Need advice for operating room and recovery

I'm a fairly calm guy so its hard to tell you how to deal with the "nerves" issue before surgey...Expect maybe you can think about being taken care of by highly skilled/trained professionals.

The first day or two after surgery will be the worst of course and It'll start getting better with each day after...

The biggest issue I had with the whole deal was not knowing about the OVERWHELMING Urge feeling of wanting to go pee-pee   The morphine while in the hospital and the anti spasam meds will help with this urge feeling.

You're "new anatomy" will be more like the lack there of anatomy. Not much to get used to except the catheter...Had mine in for five weeks and it didn't really bother me that much.

Good luck to you.

Bill -

The best advice I can give you is that the hard part is already over.  Nothing that will happen over the next several weeks will compare to being told that you have cancer.  The future won't be a cake walk, but it won't be that difficult either.  If you keep things in their proper perspective there is no need to be anxious about anything.

The people in the o.r. are all professionals and have done their job many times before you.  If you get really wound up before the operation they will give you medicine to help you stay calm.  When I get nervous I focus on my breathing, making sure that my exhale is longer than my inhale.  As far as the pain goes, I would not worry about it at all.  With the medicine they give, you won't feel a thing.  They even gave me medicine to take home and I didn't use it all.  The catheter wasn't that big a deal, it just took a little getting used to.  After a couple of days with my catheter I started liking the idea of not having to take a leak as often as I used to.  One thing that suprised me was my recovery time.  There is a lot of talk about quick recoveries and I think it is misleading.  I took about a month before I started too feel normal again, but everybody is different.  When you get home from the hospital, try to walk as much as possible without over doing it.

My cancer journey has had a positive effect on my life.  I appreciate and enjoy life much more. 

Stay in touch.

- John

hey there  bill , navys got it pretty right , you will hear alot of negative stories before and needlessly,NO ONE is more worrisome than i . i . have a type a prersonality and before this had never had a surgery of  any kind, I WAS TERREIFIED and you know what ? it was nothing like i had thought , it was uncomfortable , but far  from un bearable.you will feel the need to go pee for a couple of daysand alot of guys whined about the cath ,for me BULLcrap wasnt bad at all, you get used to it quick,same thing with cath removal you dont hardley feel it , it does feel weird tho.same with  the j.p. drain , the only  thing i dissaggree with navy about (AND IM CERTAIN THIS BECAUSE EVERYONE HEALS DIFFRENT LY  HOWEVER WE ARE VERY CLOSE IN AGE) is the recovery

it was pretty quick , you do have to walk and take it easy to a degree tho, i went back to work at 3 weeks and back on my bike at 6 by 10 i was dry the only thing that really hung on was the perrenial discomfort it lasted about 6 weeks ti wasnt pain ful  just un comfy think about it .this is major surgery and you up and about in 3-4 weeks thats fast pal i wish you luck my brother one more thing, the out comes you have and the rate you heal in my opinion IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE SKILL OF THE SURGEON and your physical health there is a huge diffrence in the skill of docs ive come to find out  with the resarch ive done, get the best  you got 1 shot , i did and am thrilled with my choice of treatment....................dirt

Billsd,

 I was worried but found out it's not that bad at all! The worst for me was the wonderful Fleet treatment the night before, then they also gave me a enema with some sort of antibiotic that I had to hold for 30 long min., but the "sweet" Nurse told me she had warmed it up for me! They wheeled me into the operating room and I helped move me onto the operating table, with the robot above me and then it was lights out! I don't remember much about the recovery room, and was awake when I got back to my room, no real pain, just sore like you did 10,000 sit-ups. I walked out less than 24 hours after the operation, and had no problems walking up steps. Just take it slow and easy, and watch the hanging tube so it does not catch on anything! Soon you will join us on the other side!

Beachbum

Bill,
I wish you the very best this week. I know you'll do fine. We'll see you on the "other side". My experience was completely normal. All went well surgically. I recommend light walking, increasing it daily. But don't strain too much while you have that catheter hanging around.

Tony

Dale,

Thnaks for the follow up. It is open retropubic rdical prostatectomy (hope I got that right). It is non-lap and non-robotic, becuase of the concern I might not have a clear margin. Other than that, I think things look good.

Here is my story:

------------------------------------------------

April 2008 (Age 59 at diagnosis, discovered in UTI treatment)
Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test:
PSA 4.4
DRE palpable tumor
May 15, 2008 – Biopsy
Pathology: 10 of 15 cores had cancer.
Right lobe (2 of 5 cores 40%) Gleason 3+3
Left lobe (3 of 5 cores 10%) Gleason 3+3
Right lesion (5 of 5 cores 100%) Gleason 3+3
Right base lesion (100%) Gleason 3+3
Right seminal vesical (ambiguous results - possible nerve involvement "lesion too small for grading")
Composite Gleason score 3+3=6
Bone scan and pelvic/abdomen CT show no visible metastasis
Began weight loss program (lost 28 pounds so far between diagnosis and surgery)
June 15, 2008 – Began two months hormone therapy (Casodex 50 mg)
July 1, 2008 – Trelstar HT shot (3 month dose)
July 11, 2008 – EKG, OK
July 16, 2008 – Echo-cardiogram, OK
Aug 25, 2008 – Donated first unit of my own plasma for surgery
Sept 3, 2008 – Stress test OK, and donated second unit of plasma
Sept 5, 2008 – Pre-op visits with Urologist and GP,
Sept 10, 2008 - Hospital Pre-Op Visit, chest X-ray, EKG
Sept 15, 2008 – open Radical Prostatectomy (Non-laproscopic, non-robotic)

Thanks,

Billl in San Diego

Bill,

The anticipation is the worst part. I can only tell you how my Pre-Op experience was up to a point. The staff was fantastic and they really do make you feel at ease. I was fascinated by the process and I was asking all kinds of questions. Before they wheeled me into the O.R. the last question I remember asking was "Now what is this shot for?" and being told "In 20 seconds you're not going to remember a thing that happens". I was still awake, my wife walked with us as far as she could and said I was still asking questions and the attendant turned to her and said he's not going to remember any of this. Sure enough I don't.

I had the retro-pubic and had very little pain during recovery. Having a bowel movement while the catheter was still in caused a little discomfort and the staples were itchy after a while but for the most part it was uneventful.

Bill, I'm sure you'll do fine.

Ken

Hi Bill,

If you want, you can cut and paste the link below into your signature, and your site will show after every post you do.

Bill's Journal

God Bless!

Tony

 

Concentrate on the fact that many have gone before you very successfully. The people dealing with your case know exactly what they are doing. Also, just the idea of getting it overwith was strongly on my mind - I was anxious! The last thing I remember was that I was talking with one of the nurses and then woke-up wondering when they were going to operate, and it was over. You will be amazed at how easy it goes!


Age 61
Original data - pre-operation
PSA: 5.1
T1C clinical diagnosis, Needle biopsy - 10 cores, Gleason 7 = 3+4 in 1 core (40%), 7 cores Gleason 6 = 3+3 ranging from 5% to 12%
All scans negative
Lupron administered 4/9/2008 for 4 months (with idea I would undergo external beam radiation followed by seed implants - then I changed my mind).
Robotic DiVinci surgery - Dr. Fagin (Austin) May 19th
Post operative - pathology
pT2c NX MX
Gleason 3+4
Margins - negative
Extraprostatic extension - negative
seminal vesicle invasion - uninvolved
1st Post PSA .04

Bill,

I read your post a few minutes after I got the results of my 5 month PSA: >.01 (non-detectable).

I had robotic surgery, so I'm sure my recovery will be a little different from yours. I can hit the highlights for you, from own experience.

I was not nervous going into surgery. I wanted the cancer out of me. They gave me something before I went into the operating room and I don't remember anything after I was rolled in. My doctor told me later the stuff they gave me erases your memory, so I was awake and talking when they rolled me in, I just don't remember it.

I was quite surprised when I woke up regarding a number of things: I wasn't in a lot of pain (they gave me good drugs) and the catheter didn't hurt (maybe good drugs again). I was also surprised by the blood in my urine (in the bag at the foot of my bed) and the blood in the little drain thing they had in my stomach.

The hardest thing for me in the hospital was to pass gas and have a bowel movement. For some reason they want you to do that because they won't send you home if you don't (at least that's what they told me). I sort of passed gas and lied about having a bowel movement so I could go home after two nights in the hospital (they kept me until I did -- or said I did).

When I got home, I wasn't all that uncomfortable. I actually enjoyed having the catheter so I could pee and completely empty my bladder, which I hadn't been able to do prior (enlarged prostate). I also enjoyed sleeping through the night without having to get up once or twice to go.

The catheter kept moving around where it entered my urinary tract (if you get my drift) so I finally ended up using surgical tape to tape it even more than where it was on the belt around my leg. That kept it from moving and I felt a lot better. I put Neosporin on the part that moved in and out, according to my doctor's instructions.

The very hardest thing for me was having a bowel movement. My doctor had me on stool softeners and suppositories and that combination was the only thing that produced the desired effect for almost two weeks.

To tell you the truth, I was most worried about a clot breaking loose from my leg after surgery and was very aware of the warning signs. I thought it happened and I called 911 and was rushed to the hospital. It turned out to be my hiatal hernia that was soo painful I had chest pains (it mimics a heart attack).

I had the catheter in for two weeks because the doctor had to cut more of my bladder out than he expected, because my prostate had grown so large and pushed against the bladder and he want to make sure he had clear margins (which he did). When it came out, I had no control and went through four or five pads in a day.

Practice your kegals before and after the operation. It's the only way you can learn to control your bladder. I had been practicing for several months before I went into the operating room. As a result, I think, I was able to cut down on the pads. It was a relief when I finally didn't have to change a pad at work.

Speaking of work, I tried to work from home full time a week after the operation and that was too much. I ended up working part-time for three weeks, I think before I went to full time and went back to office in 5 weeks.

Make sure you buy pads and have them at home when you come home from the hospital. I bought mine over the internet by the case, so I had plenty. I wear boxers and the pads don't work well with them so I also bought some mesh briefs that hug my body and keep the pads nice and snug against me. I was very self conscious about changing them and wearing them for about a month and then had to go to an awards banquet in a suit and worried the whole way though. I didn't leak and that gave me a tremendous boost of confidence.

Now, I wear a pad during the day and nothing at night. I hardly leak at all during the day now. about four days ago I just started sleeping through the whole night, without having to get up to empty my bladder. I learned a lot from my "penis coach" -- the bio-feedback coach who helped me learn to control the muscles to control my urination.

Recently, I resumed strenuous physical exercise in a sport I do and that gave me confidence as well.

Those first few months are tough, but not as hard as I thought they'd be.

Good luck with your surgery.

Though I probably have not posted responses to more than a couple of forum discussions I do read everything and I don't think I'm alone in "lurking" here.  My prostate removal surgery is scheduled for 12 Noon (CDT) today at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and I'm surprisingly calm - due, probably, to all of the excellent first-person reporting provided here.  The surgery will be via the da Vinci method. Thanks to everyone who contrilbutes.

Just to clarify something I said in my previous post (7th graph). I taped the catheter tube to my leg -- not my penis. I didn't want to give people the wrong impression cause that would really hurt taking the tape off. The Foley catheter I had went to a Velcro thing that held it on my thigh but above that, the tube was "free" to move around as I walked and I found that uncomfortable as it moved in and out slightly. That's why I taped it so it would stay in one place. I said "surgical tape" but it was actually some hospital tape they gave me that was more like scotch tape but wider and kind of milky looking.