Welcome to the forum, you are one of our younger members and I love your attitude. I think you are lucky to have been diagnosed early as it does seem the younger you are the tougher it is, in many cases. It looks like you are doing really well and you know that everything takes time to heal, I have an idea that internal structures can take six months to heal. It also seems like you have a good relationship with your specialist nurse, that's always a good thing. On the subject of feeling a lack of energy, I'm not surprised, you've been through a traumatic ordeal, it will take time to recover physically and mentally.

Please keep us informed of your progress, it's great to hear of a good outcome,

Best wishes

Devonmaid

Hi Andy,

Far from doom and gloom, more realistic and in some parts optimistic.

You have had major surgery, lethargy and tiredness is par for the course, don't fight it, try working within it.

As with so many aspects of the PCa experience, the mind state of "acceptance", where you have come to terms with your new life, your new hopefully temporary limitations, and go with them instead of fighting constantly will probably hep you cope more easily.

Any pump that encourages blood back around the wound and operation may be worth having a go with. If the Osborn ErecAid, is the Rolls Royce among pumps and the and the Tracey Cox EDGE Ultimate Performance Stamina Penis Pump is more off a Trabant, both can get you from A to B warm and dry. The RR may do it in more style, so what? As long as the pump gets blood flowing to your bits, is all that counts. You can exercise and stimulate blood flow without any specialised equipment.

I do not know how long you should resist exercising after surgery to prevent any potential harm? No doubt someone will come along and offer a view on that?

atb

dave

Hello Andy and welcome from me too.

Most of what I would have said has already been advised but I would just emphasis that your body needs to recover from what it's been through. They didn't just cut your skin, they had a good old rummage around inside so if everything is protesting it is to be expected.
It took me many weeks to recover from major surgery and I was as you describe, everything was too much effort. Even mental effort was too much.

As it all ocurred for you very quickly, it's possible that it's only now that you are able to sit back and assess what has happened to you and the ramifications of it all, so that could be another reason you feel lethargic.

ED is a very personal matter but you will know from your reading on this site that a number of people are likely to respond, including women so I hope you are OK with that. We females tend to see it from the other side (naturally) and what is important to a man (in order of importance that is) isn't necessarily the same for us.

If you had a good, loving, relationship before PC then hopefully you will both make allowances if ED is slow to disappear. There's more than one way to skin a cat as they say.!!

Talking to each other is very very important. Feelings bottled will never get resolved.

At your age I assume your daughters are still young (teenagers?) . You have everything to live for with a young family and thank goodness you moved house eh! Whatever you are feeling now,  without that move you could be a few years further down the line when a straightforward, stand alone op, would not have been an option.

Youth and fitness are on your side. You'll get there. Just give your body and mind time to catch up with everything.

All the best

Sandra

Edited by member 30 Jun 2016 at 11:40  | Reason: Not specified

Hi Andy, Thanks for your post. I'm in a similar situation, I'm 41 and am due to go in for surgey on the 13th July. It really helps to hear your account, if only to get my recovery expections to be a bit more realistic. I'm far more bothered about the impact of contenance and ED than the surgery itself but I guess I'm just going to have to wait and see how things turn out. It would be great to hear how you're getting on as your recovery progresses.

Andrew.

Hi Lyn,

Yes, maybe a bit too much too soon, I have taken the last couple of days off but will try again on Monday!

The problem these days is that you only get so many weeks at full pay and then it's SSP which isn't a great deal when you have a mortgage, bills and a family! :-)

Anyway, here's hoping after the weekend I am ready to go again!

Thanks for your kind words!

Andy

Update to my original post...

I had my 8 week post surgery appointment in mid July and was told that my PSA was 2.7 which indicated that although my prostate and 3 lymph nodes were removed, the disease was still somewhere in my body...

I have just completed a 28-day course of oral hormone tablets and had a hormone injection on 29th July, I have since spent 2 weeks in Spain with my wife and daughter.

Yesterday (17th August) I met with a Dr from Clinical Oncology and she confirmed that the cancer had been more agressive than first thought and that it had actually just started to 'poke out' of my prostate.

Over the past couple of months I have had quite a bit of back ache and so I am having an MRI scan on my lower back on 28th August, this is despite the fact that my bone scan back in March showed no signs of the disease but did show some slight degenerative spine 'wear & tear' probably due to the amount of football I played as a younger man! :-)

Assuming that the MRI scan comes back clear, the focus will be on the 'prostate bed' and the remaining lymph nodes, I am due to have my next hormone injection on 18th October and then I will undergo 33 days of radiotherapy. Prior to that I will have a CT scan to determine exactly where I will be 'zapped'

My continence is getting better though I am still wearing 'light' pads, obviously having alcohol exacerbates the condition but that is to be expected...

Re ED, absolutely nothing to report, I have been taking Tadalafil 10mg for about 6 weeks (initially it was 5mg) and so I am now being referred to an ED specialist team which I am really not looking forward to despite the fact that I know it will help...

I'm still positive about life, I am back to work full time now but I am shattered by the time I get home, I just think that I have to 'face up' to whatever is thrown at me, there's no way I'm giving up! :-)

Andy

Edited by member 18 Aug 2016 at 16:16  | Reason: Not specified

Following on from my update post yesterday where I explained that I was now on the HT programme, I wondered whether anyone else was having the same treatment (or had it) and was willing to disclose any side-effects that were experienced...?

I have just completed the 28-day course of Bicalulamide 50mg and I had my first hormone injection on 29 July with the 2nd one scheduled for 18 October - so far I have had NO side effects, no hot flushes, no mood swings and no need for a bra! :-)

I'm assuming that the more injections I have the chances of side-effects will increase but I just wondered whether anyone else had 'gotten off lightly' as I seem to be doing?

As I mentioned yesterday, radiotherapy is also on the agenda but I've not even had my CT scan yet so I'm assuming Rt will follow my 2nd hormone injection...

Cheers!

Andy

Edited by member 19 Aug 2016 at 13:32  | Reason: Not specified

Hi AJC, I think people will need to know which hormone you are on to be able to contribute anything about side effects. Is it Prostap?

It might be that you are just lucky although if you were my brother, partner etc I would be worrying now (catastrophising, of course) that the injection wasn't administered correctly. Has your PSA been tested since the first injection? Has it dropped? Was it done at the hospital or by your local GP practice? 

Edited by member 19 Aug 2016 at 17:21  | Reason: Not specified

Hi you seem to have gone through the mill. Hormones certainly make you feel uncomfortable .Found cool technology sheets keep me cool a.all the best