Prostate Cancer Canada

Resources

For more information visit
www.movember.com

In The News

Prostate Cancer Awareness Day at BC Legislative Assembly
VICTORIA, May 4, 2012- On Monday, May 7, Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC) will host their first Legislative Assembly Day to promote education and awareness of prostate cancer in British Columbia.

Media Advisory - Prostate Cancer Canada celebrates local Halifax hero
HALIFAX, April 25, 2012 /CNW/ - Please join Prostate Cancer Canada and members of the Halifax business community as we celebrate a local hero who has made an extraordinary contribution in the fight against prostate cancer through courage, inspiration and dedication.

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How to Cope

Dealing with prostate cancer is very stressful and taking care of your emotional and psychological well-being is important.

You may not usually rely on friends and family for emotional support. You may have trouble asking for and accepting help. But asking for and accepting help is an important part of dealing with the disease.

Different men deal with these challenges in different ways, but there are some common coping strategies. They include:

Express your emotions: Don't keep your feelings bottled up. Guilt, fear, sadness and helplessness are very powerful emotions that can damage your physical and psychological well-being.
Ask for support: Family members, close friends and/or support groups and resources are there to help. Making treatment decisions may be helped by talking with your partner, friends, family and other men who have prostate cancer. But remember, when you are speaking to other men with prostate cancer, that their circumstances (including the grade and stage of their cancer) may be quite different from yours. Their treatment decisions may not be what's best for you.
Educate yourself: Learn about the disease, its treatments and side-effects. Only through education will you be able to become an informed partner in the management of your illness.
Ask your doctors questions: Your doctors are there to help and the best way you can work together with them is to have open and honest communication. If you're not sure about something, ask. If they're giving you too much information and you are having difficulty understanding, let them know.
Maintain a positive attitude: Hope gives you the psychological strength to carry on and cope with the demands of diagnosis and treatment. Maintaining a positive attitude will make you that much stronger in your fight with prostate cancer.

Another important issue in prostate cancer treatment has to do with the side effects, especially those that deal with sexuality. Impotence, whether permanent or temporary, can cause anxiety for both partners.

This is a very personal matter that each couple will have to work through in their own way. This is where strong, open communication is going to play a big part in planning for the future. If necessary, you might want to seek the help of doctors or support groups.

Remember that holding hands, physical closeness, caring and personal intimacy are very rewarding.