Recovery prostratectomy: What should I expect? How long?

Posted by sbo @sbo, Apr 15, 2023

My husband will be having a prostratectomy. He is late 50s. Grade 4 prostrate cancer that involves the base of the bladder. He will have a catheter for 10 days. What is the typical recovery time? He works remote on a computer. His doctor is willing to give him up to 3 months off… but when could he realistically go back to work. He was hoping a couple of weeks. I am guessing 4-6 weeks. Is that reasonable? And how long should I expect to stay home with him during the recovery? Will 1 week be enough? Too much or not enough?

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lcashell | @lcashell | Apr 19, 2023

I was 58 when I had my RP. In my experience, I needed help getting around for about 2-3 days. I took the doctors orders seriously and did my best to get up and walk around. I went for a short, slow slow walks two to three times a day (bag in tow!) I couldn't go back to work for 6-8 weeks because my job requires some heavy lifting. The fact that he works from home, I would tell you it would be good for him to get back in the grind. If he is like me, keeping busy will keep his mind off the negative. Focus on the positive!

However, I have to mention, I had the robotic surgery. It is theoretically less invasive. And I was still in a terrible pain! If your husbands surgery is the traditional cold surgical steel blade, his results may be different.

Assuming his experience is similar to mine, you can get out of the house in less than a week. Once again, I was only down for about 3 days.

maxvt | @maxvt | Apr 19, 2023

I went from the diapers to the pads a few days after the catheter came out. There was no “spotting@ of urine or blood in the pads and after 7-10 days I ceased everything and “went Komando” (LOL!) in my boxers. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!