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Posted 4/3/2015 2:49 AM (GMT 0)
Well, I've done it. After much back and forth in my own mind and with several friends and relatives, I have opted to have my cancerous prostate removed. I was diagnosed in November 2014 and had been scheduled for a prostatectomy in mid February. I backed out as the date approached. A lot of my friends were saying you can cure cancer with diet. There is data out there to suggest tumors have been reduced by diet but in the end I felt it was just way too risky. And the surgery was my best option for a positive outcome. I'm 51 years old and I could not risk the cancer spreading into other parts of my body.

I've been watching and reading about all you guys here on this site and it has helped me to be better informed about this decision. Surgery was Monday, I'm hurting right now but healing as well. I'm taking all kinds of vitamins and things that promote healing. Looking to change my diet from here on out to prevent any other cancers from attacking my body. The surgeon did his job, now it's my turn to heal my body and getting it working the best it can without a prostate.

Banked some sperm last Monday, just in case I want to have any kids. I'm told I've got some good samples on ice as of right now, ready to go. If I do find the right woman to have kids with, I'll do it. I'm single right now and didn't want the fact that I couldn't have kids be a deal breaker on any long term relationship prospects in the future.

I'm planning on going back to work Monday, one week after surgery depending how I feel. I have a sit down at a computer screen editing television job. It's not heavy lifting so I think I can do it. However I'm ready to admit that I can't if I don't feel up to it come Monday and I'm sitting in that chair. I think it will help heal my mind if I stay mentally active. Although couching it a little bit on the oxycontin is really nice :-)

Thanks for this site guys, it's a great help to all us newbies. I think I gotta look up that posting about stuff to buy like pads, etc I'll be needing over the next few weeks and months.

Cheers
Posted 4/3/2015 3:03 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome to HW, sorry about needing to be here.


Sounds like you're doing fine so far. You might want to rethink the going to work on Monday. The energy drain will be huge and you really need to heal right now. Also you should be off the pain meds before getting back to work. You might want to consider doing a few half days at work to ease yourself back into it.

Hang in there and keep us updated on your progress,
Andrew
Posted 4/3/2015 3:22 AM (GMT 0)
Share your postop pathology if can, if no can, no can. no worries. You have a great attitude that will serve you well in life.
Posted 4/3/2015 12:53 PM (GMT 0)
I went back to work at 3 weeks, mostly because of cabin fever. It may have been too soon in some ways. At one week there is no way I could have done it. Week 1 was limited to walking from the chair to the kitchen and back, bucket in hand. Week 2 was about incision discomfort after the staples came out. Week 3 I was doing well on the treadmill.
Posted 4/3/2015 12:53 PM (GMT 0)
Hello dirtyodwyer

Welcome to the club of the ultimate vasectomy.

The prostate surrounds the urethra as to goes from the bladder to the penis. During surgery they cut the urethra, remove the prostate, and then re-attach the urethra to the bladder (yikes!). The catheter takes some pressure off this new joint for the first week, once it is out you are on your own. So no lifting, straining, sitting on hard surfaces (no bar stools or bicycles), car accidents, or big dogs on leashes, else you risk injuring this new joint which is really bad news.

Narcotics like Oxycontin keeps the constipation caused by surgery going so you want to get off them asap and keep popping the Colace or other stool softner they gave you, remember no, as in zero, straining down there. Explosive gas discharges are to be avoided also. I was on just Tylenol after day 3.

I went to work a half day after the catheter came out (day 8), had a 4 day Thanksgiving holiday and returned to work full time the following Monday (day 13) and was fine. I took a cushion from home to put on my padded office chair and found it helpful to get up for a short walk fairly often. I made it clear that if I started feeling tired or pain started to become a problem I would have to leave. I never did.

There are many stories like mine but we are all different. Some guys end up back in the hospital for a week or more due to various things that can go wrong. Take it easy and a day at a time, if you are not comfortable stay home or go home and rest.
Posted 4/3/2015 4:40 PM (GMT 0)
..I took very good care of myself for many years eating a lot of vegetarian food on the Mediterranean diet and taking supplements while working out. I was let down to know that I had cancer so young, so I dug deep to find out the answers to my questions and I realized that genetics is stronger than anything else, predisposed genetics. You did the right thing by handling it.
..By the way I can go for a double shot of OxyContin chased w/ some Grey Goose vodka right now.. Have a great weekend & A Happy Easter..

..Nick..
Posted 4/3/2015 5:03 PM (GMT 0)
I'm sure with billions in the bank Steve gave it a good shot. It's true pancreatic cancer is more aggressive than PC. Many of the "scientifically proven medical treatments" are derived from tree bark etc. They were subjected to controlled testing to proven their utility and understand their side effects. Somehow this makes them evil.

From the UK Telegraph:
"Steve Jobs died regretting that he had spent so long attempting to treat his cancer with alternative medicine before agreeing to undergo surgery, his biographer has disclosed."

The Apple chief executive, who died this month after a pancreatic tumour spread elsewhere, delayed having operations and chemotherapy for nine months after the disease was discovered in October 2003.
In spite of pleas from family and friends, he tried to cure himself through other treatments he found on the internet.

Some cancer experts have said that Mr Jobs may have extended his life or even survived if he had promptly tackled his cancer aggressively with scientifically proven medical treatments.
Posted 4/3/2015 5:25 PM (GMT 0)

Appleseed said...
.. I can go for a double shot of OxyContin chased w/ some Grey Goose vodka right now.. Have a great weekend & A Happy Easter....Nick..

Nick, this is NOT a good idea at all unless staying alive is not important.
Posted 4/4/2015 1:54 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Dirtyo, welcome. I am single as well, and this crappy disease does make me wonder about a future missus or SO sometimes. But first things first. Healing and recovering. I am day 23 now and still feeling it in stomach and when sitting, which I can't do for very long. Thought that since I am one of the younger guys that I'd heal right up but this thing is kicking my butt right now. So take your time bud and dont overdo it. And my doc was completely against the narcotics. Think I had one total. Like you, I am committed to taking better care of my body. I wasn't terrible before, but will be more focused on it. Good luck in healing up and let us know how it goes.
Posted 4/4/2015 3:05 AM (GMT 0)
Appleseed,

I know you are joking about the oxy plus Grey Goose. But FWIW, I broke a rib last fall and oxy was a life saver for a few days. I don't know how I'd have sat or stood up without it -- though I stayed well clear of alcohol while I was on it. Fortunately I was able to drop the oxy and switch to high dosage ibuprofen after a few days. I'm hoarding my few left over oxy pills just in case I break anything else.

Jim
Posted 4/4/2015 5:19 AM (GMT 0)
"Madam, hold that position whilst I quickly pop down to the bank and grab some sperm!" just a weird thought I had

Well, I'll be 60 this year and my "sperming" days are over. Mind you I do miss this wet spot. Some guys leak when they have sex and that puts a new spin on the olde "wet spot".

Happy healing -- mind the pain killers they can cause severe constipation.

I hope the surgeon got ALL of it and that your first PSA reading post RRP will be close to Zero (PSA < .01).

All the best!
Posted 4/4/2015 5:58 PM (GMT 0)
Post Surgery Update: Staples were removed Friday, about 4 days after surgery. My drainage (grenade) is still attached via a tube running into my abdomen. They are keeping it in still, I've been leaking a lot of pinkish fluid, about 25ml every couple of hours into it. Scheduled for a scan on Tuesday to check on the urethra and it's connection I think. If all looks good, I think the doctor will remove this horrible catheter thing, ugh. That will be Day 8 post surgery.

On the good news front.....bowel movement....OMG I have been waiting 5 days for this moment....so good. I'm sure it was the oxycontin that was keeping me constipated. So even though I really enjoy the feelings of being on this drug :-), it is horrible for your constitution. So yesterday I stopped with the dosage and continued to take 2 pills of the Doc Q Lace a day. This morning was a breakthrough moment to be able to poop. I had been eating quite well the past 5 days or so and was starting to feel super bloated. Hope I can continue with some consistency now.

Have just started to feel soreness in my taint area, I think the drugs were keeping this area numbed out. I still have a lot of pain in my abdomen, mostly muscle pain from the 5 incisions and one drainage tube incision as a result of the surgery. Feels like I have been pummeled with body shot after body shot in a championship bout...and I definitely lost.

After all this, I am still feeling positive but sure there are moments of depression waiting to creep in as I continue to heal. My biggest concern right now is the 25ml of fluid leaking out of my belly every couple of hours. Hope this starts to dissipate soon. At the doctor's office on Friday, they sent the fluid off for some sort of creatine test. Not sure what this is for.
Posted 4/4/2015 7:20 PM (GMT 0)
I hope your drain is ok. Pop prostate drain into the search box at the top of the page for some good related reading.

The drain, I almost forgo about that part. Only one mention here recently, watching her husband's being removed, she described it as "interesting". While it goes in on one side when yanked out you learn it crosses all the way to your other side. Removal doesn't hurt but it is a very strange sharp spasm as it crosses the top of your abdomen.
Cath removal is nothing, it just slides out. I was surprised I didn't lose it during the week.

A good BM and the catheter out are two large steps worth celebrating. Next is your first PSA score.
Posted 4/4/2015 7:51 PM (GMT 0)
I got my catheter and staples out at the same visit on day 7. I didn't have a drain. First poop was also on day 5...and I think I had 3 in about a 2 hour period. I've been doing 2 doses a day of metamucil (morning and evening), and that "makes the going great".

Catheter removal is a huge step. Live goes on so much better without the darned thing.
Posted 4/4/2015 9:13 PM (GMT 0)
Dirtyd, sounds like recovery is going according to schedule for you. Be patient and keep the faith
Posted 4/5/2015 1:04 AM (GMT 0)
" A lot of my friends were saying you can cure cancer with diet. "

Really???? Well there are times you listen to your friends and other times you have to wonder about them.
Posted 4/6/2015 2:38 PM (GMT 0)
..I was just kidding fellers about the oxy, I was feeding of the couch -n-oxy comment in the op. I'm a relative healthy type guy. I just remember taking two and I was obliterated for a few hours. Man that stuff is strong. Only did that two or three times then to one pill for a few days only when needed then off them all together. I was just laughing to myself on the knock out power of them there oxy's..
..My surgery was a bit extensive the doc cut a lot of stuff out of me so the healing was relative..
Posted 4/6/2015 2:51 PM (GMT 0)

You said...
After all this, I am still feeling positive but sure there are moments of depression waiting to creep in as I continue to heal.

Generally about 6 weeks post-op, give or take a week. It is early enough that you will still feel like crap but late enough for the new to have started to wear off...
Posted 4/7/2015 4:13 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Dirtyodwyer -- Re you wrote, "There is data out there to suggest tumors have been reduced by diet but in the end I felt it was just way too risky. And the surgery was my best option for a positive outcome. I'm 51 years old and I could not risk the cancer spreading into other parts of my body." I couldn't agree more!

Starting last summer, after my PC diagnosis at age 70, I gave it my all with respect to alternative therapies of diet and other naturalistic methods but, like you, in the end I concluded it was too risky to count on diet doing the trick this late in the game -- AFTER a digital rectal exam revealed the presence of a lump in my prostate, and AFTER a prostate biopsy showed lots of cancer. I signed up for surgery at Johns Hopkins with a top guy: Dr. H. Ballentine Carter. Three months out, my recovery phase is going great. In your shoes, I'd ease off on rushing back to work. Having your prostate out is seriously major surgery. Take it easy for a couple ... two or three ... weeks. Plenty of time to go back to work after you've rested up some more.

Bill Positive
Posted 4/7/2015 2:10 PM (GMT 0)
Regarding diet, I think it helps but is not a cure. I would use the analogy of using a spray bottle on a fire. If you are spraying long before the fire starts you stand a good chance of preventing it. If you start spraying once the fire has started you might help the fire from spreading if you are lucky. In either case it is a worthwhile habit as long as your expectations are realistic.

I would also echo the advice to take at least three weeks after surgery if at all possible. (My surgeon recommends 6.)
Posted 4/7/2015 4:10 PM (GMT 0)
A healthy diet is certainly good for you on so many levels.

But, seriously, if diet was a cure surgeons would be out of business.

This bothers me about some IMPLIED claims on HW.

Keep things in perspective folks.

Eating right helps. We would LOVE for it to be a cure. It's not.

Here and there we have the occassional claim/ANECDOTE.

Millions of snake oil salespeople rely on this lack of distinction!

Mel
Posted 4/7/2015 5:32 PM (GMT 0)
Agreed, Mel!

Cheers, Doug
Posted 4/7/2015 5:40 PM (GMT 0)
Eating healthy is good. I've been eating healthy for many years with lots of exercise and I still got PC. Be careful with the vitamins. Mega doses of anything can be toxic, even water. Main causes of PC are being a man and age.

Tom
Posted 4/12/2015 3:39 PM (GMT 0)
POST SURGERY UPDATE:

On Tuesday, one week after my radical prostatectomy, I visited the Doctor. The good news is that while the tumor was confirmed Gleason score 7 and was a pT2c stage, there was no metastasis to the lymph nodes, which were also removed at the time of surgery. I guess that means "negative margin". So at this point, I've got to believe I'm cancer-free.

The physician assistant removed the drain from my abdomen, that tube was way longer than I expected, and they removed that freakin' catheter, ugh, what a relief. Good news on that front as well, although I did put on a depends following the catheter removal, I've found it to be unnecessary. I'm having no urine leakage issues and am back to wearing regular boxers.

The bad news....on the Friday before, a physicians assistant removed the 5 staples from the incisions in my belly and used some sort of glue and tape to keep my wounds shut. I told him I'm allergic to benzoine but apparently this adhesive may have benzoine because I've got a very irritating rash all along my belly area. I'm using hydrocortisone for relief but I think this is gonna take a few weeks to fully heal. At least this seems more of a dermatological issue now and not really related to prostate surgery recovery, but it is very annoying. But I'm not gonna complain much. I've just had a cancer removed from my body so I can't lose persepective on the big picture. I will endure this irritation until its conclusion.

What else can I tell you guys...oh, they've started me on Cialis and Viagra to make sure I will be back to normal operations on that front, since I had no problems there before the surgery. Erectile function seems to be OK and as expected, there is no discharge of seminal fluid upon completion of the sex act...in other words, it's a dry orgasm from here on out. I did bank some sperm a few weeks ago so if I do want kids, I've got the option of unfreezing those samples and putting the boys into play.

Thanks for all the responses too regarding diet. I'm in full agreement with many of you that diet is only one part of the approach to combating this disease and cannot be solely relied upon. Too risky. But you've got to give yourself the best chances so why not up the odds with a healthy diet.

Dirty
Posted 4/12/2015 4:25 PM (GMT 0)
Great report, Dirty. Sounds like you are on your way
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