Prostate cancer surgery: What can I expect & prepare for?

1 - Professional, experienced Physical Therapist for 1 - 3 sessions preop.
I could only squeeze in 1 visit preop, but I thought that it helped me immensely.
2 - And, have a plastic bucket to hold urine bag while catheter in place.
You will do great!!!
Best wishes.

Have sex every day. It may be your last chance to do it normally, if at all.

Kegels are a definite positive activity. After surgery you could have incontinence for a short time, a long time, or none at all. Just never know until you get the catheter out.

Since your cancer is isolated to the prostate. Why didn’t you consider one of the other options? With a Gleason seven you have a good chance of getting treated and being cured. When it comes to radiation, you can have SBRT which only takes around five sessions (multiple types) but you also have many other non-radiation treatments like HIFU, cryotherapy, TULSA-PRO or more.

I agree with the previous comments: start kegals, a plastic bucket helped a lot, watch a bunch of videos, see a PT if possible, I also dropped a few pounds (although I don't know if that was necessary or not). Also velcro breakaway pants from Amazon were very convenient and well worth the money. A big disposable pad for the bed was also helpful for me in relaxing and not worrying about a little spillage if the tubing pulled apart while sleeping. Also, I modified my diet per the provider instructions and tried the non-stimulative laxative for a few days more than a week before surgery so I figured out what worked for me and how it'd affect me while I was still healthy before surgery. I think that helped me use the laxative with confidence when I needed it after surgery. Also, I religiously followed all my doctors instructions both pre and post surgery. For example, his instructions for laxative and diet after surgery worked for me as I was never constipated after surgery, but rather had easy bowel movements. Similarly, I strictly followed his instructions to me to alternate tylenol and ibuprofen after surgery and my pain level never got above a 2 on a scale of 10. But even with all that prep, the week with the catheter was still very unpleasant. Best wishes.

If you are already exercising/working out regularly, bump it up a bit over the next ten-12 days, them recover for two before the surgery. IMO this will ramp up your body's healing powers.

If you haven't already, investigate "penile rehabilitation after prostate surgery". For me, at least, having a plan and sticking to it for return of erectile capability and utility made a big difference...at age 74, I returned to normal relations with my partner within 6-7 months.

retireditguy makes a very good point. No matter how much you read, or how many patient videos you watch, listen to your urologist/surgeon. They know best what your situation is & what YOUR body is doing. Don't waste time worrying about issues that may not apply to you. You may find all sorts of information online, telling you that you might experience this or that - but a lot of things won't happen to you. So listen to the doctors above all else.

Or as I say... worry is a waste of imagination.

The post here by @jeffmark asks why other options are not in order?
Prostatectomy for Gleason 7 and no metastasis is not usually a first line of defense.
I would think that you are an excellent candidate for low dose rate Brachytherapy.
Your diagnosis should be revisited, other options questioned, second opinion .... something, before a radical Prostatectomy.
Yes. It's my opion and
@ JeffMark above has called attention to the same.
PAUL

I was almost identical stats to yours one year ago. I, too, chose surgery and I have zero regrets. Don’t second guess your decision and the advice of your team. Rather turn your thoughts to positive ones of healing and recovery. All the stuff about catheters, pain, etc all addresses real but temporary things. After hearing from “angels” here, I chose to focus on the long-term. I’m glad I did.

Good recs on reading material - I’d also add Vanita Gaglani’s book titled “Life After Prostatectomy” for really helpful steps to regain continence in 10 weeks (includes work to do ahead of time). I found this very helpful and encouraging.

Best of luck to you, brother. Concern - and even fear - is normal, but trust your process and be positive. As others have said, come back here often. Someone has walked your walk and we have no shortage of opinions here.

Many thanks. I chose surgery after talking with another support group in which every guy chose surgery, and learning that if follow-up care becomes necessary, damage from radiation makes surgery an unlikely option. I'm committed to it. This group and others have been a tremendous help. My post on Monday brought more than 10 replies. I'm grateful.

Excellent. We do our research and make our choices.
Do NOT listen to the nonsense from others.
I chose surgery and would choose it again. Others chose radiation. No problem.
Do not allow others to cause uncertainty in your choices.
You need confidence and support in your choice, and you have mine.
Best wishes.

I had never had a major illness before being diagnosed 4+4 in late summer 2022. After PSME determined it was 100% contained within my prostate (and after discussions with an oncologist who specializes in prostate), I opted for surgery. I really had no idea what to expect and spent weeks checking out various YT videos, checking out forums like this and all this investigation really put my mind at ease about the procedure. I went into the OR calm and collected and did what had to be done.

I was home the next day and I have to say the overall experience was nowhere near as bad as my imagination might have led me to believe. I never needed any pain relief stronger than acetaminophen and that was only for 4 or 5 days afterwards. I took it easy and 7 days after surgery, the catheter was removed.

Admittedly, it took me a year to regain continence and here we are. The main thing is my overall recovery was generally uneventful and I can't stress this enough, really wasn't all that bad (if that is such a thing)