Pathway Step 4 · Build your kit

🧰 Patient Tools Kit — Prostate-Cancer-Survivor

The everyday tools a Certified Prepared Patient keeps within reach: the rules that decide an emergency, the order to make calls, and the trackers that keep the routine on course. Print the cards, fill in your contacts, and keep this kit where the whole household can find it.

What’s in your kit

Eight tools. The first three are the rules you must know cold — they decide when something is an emergency. The rest keep the daily partnership steady and tell you where your role begins and ends.

1 The PSA Rule 2 The Side Effects Rule 3 Other Red Flags 4 The Contact Ladder 5 PSA Trend 6 PCS Medicines 7 The ER Go-Bag 8 Speak Up / Trust the Team
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1 · The PSA Monitoring Rule

Know this cold

After prostate cancer treatment, PSA (prostate-specific antigen) is the main surveillance tool. A rising PSA can be the first sign of recurrence — long before symptoms.

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PCS PSA RULE

Patient card
Schedule matters
PSA every 3-6 months for the first few years, then less often. Don’t skip the test.
Rising = call
Any rising PSA, especially with doubling, is a call to oncology. Doesn’t always mean recurrence — needs evaluation.
Bring all results
Keep a personal log of all PSA values with dates. Patterns matter more than single numbers.
Your move as patient: Help track the PSA schedule. Get the labs done. Save every result. Bring the running list to every oncology visit.
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2 · The Treatment Side Effects Rule

Know this cold

Prostate cancer treatments cause real side effects: erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, hot flashes (on hormone therapy), bone loss (on hormone therapy), fatigue. They’re manageable — but only if discussed.

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PCS SIDE EFFECTS RULE

Patient card
Talk about it
Many men don’t mention erectile or urinary issues. Encourage open conversation. Treatments exist for both.
Bone protection
Long-term ADT (androgen deprivation) causes bone loss. Many patients need bone-density scans + calcium/D + possibly bisphosphonates.
Cardiovascular watch
ADT raises cardiovascular risk. Watch BP, cholesterol, sugar. Primary care matters here.
Your move as patient: Be the conversation opener. Ask honestly. Push for referrals to urology / sexual health / PT for pelvic floor / cardiologist as needed. Quality of life matters.
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3 · Other Red Flags — Emergencies

Know this cold

Beyond the two red rules above, these situations also mean immediate help. When in doubt, the home care plan handles ordinary days — these are not ordinary.

🤠 New severe bone pain

Persistent, focal — could be metastasis. Imaging needed.

Call team today

❤️ Chest pain

ADT raises cardiovascular risk. New chest pain — 911.

Call 911 now

🚴 Falls

ADT causes bone loss — fracture risk. Falls warrant evaluation.

ED today

👀 New urinary obstruction

Sudden inability to urinate, severe pain. Could be obstruction, infection. ED.

ED now
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4 · The Contact Ladder

Fill in & print

When something is wrong, you should not be deciding who to call in the moment — only which rung you are on. Fill in the names and numbers now, while things are calm.

1
Rung 1 · The plan

You's survivorship care plan

PSA schedule, long-term medicines (if any), side-effect management, lifestyle changes.

Action plan kept: ________________________
2
Rung 2 · The specialists

Urology / oncology team

For PSA changes, side effects, new symptoms. Survivorship clinics coordinate long-term care.

Specialty team: ________________________
3
Rung 3 · Everyday care

Primary care provider

For routine care, cardiovascular monitoring (ADT raises risk), bone health.

Primary care: ________________________
4
Rung 4 · Emergency

911 / Emergency Department

For chest pain (cardiac), urinary emergency, falls with injury, severe bone pain.

Preferred ED: ________________________
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5 · PSA Log (when checked)

Tap to log

Enter PSA value on the day it’s checked. Use the next day’s slot if checked outside the week.

Trend over months matters most. Bring running log to oncology. Any rise = call.

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6 · Prostate Cancer Survivor Medicine Support

Daily routine

After treatment: sometimes ADT (androgen deprivation), sometimes newer agents (abiraterone, enzalutamide, others) for advanced cases. Surveillance only for many low-risk patients.

The picture: prostate cancer survival is improving rapidly. Most localized cancers are curable; advanced cases live longer with newer medicines. Side-effect management makes survivorship livable.

ADT side effects

Hot flashes, fatigue, bone loss, weight gain, sexual dysfunction, mood. Each has options. Tell the team.

Bone density scans

ADT causes bone loss. DXA scan baseline + every 1-2 years. Calcium + vitamin D. Sometimes bisphosphonate or denosumab.

Cardiac monitoring

ADT raises cardiovascular risk. BP, lipids, sugar monitored. Lifestyle — exercise, diet — matters more on ADT.

Newer agents

Abiraterone, enzalutamide, apalutamide, others — for advanced cases. Each has specific monitoring (liver, BP, falls).

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7 · The ER Go-Bag

Pack once, check monthly

A crisis is not the time to gather paperwork. Pack a go-bag now and keep it by the door. Tap each item as you add it — your checklist saves on this device.

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8 · Speak Up / Trust the Team Guide

You boundary

The hardest skill in patienting is knowing when to act and when to hold back. A great patient is a reliable backup and a fierce advocate — without taking your own care away from them.

💬 Speak up when…

  • A red-flag rule is met and a clinician is dismissing it — restate the rule and the home plan calmly and clearly.
  • You are in the ED and your home plan is being ignored — ask for it to be looked at, and ask for a senior clinician if needed.
  • You are about to be given a medicine or test that wasn’t in the plan — ask why, and ask about alternatives.
  • Your symptoms are escalating between visits — call before it becomes an ER trip.
  • You feel unheard or rushed — it’s OK to say "I need a minute to ask one more question."

🤝 Trust the team when…

  • They have proposed a guideline-based treatment that fits your plan.
  • You disagree from fear rather than from new information — pause, ask one question, listen.
  • You are on a stable run that’s working — small adjustments often beat big changes.
  • Your care partner’s instinct and the team’s recommendation agree — that’s a strong signal.
  • You’ve done your part of the homework — logs, questions, honest history — and now it’s the team’s turn.
The principle: you trained to the depth your clinicians use so you could be a partner in your own care, not a passenger. Speak up for safety and accuracy; trust the team for guideline-based treatment and steady adjustment. When unsure, ask a clarifying question first: “Can you walk me through your reasoning?”
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