prostate operation

Eddy

My hospitial gave me some pads to go home post TWOC and my incontinence service had already sent me 120 Tenna 2 before I had surgery. Most chemists sell a urine bottle that holds a litre, has a cap to seal the bottle and a very wide neck. I had a bath towel on the car seat in case of leaking on the way home from the TWOC and I did. Once recovered from the op and  back to work l had the urine bottle in the car and a towel to cover my modesty if I needed to use it in an emergency, only needed it a couple of times. Leakage past the Catheter whilst passing a motion is quite common. 

Thanks Chris

Six out of the seven keyhole wounds have healed well, three still have scabs on, but one became infected and I have just finished antibiotics which sorted it.

I only bled for two days into the bag after the op. but I was surprised during week three to start urinating both red and brown blood, and passing blood clots. I suppose that was my innards healing. No problems in that regard now.

My formerly magnificent penis, “The Ultimate Weapon”, seems to have gone into hibernation, and daily doses of Tadalafil 5mg have so far not tempted him to wake from his slumber! We live in hope!

Best wishes for your recovery Eddy.

Cheers, John

Eddy

If you are not already taking some form of laxative, I would speak to someone on your medical team for advice, passing a hard motion past your new urethral joint is not ideal. People on here have been advised to double their laxative dose ,but get advice from someone who is medically qualified. Keeping active will help shift that first motion, but don't over do it. 

Hope all goes well.

Thanks Chris

Cheers, John

HI there,

I was in a similar position to you post catheter removal but the good news is that you are dry when sitting or lying down and at night. I found that the act of getting up, bending, lifting and walking started the flood. This is basically stress incontinence caused by putting pressure on the bladder and following the surgery the valve that prevents the urine coming out under those conditions has been weakened. 

I found that when getting up I learned to do it in stages and once upright stand still for a short time and try to hold the flow. Bit by bit I found that I could then get up and stand without leaking and then I was able to move further as well. I stopped bending but slowly knelt down instead until this gradually improved ass well.

Walking and lifting took the longest to overcome and we are talking about 4 months but every day it improved. This is only my experience and yours may be quicker but I got there in the end.

I won't lie to you and say it was easy as some days (but not many) I felt a bit sorry for myself but I didn't let it stop me from doing all my normal activities. I checked out places I could change pads and although I found it all a bit embarrassing at first I then adopted the attitude that as nobody else is actually aware of my situation then just do what you need to to do what you want to.

I am sure you will get there so stay positive and focus on your successes. 

All the very best.

Kevan 

HI Eddy

I was so pleased to read your post as despite everything you are sounding upbeat and positive. 

In my opinion your advice at the end is spot on. Laughter is a wonderful gift and helps keep things in perspective.

Glad that you are noticing improvements but not trying to rush things.

Thanks for some great news to kick the week off.

Kevan 

So, I am seven weeks on Monday, post-op. Still have three out of seven keyhole wounds itchy with scabs on where the sutures didn’t dissolve. Antibiotics (three courses) seem to have done the trick.

Continence is fine, apart from the occasional dribble which my underpants absorb. Did I have that before? Probably.

No sign of life regarding ED, despite 5mg Cialis daily. Can still orgasm, albeit with reduced intensity, and no ejaculation. Weird feeling.

PSA @ 5 weeks? Undetectable.

Seeing the Professor for post-op conflab, 7 August. Have repeatedly asked for my post-op prostate biopsy results, which the hospital seems reluctant to provide, saying I must make a 230 mile round-trip to be told them face-to-face. The nurse kept telling me ‘pathology is short staffed and no results yet’, but then I found out from a secretary that the results were in, but she couldn’t tell me them. I have now made a Freedom of Information Request for my full records.

I am wondering what their reticence is about. I am a big boy now, and having had cancer and having had it removed, if there are positive margins on my excised prostate, I will deal with it.

I am more concerned to find out if the pathologist found 2” of penis amongst what was removed! 😂😂😂😂

Best wishes for your continued recovery.

Cheers, John

Edited by member 21 Jul 2018 at 14:50  | Reason: Not specified

Good news Eddy, and best of luck for the future.

The pathologist found limited spread to my lymph nodes, which increases the chance of recurrence somewhat, but a second PSA this week was still undetectable. I told the Professor he owes me 2”. He looked puzzled. Either he or his sidekick Da Vinci must know what happened to it!

Cheers, John

Edited by member 10 Aug 2018 at 14:25  | Reason: Not specified

Hi there,
From reading your thread we started from a similar place although my Da Vinci op was done on 18th May. I am 64 in the last couple of weeks and quite fit and healthy.

My PSA reading 6 weeks post op was 0.1. That was ten times the pretest prediction by the surgeon but the reply was not to worry about it and test again in three months. ( I wait with bated breath)

On the incontinence front, I have no problem while seated or lying down and I can hold on for a few minutes once I stand. When up and about and active, a stand up pee is still very rare but I believe that there is slow progress on this front. Generally two or three Tena 3 pads a day if I have an active day. One will last all day if I sit at a desk. Either way I find the situation manageable.

On the ED front, orgasms are intense but difficult to achieve. Libido is fine but not the slightest sign of an erection. When I had the catheter removed I was given 8x20mg Cialis tablets and to be honest, not much instruction about what to do with them. google suggested that they were for use prior to an 'event' but - in any event, they make no difference.
Prior to the op, I was told thatI would be referred to an ED Clinic. Soon after my GP told me that due to my post code, that wouldn't e happening and he would refer me to the Urology Dept at the Hospital and that he would get an appointment by the end of July. When the letter arrived the appointment is for early October, so on the ED side of things, I do feel rather abandoned by the NHS. Having read some of the info on this forum, I am considering buying a pump and engaging in a bit of DIY therapy.
My wife has been a brilliant support to me and we have found a way to enjoy good sex despite my early feelings of inadequacy.

The entire PC experience has been quite surreal. I have never felt ill or experienced any symptoms prior to the cancer being found. My PSA had been the subject of 6 monthly checks for four years, creeping up from 6.5 to 10.4, before sending me for further tests & biopsy. Post biopsy, all 10 samples were cancerous. The Gleeson score was 7. I think that if I hadn't said that I thought that it was time to explore further, my GP would still be taking 6 monthly blood tests.

I have found it very hard to accept that there was something within me that was trying to kill me. Its just that all this crap has descended on my life and has to be dealth with and move on. I have never been ill, so its impossible to feel 'better'

In reading your thread, I have found many parralells with my own situation and found your comments quite reassuring. I wish you all the best and a speedy recovery.

regards
SK

Edited by member 22 Aug 2018 at 16:56  | Reason: spilling mistooks

Hello Eddy, I also apologise for crashing your thread with my own experiences. However - if you will forgive me:-

My 6 week post op PSA is 0.1  The test was repeated twice because it was thought that my sample had not been put through the right test to detect super low PSA results and eventually they decided that it was indeed 0.1 and not less than 0.1.

Perhaps my only other comment of sharing is that pre-op, I decided that I was not going to comb the web in search of potentially misleading information and I confess that my early explorations of this forum were pretty frightening.  I would say to anyone following who might read this that I took a wrong decision on this as throughout my contact with the various Consultants, Drs and nursing staff there has been an assumption that I, as patient will have a certain level on knowledge and things haven't been explained.   I've had to find out about Gleeson Scores, 'T' ratings for cancers and many other things.  Immediately post op, I was offered a laxative and in my innocence, I replied that I hadn't eaten for 24 hours and thought that it was probably not needed. With a shrug, the nurse moved on and only later did I find what I had let myself in for. In the event no harm was done but I could have damaged myself internally.

I notice that one person commenting on here say that they know more about ED than their ED nurse.  With hindsight, I would say that that's the way to go with all matters, in order to look after yourself. - Hence my previous comment about the DIY therapy.  Physician - heal thyself!  I wouldn't go down the route of buying drugs off the net but I do intend to look into vacuum pumps and if I am not happy with the response and advice that I am offered at the Urology Clinic at my local hospital I will look into paying to see a specialist.

Eddy, if you are down to a single lightweight incontinence pad, then you are definitely ahead of me although, as reported in my previous post, If I have a steady day, mainly seated, I could claim to have recovered from incontinence completely. A day in the garden and I have made no progress whatsoever. 

Enjoy the long walk.

regards,

stu k

Well done Eddy. I’m at the same level at the 3 month mark. You should switch to Tena 1’s they are the same size but are more than adequate for the issues you describe. I thought I could jump to Tena shields but they are just small and dont give the coverage needed. The Tena 1s are a great improvement over the 2‘s

Fresh

Edited by member 10 Sep 2018 at 15:05  | Reason: Not specified

Sorry you have the problem now. Best of luck.

Cheers, John.

Great news. Hope the PSA stays undetectable.

great news, kept it up

andy63

When you get the pump, it may be accompanied by a DVD, or there are videos on Youtube. It is important to get a good seal, so trimming the pubic hair short helps as does using lots of lube on the inside and edge of the tube. After such a long time, your penis may be out of practice on engorging and it can be quite uncomfortable; the trick is to pump slowly and steadily, releasing the vacuum and starting again after a few minutes. When John started he could only get engorged to the E of Esteem on the side of the tube but with practice, was able to get much higher up the tube At least you can see the progress before your eyes.

Appointment went well PSA undetectable again, pretty much totally continent just the very odd leak now and again. Off on holiday on the 4th March so will be able to relax it's my Wife's 60th I think she  needs a break, we forget that this affects other people in the family and some times it's easier for the person with the cancer to cope with it.

Re PSA anxiety it never goes away!

I am grateful to be cancer-free😉 and continent. I can still enjoy a sort-of orgasm.

Quite happy.

Cheers, John.

Hi I am glad to hear you are progressing well after your OP, I had robotic assisted prostatectomy Sept 29th 2016 so nearly 3 years post OP, I still wear the smallest of pads mainly small drips after going to the toilet, erections started after about 18 months now pretty much normal it all just takes time, I still remember when I had my catheter out I just leaked everywhere it was just awfull and I never thought I would be where I am today about 98% continent erections almost normal and best of all PSA undetectable, best wishes to all on this site,

Paul