Ian first realised he may have a problem when he started having difficulty in going to the toilet. On one occasion he found that he spent five minutes in the toilet and came out still not having managed to urinate. Ian then began experiencing considerable irritation and soreness on his penis. Ian decided that he needed to seek help from his GP. His GP initially thought that his problems urinating were linked to a prostate condition, which he was taking tablets for, and gave him some cream to reduce the irritation. If anything, the cream made Ian’s penis even more painful to the point where the pain became unbearable. After trying other topical creams with no improvement Ian’s GP referred him onto a specialist consultant. The consultant suggested a small section of the affected area be extracted and taken away for testing, a process called taking a biopsy.

The results of the biopsy came back and Ian was told that he had penile cancer. It was a big shock. The consultant at the hospital immediately told Ian that he would need surgery and referred him on to the Specialist Penile Cancer Centre specialising in penile cancer. Whilst his diagnosis was a shock, Ian didn’t feel afraid and had full confidence in the skills of the specialist team. Ian’s wife who had previously been treated for breast cancer was however extremely upset. Ian reassured her that everything would be okay. Before leaving the hospital, Ian had the surgical procedure explained to him by the specialist and was given a small amount of literature to clarify things.

Fortunately for Ian the Specialist Penile Cancer Centre was just five minutes down the road. At the centre the consultant confirmed to Ian that he would need an operation, however, he assured him that the current procedure was not as severe as it used to be, which Ian was relieved to hear. Ian was not however told anything about how the operation would impact on his life and was not provided with any information on other treatment options. Ian accepted the specialists recommendations as he was eager to be free of the pain.

Leading up to the operation, Ian was very open about his diagnosis telling not only his wife and children, but also anyone else who needed to be told. He found that sharing his anxieties with his wife really helped him cope. He also found that by joking about his condition with his friends he was able to relieve some of the tensions which were building up. Being in his sixties Ian had a strong belief that he was able to use strategies such as these to cope, something which he felt he may not have been able to do so easily if he was a younger man.

Ian had the operation performed under an epidural, which meant that he was conscious throughout the whole procedure. The surgeons removed the area of the penis affected by the cancer. Unfortunately, Ian caught an infection after the operation and was forced to stay in an isolation ward for a few days while he recovered. After a few months Ian had to return to the hospital to have a second biopsy to check to see if the cancer had spread. This biopsy found no evidence of cancer.

Since the operation Ian has been healthy. The only adaptation he has had to make to his life since being treated is how he uses the toilet. He now has to go to a cubicle rather than using a urinal. Ian was given an aid to help him more easily use the toilet and he is coping very well with this. Ian has not had any further adverse effects from the illness or the treatment. He attends checkups at the hospital every three months, these have revealed no signs of the cancer returning.