Posted 10/15/2017 5:49 PM (GMT 0)
It’s been 4 weeks since my RALP and everything is going as expected since the surgery. Some things are better and some not so much. I can say my number one goal aside from the obvious of removing the cancer was to have continence. After that, the normal quality of life issues like ED are on the list. I will have my follow-up PSA test this coming week and another visit to the URO at the end of the month. During that visit we’ll discuss the PSA test results and he is expected to prescribe Viagra/Cialis to start working on the penial rehabilitation...
So far continence has been pretty good with a few minor setbacks. I stay dry through the night with no pads and getting up to urinate once per. I have had one small leak since the cath came out so I consider that a win. The problem I’ve mentioned before determining just how “dry” I am… The pads I use (truth be told, they are the wife’s unused pads) don’t really show how much leaking is going on. They are good in that sense but I don’t know how much is leaking during the day. Each day I try to go longer periods between bathroom breaks but when I’m not on a pad, I go frequently to avoid possible leaking. I expect those times to lengthen as time goes on. In fact, no big leaks over the last two weeks except twice on long walks (I walk at least ½ mile a day). That said, a cough or sneeze will get me every time if I don’t “clinch” beforehand. All seems pretty normal I guess.
I’ve had an orgasm since the surgery. Really, more exploratory than anything. All seemed normal except it was dry and no erection. I’ve never done that before so it was a new experience. It was encouraging and I’m sure things will be a bit different once I start the ED drugs
The tip of my penis is still pretty sensitive from the cath and I do get some slight pain occasionally. Nothing too extreme but still a bit uncomfortable. I think some of it is due to the change in geometry down there and the fact that the head is hitting my underwear/pads straight on rather than off to the side. Again, I expect that to change with time.
So far, some things I would do differently… First, do a complete bowel cleansing before surgery. As mentioned many times here, start with the Colace well before surgery. During my hospital stay, BMs were my biggest issue. It was worse with cath when home. Second, as silly as this sounds, I would have shaved my genital area. It was cumbersome cleaning with the cath. Also, considering the cath, I did not have my doc prescribe a numbing agent for the tip. I think that’s a quality of life issue worth pursuing. Did I mention I hated the cath…. There is more to the list but what I’ve found is these are not new to this board and all of these suggestions can be found on here with a search! Thanks guys (and gals).