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Recovery timeline

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User
Posted 20 Feb 2020 at 20:33

Hi - I am only five weeks post RRP and have been pleased with my outward recovery from the actual op and feel pretty good in myself. Like us all, the difficulty both physically and mentally is dealing with the after effects and knowing what is 'normal'. I appreciate everybody's recovery is individual to them and that we are offered anecdotal evidence of 'quick' recoveries. But from reading the forums I feel they are the exception. While I get through the nightime pretty well, as soon as I start moving in the day (and especially if I go for a walk) I leak excessively. Likewise ED shows no sign of changing. I also suffer soreness when I sit and walk etc. I am not expecting a miracle (the op in itself is that and the obvious benefit it can bring!) but I am wondering what experiences other people have had. Is the reality that there is no fix in the first six months, and it is much more likely to take years? Thanks for any replies.

User
Posted 20 Feb 2020 at 23:53
Depends which bit of the recovery you are thinking about. According to the PR blurb, most men are able to resume normal activities by 6 weeks post LRP / RRP and many are back at work (or playing golf or whatever) 6-8 weeks post-op. Presumably, a lot of these men wear pads to work as statistically, you should regain your continence within 6 - 12 months of the op. John had open surgery rather than LRP or RRP - this takes rather longer to recover from but he was back at work & in the gym at 12 weeks; he didn't play rugby again until the start of the next season though.

Some surgeons don't like their patients to cycle for a few months post-op to give the nerve bundles a chance to heal and thus, the best chance of recovering erectile function. Certainly, you would be exceptionally blessed to be having erections so soon. Generally speaking, they say that if you haven't regained erections by 2 years post op you are unlikely to ever recover but in our house, the biggest improvement came between months 24 - 36.

Your wounds (internal and external) should be healed by the time of your post-op consultation and any residual pain is usually down to nerve damage - this can take a while to settle down. Best thing is to talk to your surgeon at the post-op review about rate of recovery and what you can / shouldn't do. You can also ask about referral to an ED clinic (if such a thing exists in your area) and clarify whether it is the surgeon or the GP that needs to refer you.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 22 Feb 2020 at 12:53

Thanks John - my pump has just arrived so a brave new world awaits!! Who said romance is dead!!??

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User
Posted 20 Feb 2020 at 23:53
Depends which bit of the recovery you are thinking about. According to the PR blurb, most men are able to resume normal activities by 6 weeks post LRP / RRP and many are back at work (or playing golf or whatever) 6-8 weeks post-op. Presumably, a lot of these men wear pads to work as statistically, you should regain your continence within 6 - 12 months of the op. John had open surgery rather than LRP or RRP - this takes rather longer to recover from but he was back at work & in the gym at 12 weeks; he didn't play rugby again until the start of the next season though.

Some surgeons don't like their patients to cycle for a few months post-op to give the nerve bundles a chance to heal and thus, the best chance of recovering erectile function. Certainly, you would be exceptionally blessed to be having erections so soon. Generally speaking, they say that if you haven't regained erections by 2 years post op you are unlikely to ever recover but in our house, the biggest improvement came between months 24 - 36.

Your wounds (internal and external) should be healed by the time of your post-op consultation and any residual pain is usually down to nerve damage - this can take a while to settle down. Best thing is to talk to your surgeon at the post-op review about rate of recovery and what you can / shouldn't do. You can also ask about referral to an ED clinic (if such a thing exists in your area) and clarify whether it is the surgeon or the GP that needs to refer you.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 21 Feb 2020 at 02:39
If you click on my profile ‘Bollinge’, you can read my contemporaneous notes regarding my surgery, nearly two years ago.

It is fair to say that I felt virtually recovered on day ten, when the supra-pubic catheter was removed. From other accounts here, I must have been very, very, lucky. My only problem was that the ‘dissolvable’ sutures in my six abdominal wounds did not, and some became infected, requiring antibiotics and three visits to the local nurse to remove them with tweezers and a magnifying glass.

Erections are a thing of the past for me, as I couldn’t be bothered with pumps and cock rings, etc.

Best of luck with your recovery.

Cheers, John.

User
Posted 22 Feb 2020 at 12:47

Thanks Lyn - helpful comments - I know I am being a bit impatient!! Personally I don't think they should dangle the 'Billy was dry and having erections inside a month' type story in front of us - think the reality for the vast majority is a much longer journey than that!

User
Posted 22 Feb 2020 at 12:53

Thanks John - my pump has just arrived so a brave new world awaits!! Who said romance is dead!!??

User
Posted 22 Feb 2020 at 13:39
Have you been instructed on how to use it? Have you been advised to wait until after your post-op appointment to ensure the urethral joints have healed?
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

 
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