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Posted 8/29/2018 10:19 PM (GMT 0)
Sitting in my husband’s room immediately following his RALP today. Surgery went well - nerve sparing on the right side only and clean margin. PCa was all on the left but fairly large amount. Now recovery and await final path reports and next steps. Still hopeful for cure and good outcome.
Posted 8/29/2018 10:42 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for updating us. Glad to hear the surgery went well. Fingers crossed for a decent path report.
Posted 8/29/2018 10:50 PM (GMT 0)
Nytngale, happy that surgery went well and wishing him a speedy recovery. Please keep us updated.
Posted 8/29/2018 10:51 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Saipan. Will update more in the future when we have the full report and know our path.
Posted 8/29/2018 11:24 PM (GMT 0)
Glad to hear the surgery went well.

Keep us posted.
Andrew
Posted 8/29/2018 11:26 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to the good side, glad the surgery is behind you, now onward and upward
Posted 8/30/2018 2:06 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks to all. Definitely glad the surgery is behind us. On to the next step in the journey. Hubby says he feels like crap, but now post first walk, 2 turkey sandwiches, and pudding - he thinks maybe he feels a bit better. He’s now sleeping like a baby and I’m tucked in the chair with a pullout thingy for the night. Hopefully homeward bound in the am.
Posted 9/4/2018 1:18 AM (GMT 0)
DH’s recovery seems to be progressing smoothly. He has had a minor case of hives on his feet which we related to either his ted hose or mor likely a stress triggered flare of his Hasimoto’s. Wednesday the cath is supposed to come out. He is very worried about incontinence - any suggestions from the experienced here on how they managed the initial incontinence issues? We have the pads, but he wants me to get him some Depends for the initial phase. Already have large underpass for the recliner and bed.

To be honest, I’m more stressed awaiting the path reports and worries related to lymph node involvement. We know the left side had a fairly large amount of cancer and the nerves were not spared on that side. However, his concerns really trump mine and I want to find the best suggestions to help him through the incontinence worries. We ladies (at least many of us) deal with that for the rest of our later lives - I hope for him that it is short-lived. All thoughts will be appreciated.
Posted 9/4/2018 2:32 AM (GMT 0)
For me and a bunch of others, the post-surgical incontinence was extreme, just constant dripping and no control. Never a feeling of a full bladder, because it never filled due to constant leaking. I dealt with it by changing pads frequently, and keeping a change of clothes at work. Of course, some guys are dry from the moment the cath comes out. Your husband will just have to wait to find out.

Post Edited (fiddlecanoe) : 9/5/2018 2:25:59 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/4/2018 2:47 AM (GMT 0)
Most guys have significant incontinence for at least for a few days after the catheter comes out. It's a good idea to buy a package of Depend men's briefs and bring a couple pair with you to the doctor's office on the big day. If it turns out he's one of the lucky ones and doesn't need them, oh well, that's $18 down the drain. But he'll have peace of mind. You could buy pads, too, if you want, but if he has no control initially, pads won't be enough. Both pads and diapers are easy to find in the stores, you don't really need to stock up beforehand. Plus, just like with any underwear, he may want to try different brands and see which one's most comfortable for him.

My own experience was I needed diapers for the first week, then I transitioned to pads during the day. By the fifth week, I was continent at night and didn't need to sleep with pads or diapers.
Posted 9/4/2018 12:34 PM (GMT 0)
My discharge nurse the day after my RP told me that her husband preferred TENA pads because they are less bulky than Depends and they don't make noise when walking and moving about. I wasted a lot of money on various brands... had bought Depends pads before the procedure, used them when the cath came out and learned what she had meant by "bulky". Also my shaft tended to flop to one side or the other and the urine totally missed the pad. I also tried various briefs and learned about her remark about them being noisy.

I still use TENA. They are not easy to find in your typical Rx store, but Sam's club delivers them.
Posted 9/4/2018 2:45 PM (GMT 0)
I wore a pair of depends after biopsy because of bleeding, I can tell you that they are warm.
Posted 9/4/2018 8:09 PM (GMT 0)
I was fortunate to be continent after the catheter was removed. I did wear pads as insurance for a while.

Just walk as much as possible. That helps in continence, plus his general recovery will be enhanced. Take it slow though. He should feel good as new in about 6 weeks.

Hope the path report is favorable.
Posted 9/4/2018 10:30 PM (GMT 0)
Best wishes to your husband!

Bobby Mac
Posted 9/5/2018 12:34 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks to all for the advice - greatly appreciated!
Posted 9/8/2018 3:13 PM (GMT 0)
Definitely brings back memories. The degree of incontinence was a surprise for me. I loaded up on pads and emptied my bladder nearly every hour. I was really consistent with the kegel exercises and eventually things returned to normal. I would say by month 4 I was dry. Its a big surgery so healing takes a while but fortunately for me things slowly improved. I think walking really helped me mentally and physically. Good luck with everything
Posted 9/8/2018 5:41 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks RayPaul. He is now on day 3 post cath removal and is doing fairly well (my opinion not always shared by him). He is able to stop the stream, initiates it about 50% of the time, leaks some if coughing or standing at times. Most incontinence has occurred at night while asleep. He’s walking and doing his kegels. I’m just the cheering section.
Posted 9/8/2018 5:53 PM (GMT 0)
It sounds like he's doing pretty well. That;s about how it was for me at this point. So..it only gets better. Keep him walking and kegaling. Path report?
Posted 9/8/2018 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
We don’t have the full path report yet - will be going to the office on the 27th for review. The surgeon’s practice is surgery, one week follow up and cath removal, in person review of the path report 2-3 weeks post op. The initial verbal report was “a lot of cancer in the left side”, unilateral nerve sparing, and initial report of clean margins. We knew the cancer volume on that side was pretty large since all 6 cores were positive and ranged 30-90%. The lower volume cores were the G8. At this point, I’m praying that the margins were clean and nodes will be negative.
Posted 9/9/2018 4:10 AM (GMT 0)
Sounds like your husband is doing well. I am 5 years (almost) post RALP. You and your husband need to patient (That's where the word comes from. Recovery can be over an extended time. My was slow and steady with only some minor bumps in the road. In my case I would say it took a full three years to get to maximum recovery although a big chunk of it took less time.
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