HOW A GAY MAN WITH PROSTATE CANCER DEALT WITH PERSONAL ISSUES

BEFORE AND AFTER HIS PROSTATECTOMY

by

Milton Sonday

date of diagnosis:            07 March 2006

date of surgery:            11 April 2006

treatment:                    radical prostatectomy

prognosis:                  good

date of this essay:             January 2007

date of birth:               18 December 1939

place of birth:               Berks County, Pennsylvania

residence:                   Brooklyn, New York

education:                   Masters in Fine Arts, Carnegie-Mellon University

occupation:                 retired: Curator of Textiles, Cooper-Hewitt Museum

current activity:            freelance textile historian and artist

Preface

The aim of this essay is to recount my own experiences in dealing with prostate cancer from diagnosis through a prostatectomy and recovery, and to share what I experienced with other men. (I will not be discussing treatment options because I did not research them prior to surgery.) Most of the medical aspects were adequately explained, but some non-technical issues were not mentioned or explained in detail.  I should say at the start that at no point in the medical process was I overly alarmed or frightened by the prospect of surgery.

Following the Preface and the section titled Prior to Surgery, my essay is divided into two sections: Phase I: While in the Hospital; and Phase II: At Home Alone: The First Few Days, The Process of Recovery, and Getting on With Your Sex Life. These se