So worried about future after prostatectomy.

Good morning all. I was diagnosed with Prostate cancer after biopsy late December, I’m 41 yrs old and PSA = 4.5 then second retest was 3.5. Gleason was 7 (3+4) based on biopsy. Biopsy 12 cores and 6 positive only on left side of prostate. Doctor said it was early stage but the cancer was intermidiate aggressiveness. Originally stage CT1 based on biopsy and PSA. Had nerve sparing Da Vinci surgery Feb 1st and all went ok (still have catheter for another week). Pathology came back with stage PT2 (cancer confined to prostate)/ Gleason = 7 (3+4),no cancer in lymph nodes or bladder. Pathology report did not Indicate anything about positive margins so I asume there were no positive margins. My doctor just said report looked good and no need to discuss further treatment at this time. Have not had a post op PSA done yet.

All of this has happened so quickly, from 12/27 to now 2/10/18, was diagnosed and had surgery to remove prostate, now that it is done I have become sooo worried over what all this means long term. I read so much on this forum of reoccurrence and it scares me a lot. I have a teen child that I love to pieces and would like to live to see her grow up. But now I don’t know what to think. Any guidance is much appreciated.

Also, dreading having the catheter pulled out in 5 days, how bad does this hurt ??
Thank you everyone, God bless.

Welcome Ivic.

My cath "removal" was less than that. The nurse clipped off the fill valve and it fell out on its own. I've had others since, and there was never more than the slightest tug to encourage them to just leave a puddle in the floor. I wouldn't worry about "removal".

welcome to HW.

Most men have one treatment and done.

You'll be around long enough to see her 40th, 50th birthday, likely more.

As reachoit said,the catch coming out is nothing. A non event. Except that after it's out, you'll feel like a different person. I'll remember THT day forever as a great day.

Keep in mind, most guys here who have no issues after surgery, tend to slowly drift away. It's the guys with issues that tend to stay around, with some exceptions, of course. So this is not a good sample to judge. The majority of guys with your pathology have no recurrence and the fact that they had prostate cancer slowly drifts into the background.
You have every reason to be optimistic

You know how....when you ask somebody if something hurt them when they had something done....and they said "No....didn't hurt"? And then you think to yourself...."Well....that guy's stronger than I am. He doesn't understand....just how sensitive I am to pain. I believe it will probably hurt even though he says it didn't hurt him". And then .... YOU have it done....and....it kinda *does* hurt?

Well....this is not like that. This really does not hurt. That's not to say you cannot feel it. You can. But....it's not a feeling of pain (and I'm sensitive to pain....trust me). This is a "strange" feeling....with zero sensations of good or bad feelings. No pain. No pleasure. Just strange. And it lasts for about 1.5 seconds. And just before they pull it out.....you're all scrunched up...braced for some pain. But....it's a waste of scrunching....because.....it's out before you know it's even out.


You pathology and re-occurance. Your cured man. You know how people say....."Well...you're gonna be just fine"....when....the fact is....they secretly know you probably will not be? That's not happening here.

There's really is no reason to believe that you are not cured. And there *is* every reason to believe you are.

Plug your numbers in here.....

/www.mskcc.org/nomograms/prostate/post_op

see for yourself what your odds are of seeing that cute lady of yours grow up.

Take care

Most of us wish we had your numbers, Ivic. The hard part is over!

Catheter out is a pleasure. Just exercise, walk, kegal, and don't lift anything heavy for a month, or so. Go slow. PSA check in maybe two months.

Reoccurrence is the least of your worries! Get on with your life, don't worry, and stop reading all our negative whining.

I had catheter out early this week. First, they put saline in my bladder via the cath. They deflated the balloon that keeps it in and then she pulled it out. No pain, kind of a weird feeling. I was surprised how long the tube was that they had to pull out. It is a non-issue procedure.

As to worry of relapse, I think most of us think about that occasionally. The reality is most of us will be just fine and some will need more treatment. Worry does nothing to change the future. Be in the moment, ket well, follow your doctor's advice and love you teenager today! Denis

Ivic,

I'll be 3 years since RALP next Saturday. I'm cancer free (G7 post surgical pathology), I have minimal continence issues (an occasional drip), and no ED issues. Get along and live life.

Ivic said...
....Also, dreading having the catheter pulled out in 5 days, how bad does this hurt ??
Thank you everyone, God bless.

That's a very good path report you got! Worst case scenario if your PSA rises in the coming years, you get radiation.

I also was dreading pulling the catheter but my urologist said to stand in a warm shower, deflate the balloon thingy on the end and it will probably fall out on its own. And it almost did - just the slightest tug and it fell out, zero discomfort.

However I almost hit the roof when the Resident pulled out my Jackson-Pratt drain, that hurt, and hurt badly. Ouchie.

Ivic,
We have the same anniversary (Feb. 10th) only mine was in 2012. We also have similar stats (3+4) and negative margins, etc. Just wanted to let you know that there is plenty of hope after surgery. I have my six year checkup this Wednesday, Feb. 14th and have no reason not to believe that my PSA will continue to be undetectable. Those of us who have done well tend to not post very often, while people who are struggling want advice. Caught early you have every reason to hope for a cure.
The catheter removal was a non-event for me. The nurse crossed me up. She said she was going to count to three and pull it out and purposely pulled on two so I had no time to tense up or think about it. Do your kegels and get walking ASAP and you should be fine. ED could take longer. For me, they put me on Cialis right after I lost the rubber snake for blood flow. For about three months--nothing going on south of the border, but finally the Cialis kicked in at about 6 months and finally at almost exactly a year I stopped needing meds at all and I lost most the nerves on one side. At your young age you could recover faster assuming ED was not a problem before surgery. Be patient and listen to your body. Good luck and hope to hear about a complete recovery.

Tom

You sound like you're in a very good position, and should plan on a long future. Don't sweat the catheter removal, you'll feel so much better afterwards to be free. A tug and you're done, don't work yourself up beforehand.

Ok, if we're telling catheter stories, here is mine.

I work with a guy that had previously been catheterized (not for PCa), and prior to my surgery he warned me that the catheter removal was like "shards of glass". Leading up to my surgery and in the week that I had the catheter, this weighed heavily on me, and even though I wanted the cath removed, I dreaded the procedure.

As others have said, it's not a big deal, and I experienced no significant pain. When I came back to work, I went directly to his office and punched him in the arm. At which point he admitted that he was just trying to psych me out.

But Karma is a b!tch, and about 6 months later *he* was diagnosed with PCa. And while I have done my best to provide support and comfort, I did not miss my chance to throw "shards of glass" back at him.

Ivic - Good luck with your recovery. Your pathology report seems great, go give your daughter a hug.