddened to read so many of you are going or have gone through this or similar I suppose people are right when they say everyone knows someone with cancer of some form!
I'm so glad all of your family members are doing well!
Mrs Chatty it's nice to hear from you hopefully we can vent together the highs and lows of what's ahead!
We are waiting for the final tests (just waiting on bone scan) and will get an appr with consultant when results are in to assess treatment but they seem pretty adamant they won't remove at all.
Dibbler I'm not sure of the exact levels but his psa was high although the nurse did say it doesn't always mean much until they have the bigger picture.
Thank you everyone for showing support its nice to know people are there who understand although obviously not nice you've all had to go through with it xx