HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Lymphocele, sexual activity after prostatectomy

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 5/28/2017 8:30 AM (GMT 0)
I had a RP 2 months ago. 2 weeks later I had a lymphocele (that turned/caused a serious infection... long story that I will share later).
Bottom line, infection was dealt with, lymphatic (lymphocele) drained through catether for 2 weeks in hospital till no more liquid was coming out. Doctor said slight 5% chance of recurrence. Checked via sonography 10 days after catether removal and no liquid accumulation anymore. I am assuming this was the time frame for this 5% probability of recurrence.
Any experiences with lymphocele to share?

Also, any experiences regarding ED and resuming sexual activity following RP?

Thanks
Ayman
Posted 5/28/2017 10:58 AM (GMT 0)
It's good to hear your lymphocele resolved well. To answer the ED question, it's complicated (like most aspects of dealing with this).

Do you have any signs of life there? Most surgeons tell us that by 6-8 weeks post surgery, there is no danger in resuming sexual activity--things are healed up to where you're not going to damage anything. The issue is, are you able to achieve even a partial erection? If you are, that is a good thing. Feel free to work on that as often as you like. Having a helpful partner is even better. If you get one that is half-way useful, then use it.

No signs of life? Then start with the ED drugs, daily.
Posted 5/28/2017 2:00 PM (GMT 0)
I too suffered an infected lymphocele which made itself known about 2 weeks after surgery, over a weekend, resulted in a trip back to the ER, hospitalized, isolated, (it was a nasty staph infection, hospital acquired)..After a week in the hospital, they put a port in my chest and I had to self-administer IV antibiotics for a month....My surgeon thought the Da Vinci robot had not been properly sterilized...In any case I was never billed a dime for anything related to this incident, no Medicare forms, nothing...It prolonged my recovery from the prostate surgery considerably..
Posted 5/28/2017 2:50 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Fairwind.
I hope your follow up treatment goes well and that you get well soon.
Did you experience any recurrence of the lymphocele?
Posted 5/28/2017 5:50 PM (GMT 0)
My husband had bilateral lymphoceles which ultimately led to 3 re-admissions post RP. (2 for drainage tubes inserted at different times and one for infection)

I read many articles and it seems that lymphoceles are associated with extended lymph node dissection (did you have this?) and/or physician experience.

My husband didn't have ePLND and my instinct tells me the resident did his surgery.

Fortunately, the lymphoceles are in the past and my husband doesn't have lymphedema.
Posted 5/28/2017 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, I had 28 lymph nodes removed.
It's good to know that the lymphocele is a thing of the past. Hope it's the same for me
Posted 5/28/2017 7:15 PM (GMT 0)
For me, this happened 7 years ago....After a month on I.V. antibiotics which I administered to myself at home twice a day, they pulled the port out and I had no more problems with that..I was lucky in that my staph strain responded to the available antibiotics..There are strains of hospital staph that are completely resistant and can be fatal...
Posted 6/7/2017 9:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I am scheduled for a lymph node dissection in a little over a month. After reading this I am a bit nervous.

I was told the risk of problems after the dissection was low side but now I have to wonder.

Do lymphoceles ever become a chronic ongoing problem after a dissection?
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply