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One week out from RALP... what am I missing in preparation?

Posted by thig350 @thig350, Jun 21 11:21pm

So I am one week away from RALP. I have my Tena pads, Depends, pee pads, baggy shorts and sweat pants, major home improvement store handled bucket for carrying my catheter bag, moisture wicking underwear with a pouch for the pads. What am I missing for post RALP recovery?

Side note; my biggest anxiety is the darned catheter that I get to wear for 7-10 days...

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fritzo | @fritzo | Jun 25 1:27pm
In reply to @surftohealth88 "I second that !!! Extremely important to keep things moving and soft for a while. My..." + (show)
Profile picture for surftohealth88 @surftohealth88

I second that !!!
Extremely important to keep things moving and soft for a while. My husband is very regular but he used BM softeners just in case since it was mandatory per his pre op instruction papers. Also, he had Miralax ready in case that he did not have BM in the first 2-3 days post op.

Another thing that is important is Cialis prescription for penile rehabilitation and for better blood flow in that region which promotes faster healing and nerve reparation. Our surgeon actually told us that it preferably needs to be started before surgery so ask for it.

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@surftohealth88 I asked for Tadalafil before surgery, but my surgeon said the studies have not confirmed the benefit. In talking with a sexual functiion nurse, they agreed that is true.

But, I wanted to see what my side effects would be from taking Tadalafil....so I got my general practice doc to give me a prescription a month before surrgery. It was a great thing to do....I figured out how to manage my side effects (deep muscle pain initially) and then one last month with the over-the-top function of a young man again (at least for that month)

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fritzo | @fritzo | Jun 25 1:28pm
In reply to @jayhall "Stock up on some Gatoraide and hydration liquids and get a lot of ice. Right after..." + (show)
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Stock up on some Gatoraide and hydration liquids and get a lot of ice. Right after my RARP Ice water felt better on my stomach. You will also want to get some higher fiber foods, so that you won't be straining. Also stock up on some foods that you can easily heat up like soup. I had a slight change in my taste right after surgery and everything tasted different. That took a few days to resolve. You might want to get some Protein drinks like Ensure etc. I lost about 5 pounds after surgery.

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@jayhall I had quite a bit of post-surgery abdomen pain (more than most it sounds like). Yes, ice packs are really helpful on the abdomen during that first week.

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fritzo | @fritzo | Jun 25 1:30pm
In reply to @jeff1963 "Some people are incontinent and some people are not. Good that you are prepared, but maybe..." + (show)
Profile picture for jeff1963 @jeff1963

Some people are incontinent and some people are not. Good that you are prepared, but maybe you will be one of the lucky ones. Look for ointment with lidocaine, didn't need to use it much but the few times I did it was great for helping with discomfort. I ditched the pain meds from the surgeon and took Advil once per day, it was all I needed. Used a grabber (tool for picking things up off the floor) for a couple of weeks. Had several pairs of scrub bottoms and lounge ware that I rotated through, Sketchers slip-in shoes came in handy. I stocked up on comfort foods, diet be damned, whatever works for you (for me it was cheese, crackers, lunchmeat, applesauce, soups, herbal tea) anything that I could snack on throughout the day. The surgery was nothing really, not much pain at all, very glad to get rid of catheter.

At three months I was undetectable, going for my 6-month PSA right this minute.

Hoping this helps some, best wishes!

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@jeff1963 Great advice! I shopped for skeechers, but instead, I went with a very long shoehorn. I only needed it for about a week, but it was nice to have some slight independence putting on shoes that week.

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fritzo | @fritzo | Jun 25 1:41pm

Here are my big adds to not forget

• Get a referral from you surgeon and schedule Pelvic Floor Therapy now, not later. Waiting lists can be very long. Set up the first visit for one-month post surgery

• Get a referral from you surgeon and schedule a sexual function doctor appointment for post surgery. I had my first visit six weeks post surgery. Some people start before surgery to set up protocols. Do google research on penile rehabilitation.

• Do all of your hunts for sexual function/incontinence in incognito mode on a different browser. Otherwise, your Youtube feed, your Facebook ads and your Google searches will all feed you things you don't want shared with the outside world. I figure my treatment and searches should be on a medical need to know basis, not the subject of corporate America's hunt for new customers.

• Finally, I had some discomfort after surgery as your digestive system reboots. Good wipes and the use of a simple hand-held bidet were incredibly hepful (all advice from the amazing members of this group). Links to a couple that I used.

Simple and very helpful
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GBSV9CQ

The best wipes
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMQWJPDS

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surftohealth88 | @surftohealth88 | Jun 26 1:07pm
In reply to @fritzo "@surftohealth88 I asked for Tadalafil before surgery, but my surgeon said the studies have not confirmed..." + (show)
Profile picture for fritzo @fritzo

@surftohealth88 I asked for Tadalafil before surgery, but my surgeon said the studies have not confirmed the benefit. In talking with a sexual functiion nurse, they agreed that is true.

But, I wanted to see what my side effects would be from taking Tadalafil....so I got my general practice doc to give me a prescription a month before surrgery. It was a great thing to do....I figured out how to manage my side effects (deep muscle pain initially) and then one last month with the over-the-top function of a young man again (at least for that month)

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@fritzo
Yes, trying it before surgery has "many" benefits ; ), no matter what "study" shows .

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