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Any tips for first few days immediately following prostate surgery?
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Jul 16 2:20pm | Replies (28)Comment receiving replies
I am 71 yo, now 2 months out from robotic radical prostatectomy. First night in the hospital was the worst. I did not do well with narcotic therapy in the hospital so I was on Toradol with good results. One home I took Tylenol every 8 hours round the clock and then used the NSAID as needed. Managed to wean off that after about a week. I slept in my bed on my back without much discomfort. The catheter was annoying but WAY better than the stent I had when I had kidney stones! I kept strictly to the 10-20 pound weight restriction for 6 weeks then gradually increased. I started out pretty fit, so restricting myself to walking was frustrating. Used a walking stick for the first few weeks and had a dog walker walk my energetic dogs with me walking alongside. I used the leg bag with the catheter and found it pretty convenient. The night bag was more restrictive and it was sometimes a challenge to make sure my position was OK. I started doing Kegels about 4 weeks pre-op and restarted them within a few days of leaving the hospital, as soon as it was not painful to do so. I was lucky to have had a relatively small prostate and a good surgeon so no significant incontinence issues. Have had some constipation issues but Colase helped as does exercise and water. Trying to keep a sense of humor and being patient with myself helps.
Good luck!
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I am 78 and it's been two months since my surgery. Here are a few tips to add to the many other excellent ones above.
My stomach area was quite painful and I was glad to have been forewarned not to wear a belt.
I wore knee length sports shorts which were several waist sizes over my normal size and held up with el-cheapo suspenders that clipped onto the top of the shorts.
I used the big catheter bag which I placed in a small plastic bucket. For showering, I jiggered a bungie cord to hang from the shower door to a fastener in the bag. For drying off, I hung it from a towel rack. I never used the smaller bag until the return to the clinic for cath removal and it worked fine.
For the trip to get the catheter removed, I wore a longer version of the loose athletic pants with the suspenders.
My surgeon recommended walking 15 minutes every hour for recovery. I found a cube-shaped countdown timer on Amazon with 15, 30, 45 and 60 minute intervals. I would flip it to 15 minutes to start my walking around the house and then when I would sit down again I would flip it to 45 minutes. I continued to use this for several weeks after cath removal until I returned to my regular walking routine.
Here is the title of the cube ($11.99) if you want to find it at Amazon:
Feilifan Cube Timer, Time, Kitchen Timer Kids Timer for ADHD Productivity Workout Flip Timer Classroom for StudyTime Countdown Management Settings 15 20 30 60 Minutes-White
I phased in regular foods slowly with a mostly liquid or soft diet to avoid any straining due to constipation. I also needed Miralax to soften my stool again after several weeks when I suddenly encountered constipation. My primary care doctor advised me to take the Miralax twice a day and that worked.
I also found a seat cushion at Walmart with a removable cutout for the perineal zone. This was valuable when sitting at the kitchen table or on wooden deck furniture. Equate Memory Foam Coccyx Cushion, Black
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-Memory-Foam-Coccyx-Cushion-Black/228156630?athbdg=L1102&from=/search
For footwear, I bought a cheap pair of slip-on shoes at Big-5, so I wouldn't have to bend down to tie my shoes.
Also regarding pain killers, I used only Tylenol at home, the doctor's instructions said no ibuprofen, I think because it can increase risk of internal bleeding.
Best wishes for your successful surgery and speedy recovery. You can do this!