By Annette Campbell
David Sandoe, 59, is a general manager with a financial company in the heart of the city of Sydney.
But even on his busiest, most high-pressure days, this executive refuses to stress.
“Nothing at work can really worry me now,” he says calmly. “I’ve survived worse!”
Eight years ago, David was diagnosed with prostate cancer — and now he’s a living, breathing, proud example it can be beaten and that life goes on.
“Cancer is only a word, not a sentence,” says the married father-of-three from Turramurra, in Sydney’s north.
A routine medical in September 1996 showed he had elevated PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) in his blood, and a digital examination found his prostate had abnormalities. A subsequent biopsy showed there was cancer in the prostate — and David opted for surgery to remove his prostate completely.
“It is common to have some incontinence afterwards, so we have to re-train the bladder with pelvic floor exercises, and I’m fine now,” he explains. “Impotence was also a consideration, but if you’ve got cancer … you’ve got to do everything to attack it.
“Initially, I couldn’t get an erection. So I used injection therapy, and we could have really good intercourse.
“But I was getting quite bad groin pains after sex, so we opted for a vacuum device and that works well. Now — after eight years — I can get a pretty good erection myself, and with the use of oral drugs and the manual device, it’s all quite good. And I’m alive.”
David — who’s now a Director of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, (PCFA) and the co-chair of their Support and Advocacy Committee — is happy to talk openly about his experience, to help other men overcome their fears … and embarrassment.
“You would not wish prostate cancer on your worst enemy but I’ve been enriched by the experience and now am trying to help others,” he says.
Prevention and symptoms
The prostate is a male-only organ located immediately below the bladder and just in front of the bowel.
David says that if you’re over 50 you should have a PSA blood test and digital examination every year.
“And if you have a family history — like my sons do — you should start being tested at 40,” he explains.
The symptoms may include one or more of the following — although many prostate cancers develop without men recognising any symptoms.
— Waking frequently at night to urinate
— Sudden or urgent need to urinate
— Difficulty in starting to urinate
— Slow flow of urine and difficulty in stopping
— Discomfort when urinating
— Painful ejaculation
— Blood in the urine or semen
— Decrease in libido (sex urge)
— Reduced ability to get an erection
Unfortunately, if you have symptoms and you have cancer, the cancer may have already escaped the prostate capsule.
For more information, contact the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia on 1800 22 00 99 or visit their website www.prostate.org.au
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