Would you recommend your Prostatectomy Surgeon? Why?

I interviewed a number of surgeons nationally including Ed Schaeffer at Northwestern. I would have liked to have him perform the surgery but his schedule would not allow a quick enough opening as I had somewhat aggressive cancer. He suggested his colleague Dr. Kundu, whom he said he would use personally if needed. Dr. Kundu is one of the relatively few docs, I think, that performs the Retzius procedure. I was very happy with him and my outcome. I was fully continent day one after removal of the catheter and through today. PSA undetectable so far....
I wish you all the best in your journey. Best of Luck.

I cannot recommend someone in Minnesota. I just wanted to share some of my experience if it is helpful

I was seeing a urologist in my state (Maryland) for many years ( I had enlarged prostrate and then rising PSA) went to active surveillance for years. Coincidentally, my brother was seeing the same urologist and we both ended up with PC.
I really liked my doc however, in my state, urology clinics were being eaten up by big outfits. My guy left a nice group practice and joined a big chain. I was very disappointed with the care I received from this group. Things really came to a head when I had a kidney stone and was seen by one of the practitioners from this chain. He made promises he did not keep ( telling me he would contact the group on my behalf and schedule all the follow up etc, he did not, he neglected to prescribe pain killers when I was discharged which surprised the ER and others in the group and then he recommended the shock wave treatment which was a good recommendation but in the process told me all the others in the group were getting too old and did not know about the new interventions like him which included my 'go to guy") this and being treated like a number at this very large conglomeration really turned me off.

At the same time, my brother was on his way to getting radiation treatment. I was torn between radiation and surgery. Since this is so important and I really wanted my best chance against cancer, I next decided to try a center of excellence major University institution and was able to meet with the area director of urology who was experienced and had great expertise. When we first met he said I might be a candidate for focal ablation based on the biopsies etc. He ordered a new biopsy and when we met again he told me it was better to get RARP which I did not want but appreciated. However, he told me (1) he did not remember our previous visit and the possibility of focal treatment and (2) he was recommending me to one of his 'partners'

I did a search to check out this individual's reviews from patients. Please note: I am VERY aware that excellent doctors can get a negative review here and there (not every cancer patient is a happy camper for starters) However this person had many, many negative reviews and in the top two areas I was concerns with (1) efficacy and (2) patient care. I was not going to use this doctor

I was searching again for a urologist and learned from one of my sons that he and his wife were very happy with a local surgeon who had excellent follow up patient care and a good track record with RARP. (he was the area hospital's senior surgeon and had done hundreds of them. I first met the NP who was nice however the doctor called me on a Saturday to check out how the appointment went and to see if I had any questions. That went far with me. I immediately decided I would try to work with him. I ended up getting RARP with him Jan 25.

However, following surgery things went downhill. I messaged the office and the surgeon directly ( he volunteered this) five times following the surgery over the course of six months ( to ask for a referral for a pelvic floor PT, to ask for meds for bladder, to ask about blood seepage (not mild and maybe 5-6 weeks out) to ask about possible hernia, lump and to ask in general about incontinence.) He only responded to three of my messages and generally the responses were less than a sentence (e.g. drink more water, prescription in the mail). I did not expect concierge service or a personal relationship but this was very different than per-surgery. I was ( and remain) disappointed. I personally think he has grown his practice way too fast and too big.

Two things also really raised my concerns

1. Incontinence: I hate it and it persists although it is slowly getting better. When I asked about it, at the onset he told me many guys turn a corner in three or four weeks. That was surely not my case. When I looked into the research and the recommendation from the American Urology Association, the research indicates that most men are incontinent and most men (but certainly not all) turn a corner around the one year mark. I should have been told this and the AUA backs this up.
2 More importantly, I was struggling with bulges and discomfort in my abdomen, I called, I went in and was told it was probably scar tissue and wait it out. Meanwhile My primary care saw it and said she thought I had a hernia I went to a general surgeon who told me I did not have hernia and there was a large bulge the size of my bladder and since the only noticeable event was the RARP, it was likely related to urology. I ignored it for a while but I had two more 'incidents'; in which it was hurting and swollen. both times I went to urgent care both times the doctor diagnosed hernia and sent me for scanning. The urology NP told me general surgeons handle hernias so I should be in touch with a general surgeon ( and not the urologist) The radiology labs could not find a hernia so I went back to waiting it out. Finally the same event occurred again and this time I had a fever and chills, etc. I let the NP know and she ordered scans for the first time. When they came back on a Monday an infected abscessed Lymphocele was found. my PCP said I should be in the ER on IV antibiotics. I called the urology practice. I messaged the NP and called again on Wednesday and Thursday finally on Friday she called me and had the nerve to say "I guess we have been playing telephone tag' ( five days to get a response for something that could have been very serious.
There is more to my story especially about the lymphocele, however I am sharing all of this to advocate that you really hunt down a good urologist and not be taken in necessarily that those that are associated with a Center of Excellence are the best. I tend to think those that are connected to teaching hospitals are likely to be better as whole than those that are not. But that is not an absolute.
I have come across arrogance, indifference, very poor patient care, bordering on malpractice

Is a local urologist sometimes the best choice? maybe'
Is an experienced urologist in a big chain your best bet? maybe
Is a recognized urologist at one the major medical institutes in the country a solid bet? maybe
How might this help?
Spend a lot of time researching who you will be putting your life into their hands
Check reviews extensively, Like you are doing; check with this list ask a lot of questions look up old threads
The way I look at it, I am 72 and would love ten to twenty more years (or even more) No one gets to pick what they get (cancer. heart disease, Parkinson's, whatever) However, we do get to pick who will cut us up or radiate us. Spend good time on this. Then at some point, you just have to make your best choice and concentrate on the next step.
Do not settle.
Do not take arrogance or indifference.
I really wish you well.

Ed

Am from Boston, 71, 3.5 years from my surgery. I interviewed Drs of surgery and radiology at both Beth Israel and Dana Farber Cancer Center.

I chose Dr. Peter Chang at Beth Israel as my surgeon as he has an excellent reputation for NS surgery. He was clear that I would likely have some minor leakage, and I do. He was clear that my penis would be shorter, and sadly it is.

Dana Farber was fine but I was not comfortable with the surgeon.

You have the Mayo Clinic in your backyard, I'd start there. Look for National Cancer Centers. Do your research, read Dr Walsh's book. Get familiar with the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Plug into Dr Geo's podcasts.

Lots of good resources to make an informed decision.

Best wishes, my prayers are with you.

@layingthegroundwork Agreed, though do get the 5th edition. Also, though it's not free, the a Touchy Subject https://www.atouchysubject.com/ is a great resource for prostate cancer as well.

I had my surgery done a year ago by Dr. Nils Wiklund at Mount Sinai in NYC. He is Swedish and spends half of each month in New York and half in Stockholm at the Karolinska Institute (they award the science Nobel prizes). I think that gives him insight into the latest findings from Europe as well as from the US. As a retired cancer researcher myself, I was impressed with his bibliography (350 or so publications on MedLine). Also, his PA was incredibly helpful, giving me her personal cell phone number, and responding almost immediately when I texted or called with a question, Unfortunately, she has gone to work with him in Sweden (though she is Indian, not Swedish), so you will not benefit from her help if you go to Mount Sinai now.

I was 68 at the time and in very good health and had no problems with recovery from the surgery. I have been fully continent from the day they removed the catheter. I can't say for sure how much of that was due to the surgeon and how much to luck, but I'm sure Dr. Wiklund deserves much credit.

My PSA was 14 pre-surgery and I had a Gleason 8 core on biopsy, so I did not want to waste time. Despite his busy schedule on two continents, Dr. Wiklund was able to get me in within a few weeks from the biopsy. Unfortunately, I did have some positive margins and infiltration in the seminal vesicles, though the pelvic lymph nodes were all negative. My PSA was undetectable (<0.02) 6 weeks after surgery and remains so currently, 1 year later. May it stay that way!

I did develop an inguinal hernia about 6 months post-surgery. I can't say if it was related to the surgery, though Dr. Wiklund published a paper that found an elevated incidence post-radical prostatectomy, in the neighborhood of 10%, if I recall correctly. I had it taken care of by a general surgeon with no issues.

That's my story and of course yours may differ. I wish you the best of success.