1. < Prostate Cancer

Did anyone who had prostate removal experience penis length shortening

Posted by patrickpyper @patrickpyper, Jun 20, 2023

I am scheduled for prostate removal on August 28th. I have heard that some men lose length in their penis due to the reattachment of the bladder and urethra which pulls the penis into where the prostate use to be. I have heard over time the bladder will drop into that space and you regain your length. I was hoping anyone who has experienced this could share their story. I also bought a pump hoping that post surgery that might help as well.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Prostate Cancer Support Group.

patrickpyper | @patrickpyper | Jun 23, 2023

Thank you so much for sharing your journey. I just have to come to terns with the losses that will happen after surgery. I have only been married to my husband for 5 years and it’s going to be a major adjustment for the both of us.

REPLY
jasonfarmer | @jasonfarmer | Jun 23, 2023

Just quick update, this is day after Cather removal 6/23/23 and have been dry for 8 hours now, a least as much as I can tell being new to pads. What a difference a day makes. All is not gloom and doom.

REPLY
tomf | @tomf | Jun 24, 2023
In reply to @jasonfarmer "Patrick hope to help by sharing my very new to this experience. My prostatectomy was June..." + (show)
@jasonfarmer

Patrick hope to help by sharing my very new to this experience. My prostatectomy was June 12th and I had catheter removed yesterday June 22 2023. I found catheter was very painful for me , every move hurt, I think most men don’t have as much pain as I did, at least I really hope not. Yesterday I could not see my Penis much at all I had no idea it would go inside that much. I assume do to pain. Nurse said I was first man that had pain during removal of catheter, seems I was tense and squeezing when I should have relaxed. Upon getting home and trying to to pee standing up 2 times . I discovered that my penis was too short to pee standing. This caused peeing down on my testicles an making a mess. Sitting down to pee is much better way for me at this moment . I am hoping that my penis will soon come back out, I have seen little glimpse of it . I do feel all will return in a few days though. I don’t mean to scare you or anyone else, but truth is, it is hard to deal with, but will get better. 59 years old and putting on my first pull up and large pad yesterday was not easy, emotionally that is. Knowing something and experiencing it are two different things. Best thing is I am prostate cancer FREE and knowing that all will get better is REALLY worth the surgery, No regrets again NO REGRETS . I truly feel you will have a much better experience than I did. But know even when things get tough you will be able to get through this. Worry was probably the hardest thing to overcome and most of the time everything is better than I worried about.

Jump to this post

jasonfarmer I can remember being in your shoes and it did get better for me, though not as fast as those guys who post YouTube videos about their "journey". (It seems that only those who have quick recoveries do the posting). The part of the first week post RALP that amazed me most was the scrotal and penis swelling/black and blue coloration. Now, as I approach the 5 month mark post surgery, I can honestly say my continence is returning slowly. All the commentary implies it will return suddenly without my doing anything differently. I'm still skeptical about that aspect. I can stay dry when I stay focused. The minute I lose focus, I have some leakage. Physical activity is the main problem. I can't swing a golf club and focus on not-leaking at the same time yet.

REPLY
1 reply
patrickpyper | @patrickpyper | Jun 24, 2023
In reply to @tomf "jasonfarmer I can remember being in your shoes and it did get better for me, though..." + (show)
@tomf

jasonfarmer I can remember being in your shoes and it did get better for me, though not as fast as those guys who post YouTube videos about their "journey". (It seems that only those who have quick recoveries do the posting). The part of the first week post RALP that amazed me most was the scrotal and penis swelling/black and blue coloration. Now, as I approach the 5 month mark post surgery, I can honestly say my continence is returning slowly. All the commentary implies it will return suddenly without my doing anything differently. I'm still skeptical about that aspect. I can stay dry when I stay focused. The minute I lose focus, I have some leakage. Physical activity is the main problem. I can't swing a golf club and focus on not-leaking at the same time yet.

Jump to this post

Thank you for sharing. I hope your recovery continues this is such an impactful procedure.

REPLY
jasonfarmer | @jasonfarmer | Jun 24, 2023

I may have jumped the gun. 2nd night in pull up after having a day of not much leaking on the first half of day, I found In middle of night when I made trip to bathroom I was wet wet, thick pad, pull up and small leakage on protective pad on bed. Ups and downs I guess. Any suggestions on good videos for men to learn Kegel after surgery? I was able to stand to pee this morning, there was finally something to grab and hold, as I had nothing to grab or even see sense catheter removal. Anyone tell me how long till Penis will come back out and stay as it use to?

REPLY
3 replies
robert570 | @robert570 | Jun 24, 2023

I lost everything in size and have accepted it. It looks like an avocado and I feel like a turtle. I'm alive and doing well but I've lost a part of me and I have come to terms with that also. I have a strong sense of humor and support.

REPLY
rtomyk | @rtomyk | Jun 24, 2023
In reply to @jasonfarmer "Patrick hope to help by sharing my very new to this experience. My prostatectomy was June..." + (show)
@jasonfarmer

Patrick hope to help by sharing my very new to this experience. My prostatectomy was June 12th and I had catheter removed yesterday June 22 2023. I found catheter was very painful for me , every move hurt, I think most men don’t have as much pain as I did, at least I really hope not. Yesterday I could not see my Penis much at all I had no idea it would go inside that much. I assume do to pain. Nurse said I was first man that had pain during removal of catheter, seems I was tense and squeezing when I should have relaxed. Upon getting home and trying to to pee standing up 2 times . I discovered that my penis was too short to pee standing. This caused peeing down on my testicles an making a mess. Sitting down to pee is much better way for me at this moment . I am hoping that my penis will soon come back out, I have seen little glimpse of it . I do feel all will return in a few days though. I don’t mean to scare you or anyone else, but truth is, it is hard to deal with, but will get better. 59 years old and putting on my first pull up and large pad yesterday was not easy, emotionally that is. Knowing something and experiencing it are two different things. Best thing is I am prostate cancer FREE and knowing that all will get better is REALLY worth the surgery, No regrets again NO REGRETS . I truly feel you will have a much better experience than I did. But know even when things get tough you will be able to get through this. Worry was probably the hardest thing to overcome and most of the time everything is better than I worried about.

Jump to this post

Everything takes time and usually returns to normal. Your statement I am cancer free is only true at the moment, as once you have cancer and the treatment, there is always the possibility it could come back at the same location or show up as another cancer and at a different location. We use to use the expression "I am a cancer survivor", now we say ' I am presently cancer free"

REPLY
maxvt | @maxvt | Jun 25, 2023
In reply to @jasonfarmer "I may have jumped the gun. 2nd night in pull up after having a day of..." + (show)
@jasonfarmer

I may have jumped the gun. 2nd night in pull up after having a day of not much leaking on the first half of day, I found In middle of night when I made trip to bathroom I was wet wet, thick pad, pull up and small leakage on protective pad on bed. Ups and downs I guess. Any suggestions on good videos for men to learn Kegel after surgery? I was able to stand to pee this morning, there was finally something to grab and hold, as I had nothing to grab or even see sense catheter removal. Anyone tell me how long till Penis will come back out and stay as it use to?

Jump to this post

Have your Urologist or Surgeon write a prescription for Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy to learn properly. I used a Baylor Scott & White Clinic in Austin Texas to work with someone specifically educated and trained in working with Prostate Cancer patients.

I had this PT before and after my RALP and had no continence issues. Yes, my penis is shorter, but all the cancer is now gone and that is the best outcome.

Best of luck to you.

REPLY
fal18 | @fal18 | Jun 25, 2023
In reply to @jasonfarmer "I may have jumped the gun. 2nd night in pull up after having a day of..." + (show)
@jasonfarmer

I may have jumped the gun. 2nd night in pull up after having a day of not much leaking on the first half of day, I found In middle of night when I made trip to bathroom I was wet wet, thick pad, pull up and small leakage on protective pad on bed. Ups and downs I guess. Any suggestions on good videos for men to learn Kegel after surgery? I was able to stand to pee this morning, there was finally something to grab and hold, as I had nothing to grab or even see sense catheter removal. Anyone tell me how long till Penis will come back out and stay as it use to?

Jump to this post

Re Kegel suggestions. One thing that helped me was to receive a prescription for Physical Therapy from my surgeon. It was for targetted P/T to strengthen my core muscles. It included one on one Kegel workouts in a private setting in which a therapist showed me how to do Kegels but, beyond this, also included general core strengthening exercises and balance to prevent falls (I'm 71). Over time, I progressed from wearing exclusively black trousers with Depends underwear 24/7....to then pad inserts.
About six months post surgery, I became comfortable wearing a pair of bermuda shorts. I used to sleep every night "au natural".....I'm not there yet...but, hopefully, we'll return to that as my spouse has been very supportive about all aspects of this journey. My P/T continues. Ironically, I feel as if I am in better condioning than pre-surgery. The P/T has been covered by insurance (Medicare), and I credit it with helipng me to resume my favorite sports (tennis and biking), with a pad underneath just in case. Still Exercising / Kegeling. Hope this is helpful. Good luck and Best Wishes to all connected thru this site.

REPLY
trusam1 | @trusam1 | Jun 25, 2023
In reply to @jasonfarmer "I may have jumped the gun. 2nd night in pull up after having a day of..." + (show)
@jasonfarmer

I may have jumped the gun. 2nd night in pull up after having a day of not much leaking on the first half of day, I found In middle of night when I made trip to bathroom I was wet wet, thick pad, pull up and small leakage on protective pad on bed. Ups and downs I guess. Any suggestions on good videos for men to learn Kegel after surgery? I was able to stand to pee this morning, there was finally something to grab and hold, as I had nothing to grab or even see sense catheter removal. Anyone tell me how long till Penis will come back out and stay as it use to?

Jump to this post

First off, I experienced a steady improvement in bladder retention over the first 6-8 weeks post surgery, which is probably the norm...so hang in there over the short-term.

While there are many good online resources for Kegel instruction, there is no substitute for visiting a PT trained in male incontinence support. They should at a minimum do a physical exam to verify you are doing the exercises properly. It's very easy to misread the body's signals about which muscles to use and how to use them.

That said, I found this book helpful during the first two months post-op. The author, a PT, provides a graduated 10 week program of exercises to follow, along with activity and dietary advice. $10 on Amazon via Kindle, so you could start today...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09VG5J19V/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

REPLY
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.