One Week After Prostatectomy
I just wanted to update my experience. I had the prostatectomy last week. The surgery went as planned. Pathology confirmed stage 2 cancer. The doctor said based on the report, "It was about to be on the move." It wasn't over the margins.... but it was at the margins. So glad we didn't wait any longer.
The surgery itself was much better than I expected. No real pain from the incisions (6 of them). The catheter was by far the worst part of the entire process. I wasn't sure I was going to make it a full week with it in. Very little leakage since getting the catheter removed. I was actually getting partial erections with the catheter in, hurt like hell. But was just glad to see things were trending in the right direction.
We stayed in Rochester for a week. I didn't want to drive home with the catheter in just to turnaround and drive back to get it out. The 7 hour drive home took 9 because I had to stop and pee a lot.
I was very happy with Mayo for the most part. My only "compliant"... the surgeon didn't see me before or after the surgery. He came in for 2 minutes after I had the catheter removed to go over the pathology report. The rest of the experience at Mayo was great... they were very efficient and caring.
My primary doctor and local urologist weren't really concerned with my PSA over 6.3. But... from my reading and talking to people at Mayo, I think you need to find a good urologist when you PSA is over 2.5. Don't wait until it is over 4. Everyone is different... but my prostate was small and I had low testosterone. This was probably impacting the PSA score.
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Prostate Cancer Support Group.
I also got my pathology report back in 6 days from Mayo, although I went to Mayo Phoenix. That really surprised me as the report was dated on the 6th day which was a Sunday. I don't know but suspect, since final signoff on it was 4:30 pm on a Sunday, that they might have an internal standard they're meeting. I certainly never expected to get an email/text (I don't remember which) notifying me it was on the portal on a Sunday afternoon. This is just another example of the benefit of going to a first-rate institution.
New Zealand. Quite a few differences, down here.
@bdc1677, believe it or not, another week has already passed. How are you doing starting week 3 post surgery?
Pretty good. A little more leakage than last week. Mainly at night. Erections seem to come and go for no reason. Since we aren't able to have sex yet (two weeks after catheter removal is the recommendation) not sure how that will work yet. There has been some leg and back pain... I have read that is common as nerves heal.
I went to the bar the other night with friends.... It seemed like it urinated two beers for every half beer I drank. I went to the bathroom every 20 minutes or so.
I understand this is a process... so I am still hopefully all these side effects will resolve over time.
I sort of thought I would get a follow-up call from the surgeon.
I'm not a medical professional, nor do I have any special expertise. I'm 4 months after bilateral NS RALP at Mayo Phoenix and I'm 70 YO. Before surgery I already knew that some things (especially caffeine & alcohol) would impact my frequency to urinate. At this point 4 months after RALP I wouldn't say I'm more sensitive to them, but I would say that I feel like I'm more aware of it since I'm less confident of my ability to "hold it" when I have a strong urge to urinate. But my confidence has improved significantly during the first 4 months after surgery. At this point I feel very close to back to normal. So yeah, hopefully it'll improve for you as well as time passes. I've also been doing my Kegals twice a day and while I can't say for sure, I do think they're helping me. As far as the Mayo surgeon calling, I haven't heard from the surgeon since I saw him right before surgery. He did talk to my wife right after the surgery and let her know everything went well. I'm was a little surprised by no call as well, but I assume it's just how they handle things at Mayo since I experienced the same at Mayo Phoenix. Conversely, they did give me a direct number so I could call right into the urology department if I had any questions or concerns after surgery so I speak to a knowledgable person. I also got a couple calls from Mayo medical staff routinely checking on me. I think one call was about a day or two after the surgery and another a week or so after the catheter came out, so I do feel they were doing a good job checking on me. I do think the Mayo staff I've spoken to since the surgery have been outstanding. At the 3 month visit I asked about penile rehab and was prescribed a low dose (5mg) tadalafil. I don't know if the doctor would have brought it up if I hadn't asked about it since I brought it up early in the visit, but I wish I'd asked about it sooner after surgery. I think it helps enhance blood flow to the penis. Best wishes on your recovery.