How long did you "need" caregiver help following RARP?

Posted by psychometric @psychometric, Jun 10 8:08am

I'm flying out of state for my RARP on 6/18 and will be staying in a nearby hotel until my follow-up appointment on 6/24. My sister is going with me and I'm trying to figure out how long she really needs to stay with me. I'm thinking I should be fine on my own after 2-3 days - does that seem reasonable? I'll send everything back with her except my 10lb (or less!) backpack. The hotel is right on the hospital campus and has a shuttle if I don't feel like walking 3 blocks to the joyous catheter removal.

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johndavis60 | @johndavis60 | Jun 10 8:13am

I had my RARP a few weeks ago on 5/22/25. Your plans seem reasonable to me.

retireditguy | @retireditguy | Jun 10 9:16am

I had my RARP last year at age 70. I had a pretty easy recovery, so I was walking around easily by 3 days and going down to breakfast in the hotel I was staying at. I'm not a medical professional so take my comments with a grain of salt, but I also think your plan sounds reasonable if you also have an easy recovery. You're quite a bit younger than me so you'll probably do well. But I'd suggest you and your sister have a "Plan B" in case your recovery doesn't go as easy as mine. I literally felt better every day during the week of the catheter, so you'll probably know pretty quickly how your recovery is proceeding. Best wishes.

topf | @topf | Jun 10 9:25am

I am scheduled on 06/16. My elderly mother just had fracture and cannot come to be with me. I am mostly conerned about my suitcase for a 10 day stay at a hotel close to the hospital. I could hire a nurse service for the first 24 hoyrs or so.

jeff Marchi | @jeffmarc | Jun 10 10:08am

I had mine at 62 and after three days Acetaminophen, was all I needed for pain. I actually went out and worked on a few people’s computers on the fourth day. By the sixth day I was fully back at work. Really didn’t have any discomfort from the surgery if I took Acetaminophen.

herndonboy | @herndonboy | Jun 10 11:46am

Plan B is a good idea. I was 75 when I had my surgery. It was 2 nights in the hospital. Back home on Day 3. It was terrible because I couldn’t get the pain meds figured out. My daughter was off that day just in case. She took me to the ER to get sorted out. Day 4 and up to catheter removal was fine and I didn’t need any help.