3. Men's Lives
Men as individuals and family members
Sometimes it seems that men with prostate cancer are not seen as people having any other existence apart from as a man with prostate cancer:
- 21% of men were carers for dependent friends/relatives at the time of diagnosis
- 24% of men felt that their home circumstances were not adequately considered when they were having treatment
For some men, their diagnosis could have an impact on other family members and they will need advice on this:
- 62% of men under 65 at diagnosis were not advised to make any sons or brothers aware of their prostate cancer diagnosis
- 41% of men felt health professionals did not consider their partner when discussing changes in their sex lives, and 22% felt they did this ‘some, but not enough’ - thus 63% of men felt the effects on their partners of their altered sex lives were not adequately considered.
Active choices
A cancer diagnosis is often destabilising. Commonly people will make some effort to regain some stability by making lifestyle changes and taking active steps to do something. Often, they feel this may influence the outcome of their cancer journey:
- 34% of men changed their diet after getting their diagnosis of prostate cancer
We identified a large number of actions men took. Once they were categorised, the most common option was to reduce overall fat intake, avoid or reduce diary products and increase fruit and vegetable intake, with a slight preference for increasing fruit rather than vegetables. Fluid intake also seemed important - generally being increased but also some fluids being substituted for others, e.g. with tea and coffee being reduced in favour of green tea or decaffeinated versions.
There were also other changes:
- 22% of men took more exercise
- 28% drank less alcohol
- 52% of smokers - of whom there were few anyway - reduced or stopped their habit
- 20% of men used complementary medicines or therapies to help with their prostate cancer
Lifestyle influences are becoming increasingly important in lay understanding of health and it is important that we know what men are doing when confronted with a prostate cancer diagnosis. There is a role that voluntary organisations can play in this, producing supportive information and advice.
There is still considerable confusion about basic healthy eating and these messages always need repackaging and repeating. Evidence to support advice specific to men with prostate cancer is thin, but it is beginning to emerge on calorie intake, fat intake, absence of essential trace nutrients like Selenium, for example. As the shift to ‘empowering the patient’ becomes more firmly founded, men’s interest in lifestyle issues will increase rather than lessen and it is important for us to be aware of what men do under these circumstances.
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