Made a Decision and Looking for Comments

Hello everyone. Hope everybody is doing as well as they can, or better. Well, its been 6 months sense I was diagnosed with prostrate cancer. On July 12th 2018 I will be in surgery having this removed. I have reviewed options and feel this will be the best course for me in the long run. Although I'm not to happy with the possible side affects, I guess they are better to live with then cancer. What I'm most trouble with now is the surgery and the fear that is really running through my head as the closer I get to the date of my surgery. Getting me there that morning is going to be a big deal for my family and for me to overcome, and I have always had a fear of such things. Opinions from anyone who has gone through this is more than welcomed. I know you guys have been through a lot and offer your kindness and knowledge regarding this disease. I look forward hearing from you soon.

L. Lateral Base G:4+3=7 50% Right Base N/A
L. Lateral Mid G:3+4=7 80% Right Med: 3+4=7 90%
L.Lat Apex G:3+4=7 40% Right Apex 3+4=7 75%
L.Base N/A Right Lateral Med 4+3=7 30%
Left Med G:3+4=7 100% Right Lateral Apex 3+3=6 5%
Left Apex G: 3+3=6 40%

Edited by mod to add a subject line.

Post Edited By Moderator (Tudpock18) : 6/12/2018 5:16:52 AM (GMT-6)

RR,

You are going to do fine. I was similar to you with a G7 4+3. I am going on 2 years undetectable. BUT, the biggest thing I want to share is that there is no bigger baby than me! I was a wreck that morning and my surgeon knew it. He even shared that with my wife in the post-op conference with her. I remember the last thing I said on the operating table to the attending nurse, "Please take care of me!", she said, "I will", next thing I know I'm waking up in recovery. I was walking around the hospital that night and home the next day. I did not like the idea of the catheter, but it really aint that bad. I even attended one of my sons baseball games with the leg bag a couple days after surgery. Nobody even knew about it. And the catheter removal, more hype than anything.....out in 3 seconds.

I want you to know my side effects are minimal. I an 99% continent, no pads at all. I was that way in 2 weeks. I had extensive ED for about 8 months, but am back to about 90% pre-surgery in that area now.

If I can do this (RP), anyone can!

J

Mine is a fear of not being in control...a loss of control. It's not so bad....being put to sleep...when it's for some sort of minor surgery like a lithotripsy for kidney stones. Not real invasive...and up and about in no time.

Heading into RP is rift with (what feels like fairly large) unknowns. "What will this do to my body?" "Will this cure my ailment?" "What about complications?" This stuff is rachted up for a major surgery like an RP. And the greater the unknowns (this disease, and this operation to cure it, are full of 'em)...the more I fear even the smaller things about it. Like...

with a small operation....I never feared "Will I wake up?" "How will I get the help I need for recovery?" With a knee replacement...I might would need just as much help....but I'm not gonna worry about it like with I did with RP. This is all because of the other big unknowns that come with the territory....and it can make even the ride to the hospital itself....big. My brother in Law is having his gall bladder removed today. That's different from a technically challenging operation on your sex life for cancer.

I've have no words of wisdom for you my friend. (I'd like to say I do, but I do not). What I can say is...though my fears were huge (I put surgery off a year because of them)....I'm still here to tell the tell..

AND YOU WILL BE TOO

PCa surgery is not a walk in the park, but you can handle it.
Do LOTS of kegels in advance.
Plan to take it very easy for the first two weeks after.
And even after that you are likely to be very tired for a while.
Thinking about a catheter is worse than the catheter itself.
Removing the catheter is no problem at all.
18 months later the scars are nearly invisible.
You can manage this.

This PC game is as much a mental/emotional/spiritual game as it is a physical one. You have to take care of the body and the mind.

You'll do better than you think and before you know it, this will all just be a bad memory.

Andrew

Good advice above. I just add that, as everything in life, surgery day will come and pass and some months later you will remember it as a remote event. Recovery is usually smooth and quick. Incontinence may be an issue but most people here and everywhere, including myself, have recovered from it in a reasonable amount of time. ED maybe is a more prevalent issue, but this is something that will not permanently occupy your mind.
Surgery implies the advantage and stress of a very close follow-up. First, you will get a path report. Then, you will have frequent blood tests that are expected to show null or very small psa readings. You have to be mentally prepared to them. I hope you will have the little bit of luck needed to recover strength and continence very soon, more luck that will be needed to deal with the ED issues and, of course and above all, I wish surgery will be the only treatment for PCa that you will ever need.

I did not have surgery for my PCa - because I felt that I had already had too many major surgeries. I had open-heart surgery (for two different reasons, no less) and a couple of hernias and a pacemaker. My docs and I felt that as long as I had an effective option, another major surgery would not be a good idea.

But there is a reason I'm posting on your thread.

My suggestion is that you take all advice regarding intestinal/bowel issues seriously. I didn't, and ended up being re-admitted to the hospital a month after open-heart surgery - just to get my intestinal system back into proper operation.

Saipan Paradise mentions intestinal issues, but only mildly. To put it more clearly, not only does the handling and moving of your intestines "stun" them, but the meds (anesthesia, etc.) actually do stop all peristaltic motion (that wave-like motion that moves food through our intestines) during the procedure and for some time after. We are all different, but for many, these movements take a long time to re-start, and are quite weak at first. In my case, it took far too long, and I was badly "blocked up." It took the docs a couple of days in hospitall to get things going again.

After that experience, I was advised that after any surgical procedure involving general anesthesia, I should take Miralax. I start at full dose until things seem "normal." Then I take half doses for a few days, then quarter doses, then stop. Miralax, in particular, is gentle. It is not a stimulant laxative, so does not promote cramping. It just causes more moisture to be drawn into the contents of your intestines so that the fecal matter will move more easily. This has been a "life-saver" for me.

I am one of the "counselors" at a heart-focused support site, and this is the advice we give to all who are getting ready for surgery. It has helped many, and I hope it also helps you.

Just makes one more worry become inconsequential.

You'll do fine.

RR, here's a list of commonly suggested supplies for surgery patients (and my comments about my experience with them):

1. Rubber sheet for your bed-not a bad idea
2. Pet training pads for your chair-not a bad idea
3. Small bucket to put your catheter bag in next to your chair-makes it easier to get around and will catch drips.
4. A package of thick pads for the first few days or weeks after the catheter comes out-I never used (nor purchased) the depends briefs. Some guys prefer the briefs.
5. A bottle of dulcolax or it's generic equivalent-vital for your gut to get things working
6. Miralax or metamucil-see above
7. A small table next to your recliner for your remote, your water mug (you'll get a big water mug at the hospital-USE IT!), book, magazine, stack of DVD's, etc.

My first meal home from the hospital was oatmeal. It took a few days for the bowel to restart. Get up from the chair at least hourly and walk to the kitchen and back. If the weather is good, put on the leg back and walk outside. You'll find that a few hundred yards is tiring at first.

For more comments about my experience, click on 'my story' in my signature.

With that volume and tumors in the apex, I would re-consider other treatment options. You still have time

Well, got a call yesterday that they are moving my surgery date up, now it is on the 5th instead of the 12th. You guessed it I'm bouncing off the walls now with worry and I keep reading what everyone has posted to help me with the anxiety. I am all over the place trying to find information on any and all things regarding surgery, how safe the surgery is and should I sleep in a recliner after or the bed. All of you have been great and your knowledge extremely helpful. I have the pre surgery assessment next week, and then 2 days later the big day.