how soon can one return to work?

I know that each person has a unique situation and story, but if I get 10 responses, then I can weigh them all and hopefully figure this out.

How soon after a robotic prostatectomy can a guy return to a corporate type job? How soon can one drive a stick shift?

I'd love to hear "a week or so", but I suspect that is entirely too optimistic.

Thanks,
Dave

had open also, and wasn't even allowed to drive for 30 days, let alone work

You can't drive until the catheter is removed, that's for sure. After that, it's just a matter of how you feel. The stick shift shouldn't pose a problem.

I've known guys who've gone back to work to desk jobs after a couple of weeks, but that also depends on how the continence issue is working out for you. I could have returned to my desk job certainly at the 3 week mark.

If you need someone to exercise the GTO while you're not driving, please let me know. :)

I had open surgery. The catheter was in 10 days (no driving, but plenty of walking) and I changed from Depends to light underwear liners for slight stress incontinence after 30 days. I returned to work (desk job) after a month.

As to when can you start driving - it depends. The doc will likely "advise" you not to drive for a certain time, and that will go in your file.

Considerations as pointed out by my surgeon:

- Can you handle an emergency swerve / brakes to the floor stop?

- You may be considered DUI if there is any narcotic pain killer in your system (my doc said there is enough residual in your blood for 12 hours to make you fail a blood test for my state). I was taking the meds as needed for a couple of weeks after surgery.

- If you had an accident, regardless of fault, and the "advice" in your file is found, you have potential liability issues.

I did not drive again until I was told that I could do so, and it was a challenge the first few trips out.

I had Davinci surgery, I was walking 3 miles after 1 wek. I'm retired but I could have gone back to my office job in 2 weeks.

For the first 10 days I was walking with my catherter and pee bucket. For at least a week after that the floods were so bad I wished for the catheter again. It took me that long to get my fluid intake and what little control I had left to be contained with diapers and pee pads.
For the next few weeks my most important job was to regulate my pee. Great.
At 3 months I was able to do a full on 2 hour presentation without having one person even guess there was an issue.

Jeff (Still leaking 120 ml per day at 15 months).

I had robotic on a Thursday. The catherter was out the following Thursday. I was driving that Friday and back to work on Tuesday. SO iwas out about 10 worki9ng days.

 

Depends on how much physical effort your job involves. (I would not have been able to do my old job working for British Railways which was very physical. Now I work at home and basically I resumed a fairly normal pattern from a day or two after I came out of hospital)

How you manage with incontinence/pads etc is a real unknown till you experience it first hand. One person will find sitting difficult another will find standing a third will find walking is the problem etc. (Someone mentioned how they had never imagined that one day they would be delivering a lecture while calmly peeing in their pants/pads at the same time.)

Another factor is how your body is after surgery - any complications or extended stay in hospital (eg infection) could mean you take (much) longer to recover.

Driving needs a medical okay to be on the safe side for insurance aspect etc.
Additional driving related issues are:
- check what meds you are on: you must not drive when taking assorted meds
- wearing a seat belt may be uncomfortable across abdomen;
- normal driving may be okay but emergency brake application for instance or excessive clutch use in slow moving traffic may be problem (Someone reported a few months back that they went for a test drive down their street and had a nasty discovery when they could not put enough pressure on the brakes to stop their car and had to be helped by a neighbor who sprang in to action!)
- Twisting round to look over your shoulder to reverse/park may also not be easy.
- Getting in and out of a car can be harder than you'd think too, you may also have to do it in a different way to stop it causing leaks as moving your legs wide apart to get out can can make things open up (sounds stupid but you may have to move with your knees together like a lady in a short skirt who doesn't want to flash)
- if you get a flat tyre/tire it if very likely that you will not be able to change it yourself till quite a while after surgery.

The availability of WCs may also be a factor, both at work and on the journey to and from work. Even if you are using pads you will still have to be able to go somewhere to change them and dispose of them. If you have an leak you may also need somewhere where you can change your clothes too.

The above makes it sound like life after surgery is nothing but a bunch of problems, but it isn't really and it's surprising how quickly you find yourself adapting to the new restrictions.

To finish I'll add a comment that may make people in the US gasp, but here in Holland I was told that regarding sick-pay no employer will/can object to you not being back at work after an RP until three months after surgery. (ie docs will still sign a note for at least 3 months)

Alf

Good morning Dave - What are you doing? - Would you like to play chess?
Hey did I type that or was it .......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good morning Dave - What are you doing? - Would you like to play chess?
Hey did I type that or was it .......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Someone finally got it!

I was thinking more of "ahhnold", and having the OR nurse list me as "John Connor" to see if the robot decides to "terminate" me.

Thank you everybody, your answers have been very helpful.

I was free to drive once the catheter was removed. I was back at work full time at four weeks but went in for a hour or three on some days once I could drive.