Yes a lucky dip indeed.. despite my father in law dying of PCa he was diagnosed at 72 with advanced PCa so we had no experience of surgery just hormone therapy, radio therapy and chemo.
I do agree also the individuals receiving the message hear it differently. We sat in the car and A said ‘ so that’s it then I will need to have it taken out.. he had heard mainly the surgeons recommendation to ‘put his prostate in a bucket’. I looked at him as if we had been in a different meeting!
We were told about incontinence but he did say for most it would be just like the stress incontinence some woman experience when sneezing or coughing, he did explain the dry orgasm consequence and that the ED would need tablets but no mention at all of penile shortening or a risk of atrophy.
I definitely reacted with a ‘there will have to be no other option before I think that is a good idea!’ One of the other dads from my daughters class at school had the same G6 diagnosis from the same consultant last year and I bumped into his wife last week and she said he just wanted it taken out ASAP so booked straight in for the op.. we are all different.We chatted about the kids ( grown up now) and neither of us mentioned ED though she did tell me without prompting he had no trouble with incontinence .... I didn’t feel it appropriate to ask and certainly the chance of disclosure of atrophy or shortening must be very low so the taboo lives on .. I agree imagiining life must be difficult but talking about it when it has happened equally so.