Robotic laproscopic surgery with the Davinci robot

Hello,


I'm brand new to this forum, but wanted to share with newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients that I had a great expereince in my own case with robotic laproscopic surgery. I was diagnosed in early Sept. 2010; my PSA was 6.2. My biopsy showed a Gleason score of 6, and detected cancer in less than 5% of the tissue in one of 12 samples. I just turned 48 years old. I'm a runner and in reasonably fit shape. The radiologist, who would have used a machine beaming radiation for 9 weeks, 5 days a week, was very helpful and her answers as to why I would consider radiation instead of surgery in the end helped me to see that in my case the surgery was the best option.



I had the surgery, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxl, just a bit over 6 weeks ago, in early December 2010. I chose xxxxxxxxxxxi because I was treated very well in his office, wasn't made to wait, and was impressed with his team approach and his confident yet caring manner. Also he was highly recommended. In contrast at my visit with xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. I just had my 6 week visit and am still awaiting my PSA results, but it turned out my cancer affected 65% of the prostate, was surrounded by at least 3 mm of healthy tissue, and hadn't broken out or spread to the lymph nodes. I am very glad I had the prostate out before the cancer had spread!



Like any prostate patient going in I guess, I had concerns about continence and erectile function after the surgery, especially since I was suffering no symptoms whatsoever before the surgery and felt good. I'm happy to say that I've had very few issues with incontinence, mostly just leaking a drop sometimes when I cough or sneeze. I haven't had to use pads for 2 weeks now, and even when I used them it was really just an insurance measure--I never really leaked even from the beginning. As for erectile function, I got an erection a couple days after the surgery even when the catheter was still in! ( I hated the catheter by the way--but only had to have it for one week, thankfully). Less than 5 weeks after surgery my wife and I made love and it went great! No problems "keeping it up." I have been able to repeatedly achieve an erection that is basically as good as before the surgery, and it has gotten better and better over the past few weeks so I'm hopeful that it will get even better. My orgasms have been good--again, almost as good as pre-surgery. So I'm looking forward to a normal sex life with my beautiful wife.



All in all, I feel terrific. Went back to work about 3.5 weeks after the surgery. I'm a HS teacher and thus need a lot of energy. I have felt tremendous, energetic, and my abdomen feels almost completely healed. I go on my first run today, and I'm looking forward to it! So, I'd urge anyone out there deciding about how to proceed after a PC diagnosis to strongly consider robotic laproscopic surgery. I am confident based on my pathology that I am very lucky to have made this choice, and to have made it early enough. I realize I'm awaiting my PSA results for next week, but I'm feeling good that those will come back fine. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

post edited to remove 'spam' references by a first time poster

Post Edited By Moderator (James C.) : 1/25/2011 8:09:55 AM (GMT-7)

Welcome and thanks for sharing your story with us. I hope your continue to have an uneventful , even successful recovery.

Welcome, that is a heck of a sucess story so far, hope the rest of your recovery goes as well. We love hearing good results too like yours

david in sc

I'm certainly not accusing xxxxxx...maybe it's Chicken Bob or another split personality. It's just a pattern...first time/single time posters who hail xxxxxxxx


Tudpock (Jim)

Post Edited By Moderator (James C.) : 1/25/2011 8:12:22 AM (GMT-7)

xxxxxxx should put you on his payroll !! This result shows you why surgery is still "The Gold Standard"..

One should mention, there is a BIG difference between age 48 and 68, between Gleason 6 @5% and Gleason 9 at 30%...

Glad you had such a spectacular outcome!

Post Edited By Moderator (James C.) : 1/25/2011 8:13:48 AM (GMT-7)

I think that this forum is naturally biased toward those folks who have had bad/disasters in large part. The ones, like me, who have had good results tend to read more than write messages. I am 18 months post op from a RALRP by some doc none of you will know but who 1) knew what he was doing and 2) had a patient upon who the gods smiled. Of course, I realize that I had something done to me, but I am awfully glad of it.

Believe me, all the ivory tower docs still put their pants on one leg at a time. Skill and good fortune go hand in hand. The little demi-gods are soon found out.

Hey, I hope you are right. Personally, the only other account that I have seen that is similar to the one posted here was by former Steeler Robin Cole. It is on the web page of a doctor in Florida whose name I don't remember.

Nice advertisement, if what you say is 100% true, you are still in a pretty elite club. Most men, whether it be robotic surgery likes your in the hands of an experienced surgeon, or those of us that had open surgery with very experienced surgeons don't usually get the blindingly great news you got instantly with issues of ED and incontinence.

Glad it worked out that way for you, there's enought suffering around here for everybody as it is. So nice to read a picture pefect story.

I wonder if xxxxxxxxx has data on all his patients since his has perfomed robotics? It would be an interesting read to see if you wee a shining exception, or a rule to his outcomes.

Good luck to you.

David in SC

Post Edited By Moderator (James C.) : 1/25/2011 8:16:14 AM (GMT-7)

Watch the video of a Davinci surgery.. it's out there. They really dont know what they got till they get in there, and even then they really dont know until pathology margin and Gleason stuff. They cant see the microscopic pca cells that may have escaped.

Then they have to figure your age, nerve sparing considerations are likely different if you're 75 than if your 45.

Nobody going to tell me that there are 1-2 guys that have some magic power and all the other upper level uros are just not as good. I dont go for it. THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE IN THERE. It scraping and cutting gunk.

If you have a caring, experienced uro working out of a respected medical institution, with good equipment and quality, then I would wager that 99% of the time your result will have more to do with YOU, YOUR heath, and stage and nature of YOUR CANCER than if you had the 1-2 "leading" experts doing the surgery. That's what I think.

Once you've done 500-1000+ of them, there shouldn't be too many surprises or extraordinary moves one doctor could make but all the rest couldn't.

"And while xxxxxxxx encouraged me to post on this forum" That would surprise me if true. Unless he said to generally feel free sharing your experience and seeking support.

Post Edited By Moderator (James C.) : 1/25/2011 8:16:48 AM (GMT-7)

Sayler, I'm glad to see you had such a great outcome. That's news we all like to here.



I did not have xxxxxxxxx as my surgeon. I had a uro/surgeon who has done fewer than 5 dozen procedures, but in most respects my results are just as good as yours, except for the erection thing. That may have something to do with the fact that only my right nerve bundle was spared, and that I'm 18 years older than you are.



I think it's still in my signature that I returned to 18 holes of golf at less than 4 weeks post surgery. Continence was a hundred percent at two months. So I guess you don't need a xxxxxxxxxx to achieve those results. I think it's a combination of surgical skill, patient physiology, and luck. I would llke to believe that all surgeons have their success stories to go along with their stories of outcomes not quite so wonderful.



I also recall seeing a lecture by the country's most famous expert on ED/prostate issues who, if I recall correctly, cautioned that the ability to have erections early on after surgery often disappears after a month or so, and then the ED issues that so many of us deal with come into play. I hope that doesn't happen in your case, but it's a possibility you should be aware of.



In any case, I'm sure it's encouraging to men awaiting surgery to see that it is sometimes, maybe even most of the time, well tolerated, and that recovery can come quickly. Good luck for continued progress and healing.

Post Edited By Moderator (James C.) : 1/25/2011 8:18:00 AM (GMT-7)