feeling poorly after robotic surgery

Loves Dave,
Sorry he and you have to go thru that. Regardless of the Tx, it doesnt always go well and my surgery was a good example of that. Hopefully it will subside soon and I guess it is good that they have found no major problems. Let him sleep as that is one way to deal with it. Keep us posted and take care of yourself as well.
Michael

LovesDave,
Welcome. I'm sorry you have to be here, and that things have not gone well.

I did not have those sorts of drain problems, but I did have to talk to my GP and verify/modify my BP meds several times over the course of getting ready for DaVinci and then the surgery, and still take my BP every day. I would strongly suggest keeping the family doctor in the conversation as well. I stay in touch with mine through their nursing service with updates on my IGRT.

I will say that having the catheter in makes us grouchy and eliminates a lot of the desire to walk. I had to really force myself, and the irritation of the catheter along with some urinary tract infections basically kept me from getting enough walking in. But you have to keep trying. Walking helps the healing in general, and I believe it was a big factor in getting my incontinence under some control (there is also a mental factor - worrying about what is going to happen when they take out the catheter).

Be sure his diet is kept up and that he is eating as he should - getting back to my usual foods was a big help.

If you have questions, please come back and ask.

Hi there LovesDave and welcome to the site....What kind of numbers did your hubby have like Gleason score, PSA numbers, Nerves spared? margins clear, other asociated lymph nodes and ducts clear? Takes a little time but things will get better. Catheter issues? Penile or Pubic?

I'm 74 years old, enlarged prostate for many years (106 grams). I take benicar for slightly elevated BP and my BP dropped during my four hour surgery plus the next morning so the surgeon had me skip two doses. My surgery was at Henry Ford Vatikutti institute 2/10/10. The penile catheter came out the following day before I went home and the pubic catheter came out ten days later (more time was required for the bladder / urethra to heal since the prostate had been so large). When the pubic catheter was removed my bladder went into spasm...Really painful! They gave me a belladonna / opium suppository and it took about 15 minutes or more for the pain to go away. No pads night time around a month later and zero pads a couple of months out. First PSA five weeks out was undetectable with the next one coming up in June...
Almost forgot...Four hours upside down and full of gas I had a rough time getting my digestive tract and colon working right..

Hang in there and even though there isn't a huge scar to show for what he's been through it was major surgery. No lifting, pushing anything over 20 pounds for six weeks!

Sorry that you are seeking advice here but welcome. He did go through major surgery and we react and heal differently. You have to listen to your body it will tell what to do and not do. Hope he feels better soon.

Neal

Hope things turn to the up swing real soon. We all heal at different rates. Some have lingering side effects much longer than others. You may want to call the Dr. office. Do keep us informed.

Cajun Jeff

Hi Loves Dave

I hope things are improving as I write.

The fact that the robot just leaves you with small scars on the outside can almost trick you into forgetting that your insides have been messed around a great deal. It has been major surgery and the body has to use a lot of energy and time to recover.

I agree with the advise about: taking things slowly, drinking plenty, eating healthily and walking (short regular walks) and not too much sitting still.

Also as far as sleep goes I adjusted my mind to thinking about how much sleep I was getting per 24 hours rather than how much I was getting in one go at night. An afternoon nap was thus a great help. Sleeping with the catheter in is not easy. And I'm sure things will get better faster once the catheter is out.

Best wishes
Alfred

I want to explore the UTI when we go in to see the doctor tomorrow and have the catheter removed. They did a urine test in the ER a week ago when we went in for the extreme burning in the drain area so I assume they checked for that but it could have developed since then. He is not improving at all. The low blood pressure all of a sudden was concerning also but his primary doctor finally agreed to take him off one of two high BP meds and see if it comes up. He has lost 15 pounds since surgery and had lost 20 before surgery (on purpose) so perhaps that has affected his BP. He is very uncomfortable sitting and complains that is right butt area feels bruised. His doctor did say his prostate was very large when he romoved it robotically. The pathology report was good though, very tiny tumor with nothing surrounding it. He is still having dizziness and nausea issues as well as extreme low energy. He is also borderline diabetic, controlled with diet only. I would feel reassured knowing there were others that had this kind of recovery but unfortunatley everyone we know who has gone through it has bounced back after about the first week and one of those had the open surgery.