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Bag and staples gone. Good riddance!!

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Posted 12/28/2016 10:57 PM (GMT 0)
Hello All,

Nine days since open surgery. Got the cath and staples out this morning. The removal of both wasn't pleasant but wasn't as bad as I expected either. Super strange when I got up from the table after getting the cath out and felt my entire bladder contents empty out into my Depends and I couldn't do anything about it. Good news is that by the time I got home I was able to hold my urine and have done so all day since with the exception of some leakage when I stand up from sitting. I'm hopeful that I'll get control of that soon.

Had the experience of the six streams when attempting to urinate in the toilet for the first time at home. After I cleaned up the mess in the bathroom, I found the thread about using the Solo drink cup and have to say that was a winner of an idea! As the day has progressed though I'm able to hold more urine for a longer period of time so my stream is stronger which helps with creating a single stream.

I'm still tiring very easily after walking a ways. I talked with the doctor regarding it and he told me that I lost a lot of blood during the operation. They were on the fence about giving me some donor blood but decided I could get by without it. Basically, he indicates that he figures it will be about three weeks past surgery before I'm back to my normal red blood cell count and feeling more energetic.

All in all, the cath for nine days was the biggest PIA of the experience and now that it is gone, I'm hoping I'll keep cruising to as complete a recovery as possible. Taking my Calis but aside from feeling "movement", nothing to say about that yet.

Thank you to everyone for all of the thoughts, prayers, and great advice for preparing and dealing with the immediate aftermath of surgery. I've got a slightly used 5 Gallon Home Depot bucket for sale if anyone needs one (ha ha).

Where do I send for my "I survived the bag" tee shirt?
Posted 12/28/2016 11:30 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Psych!

Congrats on getting that part of your journey completed!! On to better things in life! Given your age and attitude, I'd say your gonna be dry pretty darn quick. Keep up on the Calis and hopefully things will be 'moving' soon, but be patient. That one takes the longest to heal.

Here's to a better 2017!
Wyo
Posted 12/28/2016 11:32 PM (GMT 0)
When will you get your pathology report?

Glad everything is going well in your recovery

Mel
Posted 12/29/2016 12:44 AM (GMT 0)
Congratulations -- a milestone.
I lucked out. I have a neighbor who is an RN who worked in the same group as my uro. When the time came she pulled my cath and pulled the staples at home. And at the time of my surgery she even finagled a private room for me. I owe her big time. I remember grabbing my crotch and high-tailing to the bathroom anytime I stood up after the cath came out, but I got back to normal over a few weeks. You will too. Best wishes for a quick recovery.
Jim
Posted 12/29/2016 1:09 AM (GMT 0)
Great news! You're doing just fine.

Andrew
Posted 12/29/2016 1:26 PM (GMT 0)
Great news! And I congratulate you on retaining your great attitude, too.

I didn't have surgery for my PCa, but I did have a cath and bag for a week some years ago. Sure was a pain to drive a car with that thing. Removal of the cath is weird, but no big deal. Some guys, like me, do experience some burning on urination after the cath is out, but a day or so and that is gone, too.

T-Shirts? I think that's a great idea. Maybe we could design a whole line of semi-humorous PCa T-Shirts for next Movember? I can see it now:

- I survived The Bag!
- Look at me! I glow in the dark!
- Glow, little Glow Worm!
- Post Toasties - Start a New Life!

I'm sure there are more, too.
Posted 12/29/2016 2:03 PM (GMT 0)
Great! On your way to a complete recovery.

Bobby Mac
Posted 12/29/2016 2:16 PM (GMT 0)

compiler said...
When will you get your pathology report?...


Exact question I had. Congrats on getting past this hurdle! I was just musing over my RP surgery and recovery experience. The first time they got me up to walk post surgery I think I managed an entire 20 or 30 steps. When the resident pulled out my Jackson Pratt drain I thought I was going to jump off the bed in pain. Ugh. smhair
Posted 12/29/2016 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
Ahhhh, shedding the bag... The Priests of the Inquisition have been thwarted yet again. Congratulations. Hoping that first pee after the torturous contraption was removed was simply blissful. wink
Posted 12/29/2016 4:21 PM (GMT 0)
Congrats on getting rid of the ball-and-chain. Keep us posted on your next steps, but in the meantime enjoy your "untethered" status as you go into the New Year!
Posted 12/29/2016 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
The PA for the surgeon removed my bag and staples yesterday but the surgeon did call me about the pathology report. He said there were "no surprises". In my case, a surprise would have been nice because I had a confirmed positive lymph node the plan going in all along was that the surgery by itself would not be curative - I will be getting ART, 18 months of ADT, and likely chemotherapy as part of the deal. Unfortunately, the surgeon said that two of the lymph nodes taken during the surgery were positive so that was certainly disappointing to hear since up till now only one was known. T

The plan now is to heal up from the surgery. I have an appointment with the surgeon in four weeks where he says that he'll review the results in further detail and we'll discuss the next step of radiation. In the mean time, I'm going to be scouring the threads now for info and suggestions for ART.
Posted 12/29/2016 10:12 PM (GMT 0)
Great news, once I got that out, recovery went fast. Take your time and listen to your body. You will do great.
Posted 12/30/2016 12:25 AM (GMT 0)
Even though it wasn't a surprise, I'm sorry your pathology report came back as it did. I had SRT -- basically the same as ART but years later. I had only minor side effects from SRT - some urinary urgency beginning around week 5 for a minute or two when I'd first stand up, and some minor radiation proctitis starting about 8 months after treatment ended, which then got better on its own over the following 8-10 months. Best of luck with your next round of treatments and keep us posted.
Jim
Posted 12/30/2016 5:48 AM (GMT 0)
I admire your positive attitude. That's important. I don't have much useful to add except to quote my surgeon, who advised that I should work to regain continence as soon as possible because, once radiation begins, there is no further improvement in continence. Just take it easy. Walk as much as you can. Take a lot of naps. Kegels!! In a few weeks you will be feeling much, much better.
Posted 12/30/2016 6:33 AM (GMT 0)
Good riddance....felt the same way about my ex-wife....
Posted 12/30/2016 2:04 PM (GMT 0)

schoolpsych said...
.... I had a confirmed positive lymph node the plan going in all along was that the surgery by itself would not be curative - I will be getting ART, 18 months of ADT, and likely chemotherapy as part of the deal. ...

So you're now an official/confirmed member of the N1 club (positive node.) sad You have a few more hurdles ahead of you but many here have been down that road and you'll get plenty of good advice.

I'm guessing your Doc will want to get you on some ADT drug in a few months and then after your pelvic bed is healed you can get started on ART.
Posted 12/30/2016 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry to hear that your positive node wasn't the lone ranger. Can I presume they took out several lymph nodes and found the two that were positive? (Including the one they knew about?)

For now, I hope you can put all of this on the back burner and give yourself some time to heal and get ready for the next steps. If the surgery is a sprint, the next steps are more of a long distance race.

Good luck and all the best for the New Year!
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