Top 12 questions your husband is afraid to ask his doctor about his prostate

If you search the Web for information on prostate cancer and related topics, you’re bound to become overwhelmed, confused and maybe even a little terrified. After Googling for merely twenty minutes, many of my patients are left feeling unsure about the tests they need to have, the results they should listen to and the steps they should take moving forward after a cancer diagnosis. Although our society has come to rely on the Internet as a universal answer-key, when it comes to prostate cancer, it doesn’t have all the answers to help you navigate a diagnosis and the various treatment options.

I spend a great deal of time educating my patients and their spouses on their conditions and individual options, so I know how important it is for you and your husband to get a thorough answer to every one of your questions. Many of my patients are terrified from the results of their online search and afraid to ask the questions on their minds, since this is a sensitive topic and it can be embarrassing to ask questions.

As a result, I’ve compiled a list of the top twelve questions your husband is afraid to ask his doctor about his prostate. I urge you and your husband to discuss these difficult questions with his physician to make sure you both have all the information you need to comfortably make the right treatment choices.

1. How often do I need to get tested and what does the test involve?
2. What really are my risk factors?
3. What symptoms should I be most worried about?
4. How do I know the difference between regular aging and actual problems?
5. What are the differences between traditional surgery methods and robotic surgery for prostate cancer?
6. If I get my prostate removed, does that mean I can’t have kids anymore?
7. How painful is the surgery required to have my prostate removed, and do I have to have the entire prostate removed?
8. What are the real side effects from having my prostate removed?
9. If I am diagnosed with prostate cancer, what should I choose to do? Why is there no set treatment?
10. Without a prostate, can I still have sex?
11. Will going to the bathroom always be uncomfortable without a prostate?
12. What is the best treatment available to me with the least amount of risk for incontinence/impotence?

For more information, please visit Somerset Medical Center Prostate Cancer Institute.

Leave a comment below: How do you encourage your husband to go to the doctor?

Dr. Dhiren Dave

Dr. Dhiren Dave is the first fellowship-trained robotic surgeon at Somerset Medical Center, in Somerville, N.J. He graduated Tau Beta Pi from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Biomedical Engineering in 1998. He earned his M.D. from Vanderbilt University in 2003 and went on to complete his general surgery internship and urologic surgery residency training at UCLA Medical Center. During this time, he cultivated a specific interest in urologic oncology, advanced laparoscopy and minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Dave completed further fellowship training in advanced robotically-assisted laparoscopic surgery and has extensive experience performing surgery using the DaVinci robotic surgical system.

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