RARP scheduled, what to expect for day to day life recovery

There’s A wide range of answers to that question. The first couple of days are not real easy, After that, it really is just uncomfortable and Tylenol takes care of it. I was 62. On my fourth day, I went to three of my clients offices and just helped with some computer things, sitting down. By the fifth day, I was fully back at work, With a bag attached to my ankle, for the catheter. None of my clients ever knew I had surgery.

I was speaking to someone yesterday, who was still very uncomfortable a month after surgery. People in here have reported needing to take two or three months in order to fully recover. Age is definitely a factor. Th

Everyone has different experiences. ED and incontinence are NOT guaranteed! I didn't have a single second of either, but of course your mileage may vary.

Like @jeffmarc said, the first couple of days are the worst, then it's not terrible and it's manageable with Tylenol. A lot depends on how hard you push yourself. Remember you are getting 6 or 7 incisions and regardless of why they are made, they are still wrecking your abs and can be uncomfortable.

For me, I got a horseshoe shaped cushion to sit at my desk because I found out rapidly that it didn't take long on my office chair to be very sore and that helped a lot. Just search for perineum cushions. I also got a lap desk so I could work from my much more comfortable recliner, which I did extensively for the first week because of the aforementioned soreness.

Long car rides MAY be an issue depending on continence and bladder urgency. Some men have to retrain their bladder afterwards so a car ride could be problematic. I wouldn't even attempt golf for 4-6 weeks, you do not want to open an incision - especially trying to do a very core/ab centric activity like golfing.

Just be careful and you'll be fine. The doctor will tell you not to lift anything more than about 10lb for 4-6 weeks, and he means it. Do your heavy chore work before surgery.

I will have mine in one month. What appreciate any tips about the first few days after, until catheter is removed.

Here's a response I made a while back, much on it is valid for your question: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/1292044/

For the catheter, I found having sanitizing wipes for keeping the tip of my penis very clean to prevent any problems as well as lubricating the catheter with some medical grade lubricant helped keep things more comfortable. In fact, the only discomfort was the 2 seconds they removed it, other than just the annoyance of having one in.

I also found breakaway pants to be absolutely fantastic for this period of time!

I'm 8 weeks post RALF surgery at Mayo, age 72 (retired). The first week or so were the toughest pain wise, but the pain was only bad when I engaged my abdominal muscles, which most position changes seemed to require, as well as sneezing (ouch). Slow movements helped greatly with that. No movement, almost zero pain after the first several days. Every few days after that I would notice significant improvements in going back to semi-normal activities. At six weeks I was doing great but had a minor set back from going from just walking for exercise to going all at once to heavy lifting. I have not had any incontinence since the catheter came out on day 7, but was prepared with pads and diapers. The catheter during that first week was just a minor annoyance, having to empty it and avoiding accidentally pulling on it. The 6 hour drive home (stayed local) after the catheter came out was fine except when my wife would hit a pothole. Slow walking or sitting was not a problem after a week.
I though all the initial pain was from the incisions, a friend suggested a lot of it was from them inflating the abdomen with the CO2 which stretches everything, others have said bladder spasms can also cause pain. It wasn't worse than I expected, just a little different than I thought.
Best wishes!

Thanks @survivor5280. This is helpful. Already ordered on Amazon.

Lot of useful information! Mine is scheduled for June 9th. Have started my kegel exercises. Still scared, but will have to face it. Haven't looked at pads yet, probably next week. Will also look for perineum cushions as suggested by @survivor5280. @jeffmarc is as always very helpful! Thank you folks!

Don't be in a rush is my opinion. The problem with getting back to work is you will prioritize work at a time when you should really be prioritizing health. I'm 60 and for the first time in my life really I'm seeing how great a 20-30 minute nap is in the middle of the day. And I am walking much more. You don't do that kind of thing when you are working. I say 6 weeks minimum, but then again, this is my Out of Office message....

So true in the US! 🙂