Simons Kegel8 Success story 'I was diagnosed with prostate cancer early in 2016 at the age of 53 - a real shock as I'd always thought it was an 'old-gits' (i.e. much older than me!) disease. I never had any symptoms, never had any issues and I’d never felt unwell. Thank goodness for my excellent GP in France who decided to add a PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test to my annual full bloods when I turned 50. Had he not done that one simple thing, I doubt I would even know today that I had prostate cancer. Scary.

Apparently prostate cancer is affecting more and more guys in their 40's and 50's so I've made it a bit of a mission to shout about it which, to my surprise, has often resulted in 'tumbleweed' moments.Generally folks are not comfortable talking about prostate cancer - certainly not to the same extent they are talking about say, breast cancer. In France and the UK, prostate cancer is the most prevalent of all male cancers

So, in June 2016 I had a radical robotic prostatectomy - a major op not without its issues. Two of the biggies being urine leaks and erection problems. I had loads of info and 'warnings' about both issues before my op but, nothing quite prepared me for the reality of them. At the outset - I was just knocked sideways by the cancer diagnosis and found it very difficult to concentrate on anything else.

"I've had remarkable results from Kegel8 V For Men"

By the time I got to the op stage, after all the scans, biopsies, probes and 'interventions' I thought I could pretty much deal with any post-op after effects. After all - my surgeon had prescribed me a course of pre-op pelvic floor sessions using the Anuform probe - via a local Physio. So, I thought I'd just pick up where I left off after my op. Wrong! At that stage I felt pretty desperate to find a quick and sustainable solution to my urinary and erectile problems. OK, I appreciate that both these issues are better than dying from prostate cancer but even so, they were big deals for me and, as I guess they would be for many men - especially relatively young ones!

It was pretty plain to me that I was going to need much more sustained (i.e. daily) and disciplined pelvic floor exercises to control my urine leaks. I'd be spending lots of time going back and forth between my home and the Physio - just to be wired up to the probe. That's when I discovered the Kegel8 for men following advice posted on the Prostate Cancer UK website. So I thought I'd give it a whirl but I honestly didn't have any kind of high expectations.I'd been using the Kegel8 for Men for nearly 6 weeks and the change in my urinary control and penile sensation was remarkable. I said goodbye to Tena Men (serves me right for joking about them in the past!) which may sound petty but I can assure you, for me, it was a massive, massive step forward!. I followed the suggested programmes religiously so that they became an easy part of my daily routine - importantly, in the comfort and privacy of my own home and whenever I wanted. Eight months on I still use the Kegel8 just to maintain my pelvic muscle strength - I don’t want to go back to leaking! I alternate between the supplied probe and the optional Anuform probe which I find more effective. Really easy to use with uncomplicated instructions.

"I'm extremely happy with my Kegel8 for Men"

In summary, I'm extremely happy with my Kegel8 for Men; it's exceeded my expectations and I'm pretty sure it will continue to support me well in the future. It’s an aspect of having prostate cancer that had never occurred to me before my own diagnosis and I would thoroughly recommend Kegel8 for anyone in a similar position. I'm doing just great now and have my 3 monthly PSA tests which show my prostate cancer as undetectable. As with most cancers, I won't get the all clear for 5 years buy hey, onward and upwards - life is for living!

Something really important to me is to raise awareness about prostate cancer, to encourage you boys (and the girls and boys who love you) to get a PSA test and at the very least provoke conversation. For more info please go to www.prostatecanceruk.org