Hi All,
My Da Vinci op was in early June. The post op week or so were uncomfortable but looking back now, I find it hard to believe or accept that I have been involved in a significant surgical op or that I have a life threatening condition. I can remember toothache which caused more upset ;-)
My own post op experiences are that I was/am not incontinent while lying or sitting down but that I leaked like a sieve when standing and moving. Three Tena no 3 pads a day to begin with - but down to just one now which can be nearly dry if I'm having a slack day and just catches drips if I'm working actively but I'm still holding enough to need a pee at regular intervals. I might be up once or at most twice in the night when my bladder seems quite full. All in all, I find the Tena pads extremely good and I have never thought that the incontinence would be life limiting in any way. Based on present progress, I expect to recover fully eventually.
I have found the erectile dysfunction a bigger blow than I anticipated and I was finding the future prospects to be an unpleasant thought. I am blessed with a good partner and have found a way forward that gives each of us equal pleasure and benefits, which I confess has been a great relief. At the moment even with daily 5mg Cialis there is no sign of an erection returning.
Which brings me to the main point of learning in my personal PC journey. Although I have found that the sharp end of the NHS has been excellent, the admin and follow up is pretty poor. When the Surgeon said 'catheter out in 7 days and I'll see you in 6 weeks', neither appointment appeared until I chased it up and then of course the appointment given is late. I'm not going to list everything that has happened but suffice to say that (based on my experience) you must 'take charge' of your treatment and make sure that the appointments that you need are made on time by chasing them up yourself. Answer phone messages are rarely answered and calls rarely returned.
Also, prior to my op I completely put myself in the hands of 'The NHS' and did as I was told, in fact I purposely stayed away from the web and google in terms of learning about Prostate Cancer and PC treatment. I think that my treatment has gone well but I also feel that I left myself vulnerable and would advise other to get to know as much about the ins and outs of diagnosis' & treatment.
If I were to advise anyone else following I would advise getting to know as much as you can, - which includes understanding that there are many variations and differences to the same diagnosis and treatment.
There, that turned into an epistle, - apologies - and I hope that your 'journey' is as positive and pleasant as it can be.
regards
stu k