How to Make Sense of Prostate Disease and Surgery

Nearly all men dread the very thought of needing prostate surgery for many good reasons. It is a "wakeup" to a man’s aging process and can be painful and embarrassing, with post-surgical consequences that are concerning, if not downright scary.

But before you enter the abysses of prostate surgery, you need to be armed with information. You need to know what to expect, what your options are and how the potential post-operative consequences, such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, will be handled. You are the patient, therefore you are in charge.

Prostate cancer is one of most common types of cancer in men. There are numerous treatment options from chemotherapy to radiation to surgery. Prostate cancer can affect anyone. Recently, Broadway composer Andrew Lloyd Webber was diagnosed with it, but the writer of mega hits including "Phantom of the Opera" and "Cats" has "vowed to return to the stage by the end of the year."

As with all prostate disease -- there are several things every man needs to do -- and know about their prostate.