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Beer, golf and gardening post radical prostatectomy

User
Posted 01 Oct 2022 at 13:17

Hi guys, as Julie Andrews sang - 'these are a few of my favourite things'

Diagnosed six weeks ago and expecting a date for radical prostatectomy in the next few weeks.  I'm reasonably saguine about the outcome but would appreciate heads up from others who have gone through this procedure.

Beer: I like my beer and although the health police seem to indicate alcohol 'should be avoided' apart from the need to remove more than usual amounts of fluid I can't see any reason not to drink in moderation (I accept that high level intake can cause more concentrated urine which irritates the bladder and is therefore totally undesirable given the control which is needed).  Any thoughts or experiences on a night out with mates (and how soon after the op) would be appreciated.

Golf: Only took it up about 4 years ago and as I was 71 then I'm sure not going to be challenging Rory McIlroy any time soon.  However would appreciate any suggestions about how soon after the op I might reasonably enjoy 18 holes again and what impact it might have on my game,

Gardening: Probably the least enjoyable of the three but mainly because we have such terrible clay soil.  Slowly getting good stuff into it but it is really heavy back breaking work.  When there is digging involved (rather than pruning, mowing or weeding) I generally pack it in after the couple of hours.  I'm hoping I can continue with this during this coming winter but would be interested if any of you Percy Throwers have an opinion on how realistic this ambition is.

Any contributions would be much appreciated.

 

 

 

 

User
Posted 02 Oct 2022 at 14:35
Booze definitely reduces the efficiency of your recovering control.

I can confirm that even 24 months after surgery (5 years ago now) excess alcohol combined with dancing and snogging resulted in me completely pissing myself! Fortunately it was dark and the piss was not too smelly!

User
Posted 02 Oct 2022 at 22:08
Hi ProKen, I endorse what others say. There are two issues, recovery from the immediate trauma of surgery and the longer-term recovery from the damage to the urinary system.

Removing the prostate involves cutting through the abdominal wall - which consists of the muscles you use to brace yourself when doing a golf stroke or gardening. The last thing you want is for those muscles to be pulling on the wound before it is fully recovered. So best to avoid too much effort for a couple of months, and be cautious for at least a couple more months after that.

The other thing which you will most likely find becomes an obsession is urinary control. The prostate sits immediately below the bladder, with an important sphincter right where the two meet. Removing the prostate is likely to damage the sphincter to a greater or lesser extent - every man is different and no one can tell your risk in advance. For the first couple of weeks after surgery you will have a catheter emptying your urine anyway, but after that is removed you will most likely find that your sphincter functions very poorly (a few lucky men do recover continence quickly). You will have a life dominated by pads and proximity to a toilet initially, but control will slowly increase though with a risk of accidents.

So, in terms of your "favourite things", you will need to follow your body as things improve. Both golf and gardening involve those abdominal muscles, which increase the pressure inside the abdomen and tend to push down on the bladder and put bigger demands on the just-recovered sphincter. You will find it soon gets tired and start to leak! Start by doing a little and then working up as you improve; aiming for a full round of golf or an afternoon digging straight away would be very dispiriting.

The alcohol in beer - like caffeine - is a diuretic, and increases urine flow. Again putting more demand on the sphincter. Early on you will only be able to have a little alcohol before it becomes a problem, but then more and more with time as long as your recognise your post-prostatectomy body has a limit. I ended up fine with a certain amount of drink (say, 3 pints of beer, or a bit more than half a bottle of wine) and indeed am sitting at home with a beer as I write this. But you can still run into problems - as Francij relates parties are risky situations where you easily lose count of drinks, tend to be standing and possibly dancing which involve abdominal pressure in the way sitting (which is what I am doing now) doesn't, and lead to you leaking. Once you start to leak you will continue, it takes time for your sphincter to strengthen up again.

Good luck! You are not alone, you are starting on something which many of us here have been through and been able to deal with in our lives. If you have questions, just ask.

User
Posted 02 Oct 2022 at 22:20

Its great to see that the surgery does not diminish the sense of humour.  Good on you and may you have many repeats once you have learned to control the leaks.

Ken

 

User
Posted 06 Oct 2022 at 16:36
Hi. I'm two and a half years post-op. After 6 months I could get on a bike and not long after that into a squash court. A friend recovered considerably more quickly. A pint or two isn't a problem for me, but if I do it too many days in a row a can get a bit leaky (just the odd dribble) and that'll happen for 2-3 days. Caffeinated coffee does the same. So I've found I can do 'the old things', but not constantly. Hope you recover well!
User
Posted 23 Oct 2022 at 11:50
Hi - it’s been 4 years since operated on and everything is fantastic. Prior to my surgery my urologist advised me to develop my core muscles, and lots of legal muscle exercises. I spent a lot of time in the gym. After surgery I was so careful for the first 6 weeks. Gentle walking was the order of the day. Then I built up. Recovery is not a race and no medals given out. At the 3 month mark after all clear from the doc I started more regular and aggressive exercise but under the scrutiny of the doctors. 4 years in I have no incontinence, I just completed a 14k run in 77 minutes my sex life is good. I’m 65. I had grade 3 with Gleason 9. As I said be patient it does come good….
User
Posted 23 Oct 2022 at 21:19

Wishing you the best Ken. As others have said everyone is different. My hubby (67 at the time) had prostatectomy at end of March. No real issues and his recovery has surpassed our expectations. The wound in the middle was the most troublesome and took quite a time to heal. Back to golf at 8 weeks (9 holes) and increased from there. Switched to decaf tea as caffeine can irritate the bladder. Enjoys a beer and a red wine (not pints as he doesn’t want the volume). Do as the professionals say and you won’t go far wrong. Listen to your body. Wishing you well. 

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User
Posted 01 Oct 2022 at 18:54

Hi, experience of OH who loves his beer - stopped drinking beer for a couple of month as each time after a pint his incontinence was a lot worse the next day, same with coffee. Red wine was OK. Drank a lot of cranberry juice. But of course everybody is different. 

Wishing you all the best and a speedy recovery

User
Posted 01 Oct 2022 at 23:56

Hi,   Beer, Golf, Gardening.   

As you know you'll have your urethra stitched to your bladder and up to 5 holes in your stomach muscles including a big one in the middle.   You need to be gentle with them.   You might also have poor continence for a few months.

Different people take different risks.  Some are willing to be more vigorous than others.  There can be long term effects if you upset the healing process, although there might not be.  I'm very cautious so hold back my comments to others as it's their situation.

On the matter of drinking beer you'll find it's probably better not to have too much unless you have a very big pad and some spares in your trousers.   I doubt it will help it improve if it's holding back a few pints.  You should take it easy for a few weeks and then see how it goes.  It can take from about 1 to 6 months to become continant.

The cut in the middle of the stomach is the one that lets you know when it's upset.  Anything vigorous like a golf swing might be painful and would be unhelpful for healing.   Same for heavy digging.

The attachment of th urethra to the bladder can grow scar tissue if its stressed.  It can take a while to cause trouble and could need an operation to enable urine to pass.

 I cut back on alcohol when I was diagnosed as I'd wake up extra worried in the night and never really got back into drinking much, perhaps 4 pints or 1 bottle of wine a week in 2 sessions.

We're all different and it's up to you but I'd recommend taking it pretty easy for at least a month and gently getting back into things.  Hope that helps.

Regards Peter

Edited by member 01 Oct 2022 at 23:58  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 02 Oct 2022 at 07:59
The big thing is the cut abdominal muscles. Realistically you're probably looking at a minimum of 3 months and perhaps 6 months before you can do something vigorous which uses those muscles, like a golf swing.

Best wishes,

Chris

User
Posted 02 Oct 2022 at 08:21
Proven

over the years several Doctors/Surgeons have told me when I've been broken that alcohol inhibits both the immune system and healing.

Cheers

Bill

User
Posted 02 Oct 2022 at 14:35
Booze definitely reduces the efficiency of your recovering control.

I can confirm that even 24 months after surgery (5 years ago now) excess alcohol combined with dancing and snogging resulted in me completely pissing myself! Fortunately it was dark and the piss was not too smelly!

User
Posted 02 Oct 2022 at 21:47

Thanks for that - every experience voiced gives me a better idea of what might be a problem.  I gave up red wine, which was always my favourite, about10 years ago 'cos it started to give me a head the next day.  Have recently had  the odd glass without problems so something to keep in mind. 

User
Posted 02 Oct 2022 at 21:56

Thanks for the heads up - I'm now getting a much better feel of the experiences of patients rather than the rather dry text telling me what might happen and how it will affect my life.  I certainly don't want to push the boundaries such that full healing of all the cuts and joins are compromised. 

Ken

    

User
Posted 02 Oct 2022 at 22:00

I wonder if I can get a refund on my reamining membership fees? 😬  I'll give it whatever time it needs - and grateful for the future the surgery will provide.

Ken

 

 

User
Posted 02 Oct 2022 at 22:08
Hi ProKen, I endorse what others say. There are two issues, recovery from the immediate trauma of surgery and the longer-term recovery from the damage to the urinary system.

Removing the prostate involves cutting through the abdominal wall - which consists of the muscles you use to brace yourself when doing a golf stroke or gardening. The last thing you want is for those muscles to be pulling on the wound before it is fully recovered. So best to avoid too much effort for a couple of months, and be cautious for at least a couple more months after that.

The other thing which you will most likely find becomes an obsession is urinary control. The prostate sits immediately below the bladder, with an important sphincter right where the two meet. Removing the prostate is likely to damage the sphincter to a greater or lesser extent - every man is different and no one can tell your risk in advance. For the first couple of weeks after surgery you will have a catheter emptying your urine anyway, but after that is removed you will most likely find that your sphincter functions very poorly (a few lucky men do recover continence quickly). You will have a life dominated by pads and proximity to a toilet initially, but control will slowly increase though with a risk of accidents.

So, in terms of your "favourite things", you will need to follow your body as things improve. Both golf and gardening involve those abdominal muscles, which increase the pressure inside the abdomen and tend to push down on the bladder and put bigger demands on the just-recovered sphincter. You will find it soon gets tired and start to leak! Start by doing a little and then working up as you improve; aiming for a full round of golf or an afternoon digging straight away would be very dispiriting.

The alcohol in beer - like caffeine - is a diuretic, and increases urine flow. Again putting more demand on the sphincter. Early on you will only be able to have a little alcohol before it becomes a problem, but then more and more with time as long as your recognise your post-prostatectomy body has a limit. I ended up fine with a certain amount of drink (say, 3 pints of beer, or a bit more than half a bottle of wine) and indeed am sitting at home with a beer as I write this. But you can still run into problems - as Francij relates parties are risky situations where you easily lose count of drinks, tend to be standing and possibly dancing which involve abdominal pressure in the way sitting (which is what I am doing now) doesn't, and lead to you leaking. Once you start to leak you will continue, it takes time for your sphincter to strengthen up again.

Good luck! You are not alone, you are starting on something which many of us here have been through and been able to deal with in our lives. If you have questions, just ask.

User
Posted 02 Oct 2022 at 22:12

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

I wonder if I can get a refund on my reamining membership fees? 😬 

A good club treasurer will, probably ask if you've considered leaving a legacy to the club in your will.

Dave

User
Posted 02 Oct 2022 at 22:17

I think the medics are right.  I've looked at (a little of) the evidence and it seems incontrovertible that alcohol affects the immune system and hence the healing process.  However I believe we are exposed to risks in all aspects of our lives and I'll be willing to examine the potential downsides of the odd pint once the major phase of the wound healing is complete.

Ken   

 

User
Posted 02 Oct 2022 at 22:20

Its great to see that the surgery does not diminish the sense of humour.  Good on you and may you have many repeats once you have learned to control the leaks.

Ken

 

User
Posted 03 Oct 2022 at 07:44

Proken, you can buy an electric rotavator for around £70, it takes the backache out of digging. The instructions probably say do not use machinery after drinking alcohol.

Thanks Chris 

 

User
Posted 06 Oct 2022 at 16:36
Hi. I'm two and a half years post-op. After 6 months I could get on a bike and not long after that into a squash court. A friend recovered considerably more quickly. A pint or two isn't a problem for me, but if I do it too many days in a row a can get a bit leaky (just the odd dribble) and that'll happen for 2-3 days. Caffeinated coffee does the same. So I've found I can do 'the old things', but not constantly. Hope you recover well!
User
Posted 23 Oct 2022 at 11:50
Hi - it’s been 4 years since operated on and everything is fantastic. Prior to my surgery my urologist advised me to develop my core muscles, and lots of legal muscle exercises. I spent a lot of time in the gym. After surgery I was so careful for the first 6 weeks. Gentle walking was the order of the day. Then I built up. Recovery is not a race and no medals given out. At the 3 month mark after all clear from the doc I started more regular and aggressive exercise but under the scrutiny of the doctors. 4 years in I have no incontinence, I just completed a 14k run in 77 minutes my sex life is good. I’m 65. I had grade 3 with Gleason 9. As I said be patient it does come good….
User
Posted 23 Oct 2022 at 21:19

Wishing you the best Ken. As others have said everyone is different. My hubby (67 at the time) had prostatectomy at end of March. No real issues and his recovery has surpassed our expectations. The wound in the middle was the most troublesome and took quite a time to heal. Back to golf at 8 weeks (9 holes) and increased from there. Switched to decaf tea as caffeine can irritate the bladder. Enjoys a beer and a red wine (not pints as he doesn’t want the volume). Do as the professionals say and you won’t go far wrong. Listen to your body. Wishing you well. 

 
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