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Hi guys,
Just checking in to say I have just joined the club. Which is the Prostate Cancer/post radical prostatectomy club. I may join the survivors as a poster later, and thanks I have read many of your stories and they have really helped me. But right now I just thought I would throw a question out there.
I guess my recovery has been pretty good, at least as far as getting over the anesthesia and 4 hour surgery. I had a robotic radical prostatectomy with lymph node dissection in Nashville on Feb 19. This was following my diagnosis with PSA 9.1 on Oct about 20 , refer to Uro and repeat PSA at 10.9 on 11/3. Biopsy scheduled, results 5 out of 12 with one Gleason 9 and one perineural invasion. Sent to Nashville for expert opinion of radiation vs surgery. Surgeon felt that due to favorable DRE, it was most likely contained, and he felt it was a no brainer to do the surgery with lymph node dissection, so I could know about the spread, and because of the Gleason 9 he would have to cut wide and close to the nerves. After talking with the radiation guys and endless agony, decision was made for surgery. He felt good about the surgery, but Path report showed it had got to the seminal vesicle( to the edge of it?)but the lymph nodes were clear. And he felt he had probably got it all by cutting wide, and I had a "fair", or maybe he said "good" chance of a cure. Nothing else needs to be done unless PSA goes up later.
There have been a lot of surprises with the recovery. The JP drain was supposed to come out the morning after, but 13 days later it is still in and draining! Now they tell us that rarely they can be in for weeks.
The bad surprise was a flare up of minor hemorrhoids to a level that I could not believe. And bleeding for the first time ever. That put me down and really hindered my recovery and walking, but they are finally receding and I am moving faster now.
So, it is 12 days later and we took the cath out this morning. Whoohoo! I had been leaking around the catheter last few days and was really looking forward to pulling it. I removed it with my wife's help(we are both RNs) I was expecting some leakage, but not as much as I have been getting. I have been going through a lot of pads. When I 1st went to pee, I poured a pretty good stream, but only for a few seconds then it cut off abruptly. I could not get the flow restarted unless I walked away from the toilet, then here it comes. Essentially,if I am standing I am peeing(unless over the toilet LOL!), if I am walking I am peeing. I can shut it off with a Kegel, but I can only hold that so long. Sitting is pretty good. Each time I go the stream does seem to go longer, but it shuts off suddenly and I never feel it empties the bladder. And then as I walk away, here comes more!
Any one ever had that on the first day or two, where you could pee a good stream but it shuts off before your done? (reminds me of my BPH days, except stream is fast until BAM! it's over!) Is that fairly normal? How long does it take most folks to get under reasonable control doing Kegels faithfully?
I have been doing my Kegels, before surgery and today. I took my 1st Cialis 5 mg tonight, but I needed it before surgery and Doc told me I would probably need more than Cialis because he was going to have to shave close to the nerves, due to the G9.
Alright guys, just wanted to say hello. I'll go to bed soon, might be an interesting night! Thanks for any tips, and God Bless Y'all!
Bill in MS
