Thanks for sharing the update.

Best wishes this part of recovery is behind you.

Really glad to hear that. It certainly seems that might have been some issue and certainly should have been expelled naturally or dissolved a long time ago. Please monitor yourself for the time being for anything of of the ordinary. That much pain you were receiving was certainly not normal regardless what your urologist was saying. I would report what happened with this blue stitch and your clearing of your intense pain and improved flow.

I am really puzzled by what you are saying

“ Its been 9 weeks since my prostate was removed and three weeks after catheter was removed”

Based on this sentence, it sounds like you’ve had the catheter in for six weeks. I know I had it in for two weeks 12 years ago, but the vast majority of people in the last few years have had it removed in 7 to 10 days.

Was there something off with the calculation? It doesn’t make sense that you would have it in that long, Unless there was some sort of problem that they needed it in for much longer than usual.

In my case, I had no pain or other issues at all, after having the catheter removed. I know a lot of other people that have had issues like you have had however.

Glad to hear your problem with recovery has finally relieved itself. Back to normal!

At six weeks post surgery....I noticed a burning painful sensation when urinating. It was a new sensation and not pleasant. Then, I spotted a couple of short nylon threads in my pad and went aha, the urethral sutures are coming out. In that same week, I even spotted a small nylon thread hanging out from my tip. Yikes-that's weird. The good news...I think I've peed out all the sutures and that burning sensation is gone.

Good luck and hope all goes smooth.

Best wishes that all goes better from here forward.

Regarding incontinence: My RARP was in 2015. After initial recovery, I had persistent stress incontinence, going through 1-2 pads per day. Finally, in 2023, my urologist performed a urethral sling surgery (outpatient). I immediately regained 100% continence. Even after salvage radiation last fall, I am fully continent, except for a drip here and there (I’m 73, so no complaints). Still no need for pads or diapers. The sling surgery was a life changer.

Going into salvage radiation, my urologist forewarned me that I would likely lose some continence, even with the sling. To my surprise, his warning has not come true, so far. The best I can come up with is that my previous urologist who performed the sling procedure was very skilled. I also have kept up with core strengthening exercises, so maybe that has had an impact. Seven months now since finishing radiation and I really have no lingering SEs of significance. The urge to go comes on a bit faster perhaps, but that hasn’t caused me any real problems. And I can’t rule out that being something that just comes with being in my 70s, like so many things.

Interesting to hear that the sling ProACT are not recommended for post-radiation incontinence. If I was faced with a primary therapy decision of surgery versus radiation, that is something I would want to factor in.