I received my Surgery date today

I had my surgery 11/5/21 and, for what it’s worth, things went much, much better than I expected. My PSA was 9.9, so I was in your range. Very little pain following surgery. I never needed anything more than Tylenol. The catheter was no problem and when it came out, I had very little incontinence. None of my worries ever materialized. Hope you have the same result. A positive attitude is helpful. Easy does it.

Glad you've made your decision. Now you can focus on gettin' her done, recovering, and moving forward.

Good luck!

Best of luck with the surgery.
I am curious.... Why does urethral length matter and how do they measure it pre-surgery?

I second the kegal practice. Also, a few things you might find useful post surgery:

A small plastic bucket to put the catheter bag in while you move around the house--catches any drips or leaks.
A good recliner--more comfortable that a bed, sometimes
Snap side sweat pants (basketball pants)
A small table next to your recliner for your remote, books, and your big water mug they give you at the hospital
Absorbent doggie training pads for your chair
A tube of antibiotic ointment to put on the tip of your penis where the catheter tube comes out--keeps it lubricated and infection free
Stool softener (Dulcolax or generic) and Metamucil. The last thing you want to do is strain to get the first poop out.
Med for bladder spasms (many men get them with the catheter in place) this is a prescription med)
Take as little opiate as you can--opiates cause constipation
Get out of the chair and walk around the house at least every hour or two. You'll nap a lot. After a day or two, put on the leg bag and go for a walk, maybe 20 minutes maximum. I did laps at home depot pushing a cart. Eat high fiber diet. Did I say drink a LOT of water?

Get yourself mentally ready.

Good luck Friend.
As Jefff said, my experience too was that while it was not easy, it was not as bad as i expected and in fact within a week i was amazed at my recovery pace. You will do fine.

Yes MotownPaul. Dr Stifelman actually suggested we look at the urethral length, but my MRI disc wouldn't load on the exam room PC during my exam. He said 10mm was the magic number. I was later informed it's 13mm, so I have a good margin.

Thanks to everyone for your advice pre and post surgery. I will benefit from your experience.

Mumbo said...
Friend - best I could find on urethral length with a nice video.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s2287888220300106

There's a bit on this topic in an earlier thread:

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&m=4274255

Thank you, Mumbo.
I'll be grateful if there are no surgery complications, and I'm free of this cancer. I'll work through the incontinence and ED issues.

Your Friend said...
I'll be grateful if there are no surgery complications, and I'm free of this cancer. I'll work through the incontinence and ED issues.

Being free of cancer will be what it will be and the cross we all bear after primary treatment. The 3 month PSA is the typical defining moment of your post surgery status. You will get the final and complete read on the prostate pathology after surgery which will tell a lot about the actual risk level of your cancer that can't be determined by imaging and biopises.

You will most probably will do fine and be back on your feet in no time. The most important thing was having my wife take care of me for a few days. I came home on a Weds and she went back to work on Monday which was perfect, I was ready and she was confident I would not kill myself. To follow halbert's post, I had robot assisted hernia surgery 2 years after RALP (1.5 hours) and it was a piece of cake compared to my prostate surgery (2+ hours). Some people seem to do better than others but there is something about manhandling (with a robot) the bladder and bowels while you are nearly upside down filled with CO2 for a couple of hours that takes its toll on your abdomen.

Incontinence can be improved by doing daily kegel exercises in the weeks before surgery and after the catheter is removed as needed. I used to do them driving to Home Depot & similar stores and back home. The key is to hold for a period of time (3-5 secs at first) and do a number of repetitions (5-10). The easiest way to understand a kegel is to stop peeing midstream and remember that feeling and muscle.

Not really sure how you prepare for ED prior to the event. Things like Viagra, Cialis and a vacuum pump will be recommended after surgery which I suggest you take seriously since early action helps. Good luck and ask any specific questions the week before surgery.