New member ; from diagnoses to post op. - from diagnoses to post op thoughts

Second Post for those about to have op:  Thanks for your reply Hilary where are you in the process ? Yes had catheter out day before yesterday. Not sure what I expected but it was a bit of a shock when after the process and bladder scan had happened and I was walking out of the hospital I realized I was peeing myself with no control and whilst I was wearing a hefty pad it's a feeling that takes some getting used to if you are at this stage. Two days later and I'm starting to get the hang of living with it doing pelvic floor exercises like mad . I've found that when you've finished peeing in the toilet it's a very good time to do the exercises  because you it helps clear the bladder and any dribbles the exercise produces go down the loo.

Bit more about the op. There is an option for the consultants to choose pain relief that you'll receive and its something worth talking about pre op  I think ; anyway I woke up hooked up to something called a morphine pump and during the following twelve hours I remember very little except the feeling that I felt so good that I would probably be up and about the next day, make the most of it ! A nurse I know said before I went in that the process of recovery from a serious op is always very up and down and she was correct. I found that in the days immediately  following I could feel very good one hour and really grotty the next .I would say, don't feel you can fight it but go with the flow and definitely ask for help from nurses at every turn ;its the way to make some progress through those days.

I'm now two weeks and two days post op and every day feel a bit more comfortable , being able to get up from a chair with the minimum of discomfort is remarkably satisfying though personally I find that my underneath bits are still quite swollen and achy so this is he end of this post . 

Will post some more bout pre op choices and process next time.

micknick

IA bit more re pre op stuff for those at the post diagnoses point.There seemed to be 4 treatment alternatives ; open surgery , laprascopic surgery , robotic surgery or radio therapy with hormone therapy pre the treatment . There is a enormous amount on line including the American stuff which you can't help feeling is more about encouraging their customers to come to them rather than giving objective information. What there is not is information about the consultants and their approach and success rates. The only alternative is to get to talk to them and that proved a long drawn out process which was why I paid to see one in the end though shortly afterwards I got appointments with a local surgeon and consultant radiologist . There is no alternative when seeing them but to ask them point blank to describe their success and failure rate , why it occurs and what their thinking is. Its an unfamiliar attitude to take to a doctor but they all responded positively and I think it's right to do it and gives you some confidence.There seems a laid back attitude towards someone who has a low level of result echoing my Gp's comment that most men die with this condition but comparatively few die from it . This I think means you have to push if you feel you want to geton sort this out otherwise it will just drift .I've spoken to someone who drifted for over a year so its worth while being aware of this ; depending how you personaly feel about it. I think thats about enough for one post. will continue in post 4.

Hope some of this is useful. Micknick