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Radical prostatectomy side effects

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User
Posted 01 Sep 2026 at 19:24

Hello members, I'm new to the forum.


Recently diagnosed with T3A, Gleason score of 3+3.


Seen surgeon today regarding radical prostatectomy also got an Oncology appointment to discuss other treatments. 


Can anyone share their side effects after surgery. My main concern is the incontinence & how long it's likely to last. 


 


 

User
Posted 02 Sep 2026 at 03:01

Hi, JP.


I'm sorry that you've joined 'The Prostate Cancer Club' , but welcome to the forum. You'll get plenty of help and support here.


Here's an excellent video on various treatments options including surgery, and their possible side effects.


https://youtu.be/zYTU94-8pTc?si=xW83bOb0AVFQFD2l


Incontinence after RARP can vary enormously. A few, especially those who've had Retzius sparing or Complete Urtheral Peservation, can be in control of their bladder from catheter removal. A few unlucky ones can still be incontinent a year or more later.


Generally, after normal RARP,  about 30% will regain continence after 3 months, 60% by 6 months, and over 80% by a year.


Three years ago, I had non-nerve sparing RARP and regaind full continence 6/7 months after surgery. However, my ED side effects appear to have been permanent. I can no longer get natural erections, but can get an erection with penile injections. 


If you are considering surgery the outcomes are often better if you operated on by an experienced surgeon. 


Here's one such surgeon advising those thinking about having RARP.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fyYTLZpxnB9HaR7O4xQ5Ff58Pj4Cn6ZB/view


Whatever treatment you chose, I wish you well. Good luck, mate. 👍

User
Posted 03 Sep 2026 at 14:45
Hi

My reply is from the other side of the coin…unfortunately my husband was one of the unlucky few who never regained continence (after his RARP in January 2024); he was wearing level 3 incontinence pants and pads since then. We recently went privately for him to have a surgical procedure called ATOMS (we felt it was a better option than the NHS standard fitting of an AUS). That was 5 weeks ago, recovery has been slow but his incontinence level is now only 10% of what it was and when he has his final ‘tweak’ of the device in clinic next week, we expect total continence!

Remember he was one of the unlucky 5-10% of men, but even so, it can happen …but there are solutions!
We are still battling with the ED issue…made more difficult because of the incontinence…but we will be able to move forward in finding a solution now. The main thing to say is Steve remains cancer free and given everything we know now and the side effects, he feels he made the right decision for surgery!
User
Posted 04 Sep 2026 at 15:00

Anyone still dealing eith extreme tiredness some 9mths after nerve sparing radical prostatectomy 

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User
Posted 02 Sep 2026 at 03:01

Hi, JP.


I'm sorry that you've joined 'The Prostate Cancer Club' , but welcome to the forum. You'll get plenty of help and support here.


Here's an excellent video on various treatments options including surgery, and their possible side effects.


https://youtu.be/zYTU94-8pTc?si=xW83bOb0AVFQFD2l


Incontinence after RARP can vary enormously. A few, especially those who've had Retzius sparing or Complete Urtheral Peservation, can be in control of their bladder from catheter removal. A few unlucky ones can still be incontinent a year or more later.


Generally, after normal RARP,  about 30% will regain continence after 3 months, 60% by 6 months, and over 80% by a year.


Three years ago, I had non-nerve sparing RARP and regaind full continence 6/7 months after surgery. However, my ED side effects appear to have been permanent. I can no longer get natural erections, but can get an erection with penile injections. 


If you are considering surgery the outcomes are often better if you operated on by an experienced surgeon. 


Here's one such surgeon advising those thinking about having RARP.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fyYTLZpxnB9HaR7O4xQ5Ff58Pj4Cn6ZB/view


Whatever treatment you chose, I wish you well. Good luck, mate. 👍

User
Posted 02 Sep 2026 at 11:19
Read my profile if you like, I had exactly the same diagnosis 11 years ago.

User
Posted 02 Sep 2026 at 20:14

RP seems to have variable post operative outcomes. You really need to discuss with the surgeon. My surgeon was very confident that I would regain continence quickly but made no such promises as to how much of the nerves he could spare. Took 2 years to regain my partial erections.

User
Posted 03 Sep 2026 at 14:23
Hi John Paul,

I had the operation in June 2024 and was incontinent till December 2024. It was bad incontinence from June to September and a few times it did overcome the pads provided by the NHS. This always was after a long time sitting and especially after driving for more than 20 minutes. From September onwards the pads were less and less needed.

Watch out for possible water infections. I had two infections in July and September after the op. To spot it you will be going through 4 or more pads a night and you will feel mentally messed up. The good news is your GP can treat this with antibiotics and it improves very quickly in about a day, but complete the course of pills which lasts two weeks.

Please do read any booklets you have been given and study the other side effects of the operation as they are in many ways worse than the incontinence.

Do I regret the operation? NO, not at all. I am glad I had it and thanks to the whole experience, including having cognitive behaviour therapy five months after the operation, I am living each day and making them as wonderful as possible. You will need to choose between being scarred by the experience or by using it to motivate yourself to get as much joy as you can from each day. I so recommend seeking the joy.

Whatever your treatment, I so hope you have the best possible recovery. If you want to read more about me then click on my name and you can read my profile.
User
Posted 03 Sep 2026 at 14:45
Hi

My reply is from the other side of the coin…unfortunately my husband was one of the unlucky few who never regained continence (after his RARP in January 2024); he was wearing level 3 incontinence pants and pads since then. We recently went privately for him to have a surgical procedure called ATOMS (we felt it was a better option than the NHS standard fitting of an AUS). That was 5 weeks ago, recovery has been slow but his incontinence level is now only 10% of what it was and when he has his final ‘tweak’ of the device in clinic next week, we expect total continence!

Remember he was one of the unlucky 5-10% of men, but even so, it can happen …but there are solutions!
We are still battling with the ED issue…made more difficult because of the incontinence…but we will be able to move forward in finding a solution now. The main thing to say is Steve remains cancer free and given everything we know now and the side effects, he feels he made the right decision for surgery!
User
Posted 03 Sep 2026 at 21:41

Hi John


I’m sorry to hear of your diagnosis but hope we can all support you on this journey. 


I had RALP in December 2024 and although it has taken a while I feel like I’ve almost made a good recovery now. I was incontinent post op and it took about a year to regain full control, I did carry on wearing pads for a couple more months just in case. I also had some additional physio with the local community team to help with this. I have also suffered with a urethral stricture and am still self catheterising every few days but have got used to doing this. The percentage of people that suffer with this is fairly low. 

My surgery was nerve sparing and so I have been lucky enough to regain erections, I’m still taking Tadalfil to aid this. 


The key thing is to listen to your body post op, some people recovery quicker than others. Take your time and do things as you feel. It took a while to get back up to speed but after a few months I was out running and swimming again. 


I wish you all the best, let us know how things go for you. 
Jamie 

Edited by member 06 Sep 2026 at 10:41  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 04 Sep 2026 at 15:00

Anyone still dealing eith extreme tiredness some 9mths after nerve sparing radical prostatectomy 

User
Posted 04 Sep 2026 at 16:20
Hi BobS007,

I had extreme tiredness for about 12 to 18 months after my operation. I went back to my GP at 9 months and had a series of tests which only resulted in me being more tired. The tests found nothing.

I so hope your tiredness lifts soon. Everyone recovers at their own pace so don't think your going to take 18 months, but just be kind to your body and it will get there!
User
Posted 13 Sep 2026 at 22:12

Hi Bob,


I found recovery harder than expected and abdominal wall pain still persists more than 18 months later, though to a much lesser degree where the puncture wounds they made to gain access are. 


I am still trying to reduce the post pregnancy belly, diastasis recti, that the inflation of the abdomen can cause which was not mentioned pre op along with several other things which ought to be mentioned in the consent process.


I am on statins and a routine blood test found I was low on Vitamin D this year which is actually caused by statins (no one mentions this either along with they can push you into diabetes) I started taking Vit D and Vit K which need to be taken together and started to improve. Annoyingly there is some evidence that lack of vitamin D can be associated with developing cancer in the first place as it reduces white cell counts and may have other effects too.


Al


 

 
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