Newbie

Hi

I have been lurking these pages for the past year, learning from each of you. I want to begin by thanking you all for your courage and honesty on these boards.

My partner (61yoa) was diagnosed with a Gleason 7 (3,4) earlier this year. All of the work up (CT, bone scan) indicate that the cancer is local to the prostate (however in both lobes).

After many months of decision making, he will be going in for an open procedure this Thursday. As expected, we are both anxious about both the procedure and the recovery. I know many of you have shared your experiences on this board, and for that I am grateful.

Just wanted to share. I will definitely be back with an update in the coming weeks,

Famida

Thank you JR, appreciate your post. Wishing you continued success on your journey.

Thanks Andrew. Yes, it's both a relief to have made the decision and at the same time very anxiety provoking, because now it's actually happening. We have tried to inform ourselves as much as possible, but like everyone else on these boards, it's one day at a time.

Best to you, in your journey.

Please know that both open and DaVinci have the same long term outcomes. DaVinci has a faster recovery time, but many surgeons believe that open allows them better access to the cancer. The good news is that there is a very good chance that he could be cured.

I had robotic and there was very little pain. Get a lot of good DVDs (or Netflix) for when he gets home. I found that wearing "backpackers" zipper pants, the ones with zippers on the side, allowed me to go out in public without anyone knowing I had a catheter. If he has not started yet, please exercise his pelvic floor muscles.

Good luck! Write us on how it goes.

Wishing you both the best and a rapid recovery for your partner!