Men focus on different things, but two concerns stand out for both patients and their doctors erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. In this episode, we also learn about the critical support role of partners.

Mark:



When you have prostate cancer, people focus on different things, but I think for men, the first thing is to get the cancer under control. But once you've taken care of that, the two major issues are the bladder, the continence, getting dry again, as it's called, and secondly, the erectile dysfunction or sexual dysfunction aspect of it.



Text:



Improvements in treatment have significantly reduced the severity of side effects.



Julie:



Prostate cancer affects men--it hits them where they live. It affects them both physically and emotionally. It assaults their masculinity.



Dr. Tewari:



Prostate cancer is one surgery in which we don't get any credit by what we take out. We get credit by what we leave behind. The prostate happens to be situated in a very strategic location. It is surrounded all around by certain nerves which are actually supporting the erection. These nerves are actually really fine structures. They are like hair, and intermingled with the prostate and difficult to identify, difficult to differentiate. And the challenge is that we have to get all the bad guys out and still leave this fine hair-like structures intact.



Julie:



And from my standpoint, the only thing that I could think of that I could really do was to reassure him that our relationship was going to be the same no matter what happened, and that that was one piece that he did not have to be concerned about.



Mark:



Well I'm leading up to surgery tomorrow, to be prepped, and go see Dr. Tewari. My role is actually very easy. I just have to show up and go through the process. I think it's much harder probably for the people that have to wait.