48 Hours Away from RARP, needless to say nervous about it!

Phil's right. Horror stories abound.
But keep in mind that these are the experiences of *others* - not you.
Most of what you read won't happen to you. I read all sorts of stories about the biopsy, for instance - and when I had it done, it was a big nothing.

I had a hell of a time finding positive stories about RARP and prostate cancer in general. Remember that when everything goes perfectly then people no longer have a reason to stick around on forums or support groups, because they have no more concerns. It's kind of selfish in a way, but I get it because the emotional toll this journey takes is not inconsequential.

I am one such story and I am tying to stick around. RARP in January, zero seconds of ED, zero seconds of incontinence. As other have said, the first couple days are the worst - and they aren't that bad either, except for the gas they pump into you for the robot to move around will work it's way upwards and into your shoulders and it can be quite painful for a few extra days. The gas pain was the only reason I ended up taking a few of the Oxy.

Aside from having only "most" nerves spared, I credit my success so far with having spent five months before surgery hammering my pelvic floor through my personal trainer and pelvic floor physical therapist. The trainer was particularly important because it takes pelvic floor work to an entirely new level rather than just kegels.

I will tell you this, and I bet there are many others who feel the same: the most painful and worst part of RARP is your own worry leading up to it. It's easy to get into your head, no matter how rational you are. I got so worried before surgery that I couldn't eat more than a few bites for four days, and dropped 10lbs just from worry. When I was rolled out of surgery and had an erection within 30 minutes of waking up my mood immediately improved, that was very unusual and even the urologist said "wow, that pretty much never happens". That's more than nerve sparing, that also hard work I believe.

Control what you can. Let whatever higher power or energy or whatever take the wheel for the rest. I say this as a hypocrite knowing I was out of my mind for a couple weeks before surgery, but I'll say it anyway. The bark is likely worse than the bite. You hear about ED and incontinence constantly, to the point you believe you are sure to have one or both - but 90% of all men overcome the incontinence within 18 months and most men will experience some form of ED after RARP but, again, it's often overcome.

Hang in there, you've got this!

I am 71 also had RARP January
You should be OK, it is about 5 1/2 hour surgery. You will feel a little beat my big surprise was how much my shoulders hurt ( they use CO2 to expand your guts and it tends to get caught in your shoulders. You will leave with a catheter ( not much fun) could stay in one to two weeks ( Mine was in for two weeks, I have a very conservative urologist)
Expect incontinence and ED. Incontinence is horrible and a pet peeve of mine is that many urologists tell their patientes many do not have much of a problem, many get better in weeks or a few months. Good research refutes this. Research from NIH and the American Urological Association asserts that the vast majority of men have incontinence. the majority get better around 8-12 months +.
My hats off to those that do not have any incontinence or get better quickly. I am so happy for them. For me it has been a nightmare until about a month or so ago when I finally started seeing some real progress. I would do it all over again, incontinence is the price I have to pay to get rid of cancer hopefully for now.

I see a pt who specializes ion male pelvic floor rehab I strongly recommend you make such an appointment.

I am very happy to give you more details as others have provided me on this list. If you expect months and get weeks that is much better than expecting weeks and getting many many moths

I'm 67 and had RP in November. In my case they found the cancer was more advanced than the biopsy showed (Gleason 9, up from 7). I'm glad I did the surgery because my cancer could have been fatal without it. Incontinence and ED have remained with me, although incontinence improved significantly after I had physical therapy and a prescription starting in March. I'm changing pads much less often now than before. Some unhappy news is that the worry doesn't end with surgery. My pathology suggests a recurrence is likely, so now I worry before the blood work every three months. Support systems, friends and family get me through.

@miklrn good luck with your surgery and best wishes for a speedy recovery! Since you are a medical pro already, I don’t have to say much but as a gentle reminder, take it easy on yourself and watch what you eat until catheter comes off.

Sorry about the chance of a recurrence. What medication are you using to help with incontinence? I am on Gemtessa and am tempted to stop although the urologist recommends long term