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My Journey to the Other Side.

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Prostate Cancer
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Posted 3/25/2015 2:33 PM (GMT -5)
Well here I am. Just got my catheter and staples out today which was a big relief as I found those things (catheter, in particular) a super irritation. All in all things went well. The surgeon said that the nerves were well-defined and spared on both sides. I've had a few drops of urine when I stand up or blow my nose but I'm probably not doing too bad considering this is my first day sans catheter and that my bladder has been taking it easy for the past week. The first day after surgery was pretty rough and I felt as if I had been hit by a Mack truck. I was in significant pain and could barely move. Second day I was more mobile but then the gas hit and put immense pressure on my sutures which caused a totally new level of discomfort. From what I heard, I seemed to have a worse first couple of days than most who have the robotic. Part of the issue may be that I had been doing extensive abdominal exercises 3 times per week and I think having a little denser muscle tissue to put holes in may have lead to more pain. However, I think having a little better abdominal support will bear well for me in the long run. I was off pain meds the second day after being at home (4th day after surgery) and now I'm feeling fine and starting some mild exercise. Too early to tell about ED but I'm feeling positive. Now just waiting for the pathology and 1st PSA test.
Posted 3/25/2015 2:44 PM (GMT -5)
Great to hear! Keep it up and don't overdo the exercise!

Cheers, Doug
Posted 3/25/2015 3:00 PM (GMT -5)
Sounds like all went pretty well.

Welcome to the otherside.
Posted 3/25/2015 3:11 PM (GMT -5)
Great report, thanks for sharing and continued success!!!
Posted 3/25/2015 3:15 PM (GMT -5)
Great report, sounds like you're doing just fine.

Andrew
Posted 3/25/2015 4:02 PM (GMT -5)
Dreamer, welcome to the other side. Do you have your surgical pathology report yet? My surgeon called me at home on day 4 to ask how I was doing and to share those results.

I also found that that catheter removal/staple removal made a huge difference in my recovery. I also found during week 3, that late in the day I'd have sharp pains around the midline incision, which I took to being about the muscles not being ready for prime time.

Listen to your body, it will tell you when you're overdoing it. Recovery does not happen in a straight line, it has plateaus and sudden jumps...and occasional backflips.

Stay in touch, let us know how you're doing.
Posted 3/25/2015 4:09 PM (GMT -5)
Sounds like you are on course for a good recovery, and as others have mentioned, take it easy. No stomach crunches for a month or two.
Michael
Posted 3/25/2015 5:03 PM (GMT -5)
Sounds like you are doing GREAT and on the fast road to recovery.
Posted 3/25/2015 9:23 PM (GMT -5)
Welcome to the other side.
Moderate exercises....routine walk is the best..not forgetting "kegels'
All the best to your route of recovery
Posted 3/25/2015 9:50 PM (GMT -5)
Dreamer, welcome back. Sounds like you are doing well.

I also did a lot of work on my core, prior to surgery, and i believe it helped immensely in my recovery, sounds like it will for you as well.
Hang in there, you will improve daily from here on out.
Posted 3/25/2015 9:53 PM (GMT -5)
Good report now take time to heal from surgery. Walking helped me .
Posted 3/26/2015 5:27 AM (GMT -5)
I join others in congratulations. I found that walking was great. I was actually back to running 3 miles after 3 weeks, but I run about 100 miles a month, so I was prepared before surgery. Keep up the good work, just let yourself heal bit by bit.
Posted 3/26/2015 11:24 AM (GMT -5)
As all the others have written, job well done and continue taking it easy.

I've had two major back surgeries, so do keep it on slow track for a while.


Dave in Bartlett, TN
Posted 3/26/2015 6:56 PM (GMT -5)
Thanks for the well wishes. Day 2 after the catheter removal and going well. Pretty continent, except a little leaking sometimes when I stand up. Tightening my muscles doesn't seem to help but I seem to be able to control this by taking a deep breath as I'm in the process of standing. I'll give it another day or 2 but I should be able to return the Depends that my wife picked up as the most I seem to need is a small pad. Took a long walk today which felt good. Early in the game but I have positive indications towards regaining my potency. The surgery itself was a major event but all in all I seem to be faring far better than I had feared.
Posted 3/26/2015 7:07 PM (GMT -5)
Dreamer...good to hear another RALP success story. We seem to be a small but growing sub-group here.
Posted 3/26/2015 8:01 PM (GMT -5)
Thanks for your report. All the best for continued successful recovery. Take care and hang in there.
Posted 3/27/2015 1:42 PM (GMT -5)
I'll update periodically as I know that reading other's stories helped me before getting surgery. That being said, if you are contemplating surgery you should read other people's accounts as well because everyone's experience is different.

3rd day past catheter removal, 11th day since surgery. The doctor has my on low-dose daily Cialis (5 mg) to get blood flowing back to the nether-regions again. It seems to be working because last night I was awakened by a full erection. The reason I awoke was it was a little painful - hopefully that is only due to the recent trauma of surgery and will subside over time. Another happy surprise is that I haven't noticed any shrinkage whatsoever. This was a significant concern for me because, ahem, I don't feel I have much to spare in that department. A third happy surprise is that despite a little spotting, I actually seem to have less urge to urinate than before surgery. This corresponds to what another fellow in our prostate cancer support group told me. That being said, I haven't tested out a beer on the ol' bladder yet. Maybe tonight.

The only thing with the Cialis is that I find it makes me feel like I have a mild hangover. I have a very dry throat, a mild headache and just feel kind of crummy for while after taking the pill. Maybe those side-effects will wear off as my body learns to tolerate it better. Maybe if I'm really lucky, I will get to the point that I don't need it.

The instructions from the hospital booklet says that I can engage in light sexual activity 3 weeks after surgery and vigorous sexual activity 6 weeks after surgery. Not sure what that means, especially vigorous. (Perhaps hanging from the chandeliers?) turn

All in all things are going as good as I could have hoped for.
Posted 3/27/2015 6:09 PM (GMT -5)
Dreamerboy, I felt some vague pain with erections as well, early on. At about 5-6 weeks, it started to subside, now completely gone. Pretty normal I think.
Posted 3/27/2015 10:32 PM (GMT -5)
Dreamer, may your next PSA be LESS than 0.01 and remain so for the foreseeable future.

Don't forget to start weighing those pads (before and after)!

Have a good recovery!
.
Posted 4/12/2015 6:37 AM (GMT -5)
Day 27 past surgery. Four weeks before my surgery, I had a dream. I was piloting a small plane that I had somehow lost control of and it was heading for a mountain. My only hope of survival was to jump out, without a parachute and hope that I landed safely into a small body of water below. In the dream, I was very relieved when I safely splashed down into the water.

I had sex last night with my wife for the 1st time since surgery. Other than the orgasm being slightly less intense, everything seemed remarkably normal. Going well on other fronts too - I've given up using the pads, although on the odd day, out of the blue, I get a small leak. I'm doing kegels and hopefully will be able to manage that.

The only somewhat negative thing is that the daily dose of Cialis seems to have some side-effects. At night I get a very dry mouth and tend to feel somewhat like I am suffering from a mild hangover. I also started getting a bothersome shoulder pain which started the day after taking Cialis. I'm hoping that I may be one of the lucky ones that can stop taking the drug after a while.

I'm getting very anxious to get back into my exercise routine. I'm going for a healthy walk every day and started some upper body exercise with some very light weights. For a while I disturbed by a few small blood clots in my urine after exercise but that has stopped now.

The last thing is I'm still awaiting the pathology report. It appears to take about 4 weeks so I should get it soon. Hopefully with no unpleasant surprises. It is my wish that my report can give hope to those who may be awaiting surgery. Thanks again to everyone for all the advice and kind words.
Posted 4/12/2015 6:59 AM (GMT -5)
Dreamer, you're officially at 2/3 of trifecta, and there is no reason the third leg won't arrive soon. The next big one is the 3 month PSA. Then, from what I'm told, it all starts to recede into the distance.
Posted 4/12/2015 10:14 AM (GMT -5)
Halbert ... "Recede into the distance" - good way to put it. I'm feeling a bit of that now that my 3 month test is behind me. Not quite literally, but definitely seeing more light at the end of the tunnel.

Dreamerboy, great report, sounds like you are on a really good track back to normal

Re the orgasm being less intense, I found that to be the case early on, I think I commented that it felt like "unfinished business" and happening in my brain more than my body. But over time that changed and they became better than before most of the time.

Keep doing what you are doing! Great job.
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