Sitting after RALP and kegals

Hey there
I had RALP done on the 11th, I am off of all pain killers, yay

That said I can't sit on a hard surface, it hurts where my prostate was. What tricks work and when does this go away?

My kegal muscles are sore, they have been since surgery, when should I ramp up the exercise? I am doing enough not to make the soreness worse.

Thanks in advance

Post Edited (Patrick M) : 11/22/2013 8:27:48 PM (GMT-7)

Doughnut cushion - the good heavy foam one, not the inflatable junk. Go to a serious pharmacy or medical equipment store and ask for the one for hemorrhoid patients. I already had one from some previous colo-rectal surgery. It saved me. It took several months before I could stil on a hard surface without it.

It takes a while. There is such a thing as too many Kegels. Give it time.

Patrick,
You, Berk, LAPilot and I are joined at the hip having had our prostate surgeries in the same week. I'm sure that your present discomfort will shortly pass and you can continue to look forward to your future.

My doctor's office suggested a Kegel routine of 20 10 second Kegels as one set. I do two sets per day now and did them like that also for the six weeks prior to surgery and am continuing them now. There are so many protocols for Kegels that who knows what really works, doesn't work, or is actually counter-productive. I'm dry at night and on one pad during the day to catch dribbles and occasional squirts.

I wish you the best!!!

Holy moly. What a literal pain in the butt you guys are enduring! Do any of the veteran members know why we can have such different experiences post op? Three days after surgery, I was 160 miles from home at a college football game and I recall no discomfort from either the long car ride or from bouncing up and down cheering on the cold metal bench stadium seat. I was not being tough. It didn't hurt. What factors lead to my "luck"? We seem to have had simlilar amounts of cancer and the same procedure with the same machine with experienced surgeons. Did my surgeon just happen to have a good day, like happens with athletes? Sometimes they are just "on"?
My prayers this morning are gratitude for my painlessness and I'm asking the Lord to please relieve my brethren of all "pains in the butt"!
If your boss is a pain in the butt, that's not part of my prayers!
Feel better, dudes!
Mikey

I was sore for a while. Pillows and the padded ring worked well. Yes, dont over do the kegels, just walk a lot. I had gullbladder removed and two hip replacements and this was far the worst experience. Just take it one day at a time. Good luck.


Don

If you still have some discomfort while sitting, that is quite normal. As the others have suggested, a soft foam pillow will work nicely in the meantime.

As for the Kegels, here is what I was instructed to do from my doctors at Mayo Clinic. I sometimes relate this on the forum, but also point out that you should probably take my advice with a grain of salt and do whatever your own doctor tells you.

But the Mayo staff tells me to just do ONE set (one set of 6-7 reps) per day, preferably before bedtime and, if possible, while sitting on a toilet. They say that doing too many Kegels can tire out the muscle and weaken it and that just the one set a day is all that is necessary.

I told them that I do the one set every night in bed while turning out the light (instead of sitting on the pot) and they say this is fine.

They also say to continue doing the Kegels for the rest of our lives because, as we begin aging, the muscle naturally tends to weaken. Doing the one set of Kegels every day will help keep it strong.

So, for whatever this is worth, that is what I do.

Good luck!
Chuck

Resident of Highland, Indiana just outside of Chicago, IL.
July 2011 local PSA lab reading 6.41 (from 4.1 in 2009). Mayo Clinic PSA Sept. 2011 was 5.7.
Local urologist DRE revealed significant BPH, but no lumps.
PCa Dx Aug. 2011 at age of 61.
Biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma in 3 of 20 cores (one 5%, two 20%). T2C.
Gleason score 3+3=6.
CT of abdomen, bone scan both negative.
DaVinci prostatectomy 11/1/11 at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN), nerve sparing, age 62.
My surgeon was Dr. Matthew Tollefson, who I highly recommend.
Final pathology shows tumor confined to prostate.
5 lymph nodes, seminal vesicles, extraprostatic soft tissue all negative.
1.0 x 0.6 x 0.6 cm mass involving right posterior inferior,
right posterior apex & left mid posterior prostate.
Right posterior apex margin involved by tumor over a 0.2 cm length, doctor says this is insignificant.
Pathology showed Gleason 3 + 3, pT2c, N0, MX, R1
adenocarcinoma of the prostate.
Prostate 98.3 grams, tumor 2 grams. Prostate size 5.0 x 4.7 x 4.5 cm.
Abdominal drain removed the morning after surgery.
Catheter out in 7 days. No incontinence, occasional minor dripping.
Post-op exams 2/13/12, 9/10/12, 9/9/13 PSA <0.1. PSA tests now annual.
Semi-firm erections now happening 14 months post-op & VERY slowly getting a bit stronger.

I am 4 days out after RALP. Thanks to the guys on this forum we bought a recliner before the surgery. What a lifesaver. Sitting is definitely not comfortable at this point.

Not all surgeons remove lymph nodes in all cases. Maybe that can make a difference.

I had ten lymph nodes removed with open RRP and had no pain in the rear and no need for a recliner. I had pain at incision for a few days when coughing to clear lungs.
Bob