What was your experience having prostate removed?

I can only imagine all the different replies for this question but I'm happy to share my story. Remember, no two patients are going to have identical post-operative results. A lot of variables such as patient age, health, surgeon's experience just to name a few. #1, I had Da Vinci robotic assisted prostatectomy. I chose surgery for several reasons. I come from a cancer family. Mother passed away from breast cancer recently, I have a sister fighting an incurable cancer (leiomyosarcoma) which spread to her lungs through her lymph nodes. As I was Gleeson 3+4, I needed to know if my lymph nodes were involved. They weren't! Also wanted information provided by post-op biopsy of my gland. Post-op biopsy showed ECE+ And SM+. Not great news but RO and I have this knowledge in the event of recurrence. And frankly, I was more comfortable with the idea of surgery over radiation. Just my preference. #2, my recovery was uneventful, thankfully. Normal but tolerable pain for a few days, no catheter issues. #3, I can't feel I no longer have a prostate. Didn't feel it when I had one! both nerve bundles successfully spared, erections have steadily improved. I have no complaints concerning that. No ejaculate anymore but orgasms are fine.#4, only thing I would have done differently is get tested earlier. Surgically speaking, I have no regrets. Glad I chose surgery. 5, fully continent before surgery, fully continent after. Very minor dripping after urinating for about 10 days after surgery. Not uncontrolled leaking, just couldn't "shut it off completely" after urinating. Sleep through the night, wake up dry since catheter removal. Only used a couple of pads each day for about 10 days. Again, everyone's surgery/recovery/side effects are unique.

1) RALP
2) The time i waited to have the catheter removed was tough because i couldn’t comfortably lay down, but was back on my feet in about 4 weeks. I have an office job that does not require alot of physical labor
3) I dont think you feel your prostate per se, but you do notice a difference in urination and sex (orgasms without ejaculate)
4) Get a recliner before surgery
5) 2 years out i have stress incontinence….sneezing coughing cause drips….but i also had radiation soon after surgery which didnt help things. Other than that Its fine. Get an experienced surgeon at a high volume hospital.

Follow the link to "my story" in my signature file for a full discussion.

Lots of pain the first few days in my abdominal area, but i was surprised at how quickly it subsided. On the other hand i had major gas pains in my shoulders and upper torso area, from the gas that they pump into the abdominal cavity to expand the 'work area", and that lasted for a full week.

When catheter came out, which was a fairly painless experience, i was initially incontinent, but it subsided within a couple of days, i continued to leak however for about six weeks during which time it slowly diminished.
After surgery i had no problem with erections (5 mg Cialis daily), and orgasm was very pleasurable, (and cleaner). Since then however, I've had some issues in that area, but not so sure it was related to surgery. I still function ok, but it requires situational double dose of cialis.

I feel totally normal now, piss like a racehorse, its much quicker, no dribbles, and although i needed salvage radiation 2 years ago, all is well now.
If i had to give one piece of advice, find the most experienced surgeon you can find.

After using a blender on my prostate, the surgeon used a hatchet on my urethra.

Doing well, all things considered.

Interesting that you don’t feel the prostate missing.

So that little muscle that turns the pee on and off is still there afterwards?

It feels like that same muscle is used in pumping ejaculate.. am i incorrect here?

I kinda thought the prostate did the pumping, no?

What happens with the valves is that us men, at birth, have more than one. There is one inside the prostate that shuts of urine during sexual activity so that we don't pee during sex, and a second one that is actually directly connected to the bladder that both we and women are born with.

After a prostatectomy, the inside valve is gone, and we have to train ourselves to depend on the other one. Most of the time, this is successful.

Seminal fluid is produced in the prostate gland, and then flows down through the seminal vesicles to collect sperm cells from the testes before it becomes ejaculate. After prostatectomy, because you don't have a prostate anymore, you no longer produce semen, so you don't ejaculate anymore. However, some some men--who knows what the ratio is--I'm one--the sensations of sexual climax are the same, or better, than before. No one knows why.

Sex after, for me, is as good, or better, than before, and no mess.

September 2020, blood draw for PSA test, test results, DRE and prostate biopsy. October 2020, biopsy result received. January 2021, had my surgery.

Stephen.. when was the first time you realized something was wrong?
Biopsy comes later.

PSA started slowly creeping up in my mid-late fifties. First biopsy at 63, negative. Second biopsy at age 65, positive, surgery 2 months later

I started having annual PSA's at 45, at 53 I came off zero, and had annual doublings for 3 years, and was referred to a Urologist. Biopsy in early December, 2014, surgery in February 2015.

on my way to get my prostate removed -- i just wanted it out -- my urologist, a surgeon, convinced me to to do a triple play radiation therapy instead. so i did not have my prostate removed in 2010 and i think prostate removal for most men (at least 99%) is the worst way to treat prostate cancer