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GI issues After RARP

Posted by jayhall @jayhall, Oct 9 4:22pm

I'm right at the 5 month mark post RARP and I'm having issues with my gut. To be blunt I get the urge to poop sometimes alarming quickly. Also I'm pooping more during the day etc. My diet has not changed and I'm not eating more or less. I just read a study that this is common post RARP. Anyone else have this? will this settle down or do I need to go to my GI? about this?

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billfarm | @billfarm | Oct 18 4:03am
In reply to @dkgibson "After RARP I had significant constipation. This did not change with ADT, so doctor recommended MiraLAX..." + (show)
Profile picture for Dean Gibson @dkgibson

After RARP I had significant constipation. This did not change with ADT, so doctor recommended MiraLAX (actually LaxaClear from Costco). My stools then became quite soft but not runny. This year, after 2.5 years on ADT was suspended last year, I tried to reduce the amount of MiraLAX taken nightly, but the constipation returned & I felt a little bloated, so I guess I'm on the stuff for life.

Note that I did have a hernia repair a year after RARP, to repair the perineum wall after the RARP.

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Does anyone else have a hernia caused by the camera port? 3 yrs post surgery. Hernia was dismissed by my team as nothing. Now that is increasing in size (half of a softball) they say I should take this up with my primary care doc.Do you guys think mesh hernia repair would complicate future surgeries if they become necessary for the pc?

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chippydoo | @chippydoo | Oct 18 1:18pm
In reply to @heavyphil "Hi Jay, I had the exact opposite of your situation immediately after RARP: totally lost the..." + (show)
Profile picture for heavyphil @heavyphil

Hi Jay, I had the exact opposite of your situation immediately after RARP: totally lost the ability to poop (not constipation!).
No one will ever give you a straight answer - surgeon, GI doc, etc., because they simply cannot - or will not - admit that their procedure has anything whatsoever to do with your situation.
To do so is tantamount to negligence or malpractice in their minds, which is ridiculous! But that’s just how it is…
Your insides were totally traumatized by the insertion of robotic arms; nerves get disturbed and they may react by increased or decreased activity.
Fascial planes (the membranes that hold your guts together) are invaded and the way they heal can also affect bowel habits. Think of how adhesions can form after bowel surgery and almost kill you with blockages; so lesser complications are also possible.
Hopefully, your normal bowel function will return soon. Mine did not, but in an ironic twist of fate, salvage radiation restored my bowels to their original settings - sort of a reboot of the system!
Don’t ask me how or why, but after almost 6 yrs of hell I am just grateful…oh, and maybe they got rid of the cancer too!🤞

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@heavyphil BINGO! And hope they got the cancer too. Mountain biked with a veteran group this weekend and one is 10 years clear after RP and Salvage. Nice to hear hope on the trails this weekend.

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dhasper | @dhasper | Oct 19 11:05am
In reply to @billfarm "Does anyone else have a hernia caused by the camera port? 3 yrs post surgery. Hernia..." + (show)
Profile picture for billfarm @billfarm

Does anyone else have a hernia caused by the camera port? 3 yrs post surgery. Hernia was dismissed by my team as nothing. Now that is increasing in size (half of a softball) they say I should take this up with my primary care doc.Do you guys think mesh hernia repair would complicate future surgeries if they become necessary for the pc?

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@billfarm I have a small hernia and i think the big concern is mesh and future radiation. I think they can work around it but it should be part of the planning.

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dhasper | @dhasper | Oct 19 11:10am
In reply to @heavyphil "Hi Jay, I had the exact opposite of your situation immediately after RARP: totally lost the..." + (show)
Profile picture for heavyphil @heavyphil

Hi Jay, I had the exact opposite of your situation immediately after RARP: totally lost the ability to poop (not constipation!).
No one will ever give you a straight answer - surgeon, GI doc, etc., because they simply cannot - or will not - admit that their procedure has anything whatsoever to do with your situation.
To do so is tantamount to negligence or malpractice in their minds, which is ridiculous! But that’s just how it is…
Your insides were totally traumatized by the insertion of robotic arms; nerves get disturbed and they may react by increased or decreased activity.
Fascial planes (the membranes that hold your guts together) are invaded and the way they heal can also affect bowel habits. Think of how adhesions can form after bowel surgery and almost kill you with blockages; so lesser complications are also possible.
Hopefully, your normal bowel function will return soon. Mine did not, but in an ironic twist of fate, salvage radiation restored my bowels to their original settings - sort of a reboot of the system!
Don’t ask me how or why, but after almost 6 yrs of hell I am just grateful…oh, and maybe they got rid of the cancer too!🤞

Jump to this post

@heavyphil I was just talking with ChatGPT about this as I was three-5 weeks past surgery and very hard stools and hard to have bowel movements, especially with concerns about straining. I started eating a few prunes every day (turns out I like them) but that did not make a huge difference however, now things have changed once again and things are getting too loose. I definitely had a post surgery change in bowel habits and it seems like it is still adapting at 11 weeks post surgery.

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