healing from open prostatectomy?

What part of the world are you in? When you say open, are you meaning they are going to open you up to take the prostate out? Have you gone for a second opinion from a center of excellence like the Mayo, MD Anderson, Sloan Kettering or other cancer specialist centers?
As other have said, the new procedures are so much better for you and less chance for complications.

The gentleman who described waking up with five tiny bandages and walking and driving the next day is a unique patient. There are a lot of men who enjoy that experience, but for those of use who had the "single-incision" DaVinci Robotic-assisted Radical Prostatectomy, I think we'd all say that the recover is/was longer (chime in gentlemen). I personally felt a very "deep within me" pain, like I had been assaulted, beat up, and pummeled. I needed my Percocet for several days. I felt that deep pain for 5-6 weeks, and it was my instant "limiting factor" when I tried to do something new. Because I had (we all had) a catheter for 10-14 days, I just laid low for my 11 days. I was desirous of driving again, but I "couldn't" those first 2-3 weeks. I knew that the sudden need to hit the brakes might cause severe pain in my lower abdomen (the incision for the DaVinci method is about 2.5-3 inches. And...once your catheter is out, you'll be wearing diapers or pads for a couple to several months. I am now 9-months post-op, and I still have daily, unannounced little leaks and dribbles which drive me nuts. I can't wait until I am 100% continent again. And...forget intercourse for a while or forever. In my nine months I have not had one erection. I fear that I never will which is extremely hard to accept. My divorce after 32 years of marriage was exactly one month prior to my surgery. I was looking forward to eventually dating and finding someone new, to include intercourse. I have not, and will not, even attempt to date unless I know that I can fully be a man and engage in intercourse.
But that said...this blog is mostly commented on by men who have expected or unexpected problems and annoyances. The men who had quick simple, uneventful RP's with no serious or consequential pathology, move on in life...they never visit here to contribute their issues or solicitations for help and commentary, because they don't have any. I would just say to be patient...to take each hour and each day fresh from being post-op, and do and be what you can, but with caution. Your pain will be the built-in limiter to what you can or can't do. Good luck to you.

The gentleman who described waking up with five tiny bandages and walking and driving the next day is a unique patient. There are a lot of men who enjoy that experience, but for those of use who had the "single-incision" DaVinci Robotic-assisted Radical Prostatectomy, I think we'd all say that the recover is/was longer (chime in gentlemen). I personally felt a very "deep within me" pain, like I had been assaulted, beat up, and pummeled. I needed my Percocet for several days. I felt that deep pain for 5-6 weeks, and it was my instant "limiting factor" when I tried to do something new. Because I had (we all had) a catheter for 10-14 days, I just laid low for my 11 days. I was desirous of driving again, but I "couldn't" those first 2-3 weeks. I knew that the sudden need to hit the brakes might cause severe pain in my lower abdomen (the incision for the DaVinci method is about 2.5-3 inches. And...once your catheter is out, you'll be wearing diapers or pads for a couple to several months. I am now 9-months post-op, and I still have daily, unannounced little leaks and dribbles which drive me nuts. I can't wait until I am 100% continent again. And...forget intercourse for a while or forever. In my nine months I have not had one erection. I fear that I never will which is extremely hard to accept. My divorce after 32 years of marriage was exactly one month prior to my surgery. I was looking forward to eventually dating and finding someone new, to include intercourse. I have not, and will not, even attempt to date unless I know that I can fully be a man and engage in intercourse.
But that said...this blog is mostly commented on by men who have expected or unexpected problems and annoyances. The men who had quick simple, uneventful RP's with no serious or consequential pathology, move on in life...they never visit here to contribute their issues or solicitations for help and commentary, because they don't have any. I would just say to be patient...to take each hour and each day fresh from being post-op, and do and be what you can, but with caution. Your pain will be the built-in limiter to what you can or can't do. Good luck to you.

@rlpostrp
Two days after surgery all I needed was Acetaminophen for the pain. Four days after surgery, I drove to three clients offices to work on their computer problems. Seven days after I went to work full-time. I had robotic assisted surgery and the incisions never bothered me.

The catheter was a real convenience since I didn’t have to really go to the bathroom for 14 days to pee. Yeah, I had to empty the bag occasionally, but that was not difficult at all. And it was strapped around my leg when I went to clients offices. Nobody had any idea I had surgery.

I just can’t understand why they need to do open surgery, but there must be some medical issue that requires it. If you have that incision from naval to right above your pubic bone, it’s going to be difficult for a little while to recover. A lot more difficult than robot assisted surgery, where they make small incisions that heal very quickly.

I wonder if he means standard radical prostatectomy (as opposed to Robotic).
Actual open prostatectomy would be pretty awful.

I had standard laparoscopic prostatectomy & recovery was pretty much as experienced by the robotic ones.
Robotic can be more accurate, but some surgeons prefer to feel what they're doing.

Peter, I didn’t see all of the article. Was this listing the advantages of open surgery?