On the Other Side - of RARP and of the Pond (France)

I'm on the other side of RARP and doing well (wish I'd bought a doughnut cushion!). I meant to update from hospital using my tablet, but I left the passwords at home.

My surgery was scheduled for Monday 6 June in the third slot for the operating theatre with the da Vinci robot. However, the surgery before mine ran into problems and ran over time by hours. My surgery wouldn't have been able to start until 8pm, and so was rescheduled for Tuesday 7 June at 8am. Getting the news of the postponement (on an empty stomach after a day of fasting) was quite a blow, but in the end for the best.

The surgery in fact started slightly early on Tuesday morning. I was in 'Réanimation' (French post-anaesthesia ward) for 24 hours after surgery. Then in a private room for the next two days. The post-op diet in hospital was 'leger' - lots of broth, yogurt, and fruit puree. I actually cried a little when they brought the third meal in a row of broth. I’m now at home with daily visits from a nurse for catheter cleaning and for shots to prevent DVT (the French are obsessed with DVT: I also have compression tights to wear; and in hospital I had daily visits from a massage kiné).

If it would be useful, when I have a bit more energy, I could prepare a set of notes on PC diagnosis; RARP surgery etc. in France (to the extent of my experience). While many things are the same, there are some differences. (The funniest difference is probably the post-surgery diet advice: instead of ‘no alcohol’, I was told ‘No white wine, no rosé, no champagne, no spirits, no beer. Of course, red wine is fine with meals.’)

Bienvenue Joe. I was also pretty wiped out after my surgery and felt as if I had been run-over by a truck. Fortunately, I improved quite quickly after the 1st week and I was back to enjoying the occasional beer or glass of red wine after my second week.

Not sure why my signature line didn't appear. It has in the past. My stats:
Age at diagnosis: 57
PSA 21.23 (Free 3.6%)
Bx: 11 of 12 G 7 (3+4)
Clinical Stage T2c
Bone/CT clear
RALP scheduled 6 June 2016 (Clinique St Georges Cimiez, Dr Klifa)

Gremlin & Halbert

Gremlin- I'm getting 24 days on innohep (which may be the same, for all I know). It is intramuscular and hurts going in (I feel like a kid getting a vaccine). The nurse is giving the injections in a circular pattern: left leg, right leg, right arm, left arm etc. BTW, when I mentioned writing up my French experience, I meant for the benefit of any PC patients in France who come to this site.

I too was shocked by the home nursing, but it is standard practice in France. The nurses, each in a private practice, cover a specific neighbourhood. They spend thier days doing home visits. Mine works with another nurse in a pattern of ten days on/ten days off. Home nursing first came up when my urologist's junior partner was doing rounds. I asked when I'd find out how to do catheter care. His reply was a nurse will do it. I thought he meant a nurse would teach me - he meant a nurse would come to the house.

Halbert - I'm supposed to take an hour-long walk each day, but I'm having such bladder spasms from the catheter that I'm just wandering the house. Catheter out tomorrow! I see you had your surgery at Wash U/Barnes-Jewish. Fantastic place.