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Attitude 3 weeks to RALP and PLND
RALP (Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy) and PLND (Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection)
I am a Gleason 9 with negative PMSA PET heading toward surgery in 3 weeks. Feel like I've done what I can to find a good team (Mayo Rochester), the right treatment for me, and hoping for a good outcome knowing there are no guarantees. I've started to let go of what the result will be, with so much information and various pros and cons in my situation, since everyone's journey is unique and stats reflect the past, not the future. It's a bit surreal :). Going to work on my attitude till then being thankful for so much in my life, looking forward to getting the f'ing prostate out, and believing my partner and I will handle what comes next with the Mayo team. Easier said than done while the people on this forum have been very helpful educating me on that's what I control right now. Bless you all.
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Now that's a great attitude.
You've learned a lot & realised that the experience of others isn't necessarily yours.
It took me a while to learn that.
There's a lot of information here & what happened to others may not happen to you.
So just take what comes & take advantage of any & all offers of help.
Best of luck for your surgery.
Recovery can be tough, but we're always here to vent to.
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4 ReactionsBest wishes to you. I had my surgery there in August. They were all great. Amazing place.
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3 ReactionsAgreed with @peterj116 - you have a great attitude! We're not robots, so doubts and second-guesses are sure to spring up, but you don't have to follow them down the rabbit trails to doom and gloom.
The only thing I would add, based on my recent experience (RARP in June), is to start doing Kegels now if you haven't already done so.
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3 ReactionsWishing you a good result.
I was a G 9 pre RP and surgery went very well.
I 2d the suggestion about beginning Kegels preop; I could only fit in 1 professional PT visit before surgery, but it was very helpful to my postop recovery because it helped me prepare to move my body with the catheter in place (no kegels w/ catheter in) and after.
Also, I used a wash bucket to hold and carry my urine bag while the catheter was in place and found it incredibly helpful.
Good luck and continue being confident.
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3 ReactionsYeah, well, I got my "f'ing prostate out" 13 weeks ago and am very pleased thus far. I am nearly 72, had Gleason 8. JUST got my first PSA result today, which amazingly showed up only five hours after they withdrew my blood, and it's 0.03 ng/lt, which I believe qualifies as "undetectable".
The surgery itself, RARP, nerve-sparing, thankfully, really wasn't all that awful; In fact, I think I slept through the whole thing!
I think the anticipation was worse (I've never had surgery as an adult). They began the procedure in the early afternoon, as it turned out, and I did spend the night.
I still have some incontinence, pretty steadily improving though, and sexual functioning is still a work in progress, but I am still in the relatively early phase of complete recovery.
That's good advice above, and I'll just add that there really was very little pain involved afterwards. They did send me home with some pretty heavy-duty meds, but I only really needed the "extra strength", standard issue acet--acetyl...acetaminophen they also included.
I really feel I went down the right road compared to the ADT/radiation option that was equally considered.
So...try to RELAX...and best of luck!
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5 ReactionsGreat attitude. Take it all one step at a time.
One day in the distant future there will be one full-proof treatment, but now we have choices to make. You made your choice and now make peace with it. I made the same choice and am 2 weeks post-op. Surgery was nothing at all, catheter was annoying, catheter removal was nothing, pain was very easily manageable by ibuprofen and Tylenol, not even taking these the last few days. Finally getting sleep again.
Working on Kegels now, statistics say continence will return, so being patient.
I want to be around as long as I can, didn't want prostate cancer, but that was not my choice. Others did not have the choice to get treatment like I did, so am grateful for this opportunity, bumps and all.
Stay strong.
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3 ReactionsI’m with you! Just had my RALP in August and expected the worst in terms of my next stage. Once the catheter came out, it took me a while to get used to my new “normal”. My biggest issue was getting over the belief that ejaculation was the goal of intercourse/masturbation. Happily, my surgeon is one the best (PCI Cedar Rapids, IA) and did an amazing job of sparing nerves. Continence is back. I’ve experienced the most intense orgasms I’ve ever had, although my Cowper’s glands seem to be on overdrive, making intercourse feel like a Slip and Slide.
That being over-shared, I know everyone is different, but know there is hope and your attitude is what makes the outcome.
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4 Reactions@superjk47, I hope you don't mind, I spelled out the acronyms RALP (Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy) and PLND (Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection) in your first post. The guys have been helping each other out with the steep learning curve of all the abbreviations and new terms in this discussion:
- Prostate cancer-related abbreviations: What acronym would you add?https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/prostate-cancer-related-abbreviations-what-acronym-would-you-add/
I looks like you have an unexpected journey on the books for 2026. How are you doing? Any questions as you prepare for surgery?
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