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Ten Days Post DV Surgery, New Here

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Posted 2/15/2019 9:32 PM (GMT 0)
Ten Days post surgery and feeling ok. 58, 4+3=7, 10 of 12. Seminal Vessel diagnosed in pathology.
I was hoping I would one and done, now the misery of waiting until March 18th to get my new PSA and see what my future holds. I have a feeling that radiation is in my future. The good news is no pads needed since the catheter was removed. I am glad I found this forum. I have so many questions and concerns, I think I have a lot of reading to day.

Thanks for being here!
Posted 2/15/2019 10:17 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome and take your time now, lots to read and lots of good people here helping other people.

Good to hear you made it through the surgery and catheter out day with minimal problems. Good start to the adventure. The PSA that matters is at 3 months so be patient and hope for the best at 6+ weeks.
Posted 2/15/2019 11:14 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to HW, sorry you need to be here.

What was your pre-op PSA? It would be helpful to us if you'd create a signature with the relevant status - makes answer your questions easier.

That might be too early for a meaningful PSA result, but do let us know what it comes in at. It's not good that it was in the seminal vessel, but speculation at this point isn't helpful. It's just as possible you won't need RT. You'll just have to wait for the next couple of PSA tests.

Waiting is the hardest part.

Hang in there and ask all the questions you have - we're here most days.
Andrew
Posted 2/15/2019 11:49 PM (GMT 0)
Fran,
Welcome and glad you found us. It is great getting that cath out. Don’t worry about salvage, hopefully you won’t need to cross that bridge. Focus on resting and healing.
Posted 2/16/2019 4:04 AM (GMT 0)
Psa was 12.2 pre-op. I will get my signature set up soon. Thanks for the support, I will be hanging around a lot. FP.
Posted 2/16/2019 4:46 AM (GMT 0)
Right now, just focus on recovery. Hopefully they got it all.

but if needed, SRT isn't horrible, not fun, boring, annoying, anxiety generating, but not horrible.

Hang in there,
Andrew
Posted 2/17/2019 2:59 PM (GMT 0)
Might want to consider getting a Decipher test done on the post op. Mine came in a 0.7, high risk and I was SVI+ on one side.

Started adjunctive radiation treatment (ART) 3 weeks ago following the 3 month post op <0.006 uPSA. Half way there!

Recommendation by the RO is follow up uPSA 2 months after ART is finished
Posted 2/17/2019 3:06 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome.
Good idea to get the Decipher test done, if your pSa is positive. But don’t jump to conclusions just yet. As others have said, focus on healing and getting your strength back.
Posted 2/17/2019 6:05 PM (GMT 0)
I'm 4 weeks post op, my score was 3+3, PSA score of 39, and my biopsy was 2 of 12 samples positive. I'm not sure if I made the right decision to have the surgery, I've had problems with infection in my abdomen from the surgery, and now, it only happened 3 times, but at night with full bladder, I have pain in the lower bladder and difficult to walk, but after I urinate, with a good stream, I'm fine. So much I have to learn.
Posted 2/17/2019 6:21 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to HW

Too late to second guess. It takes time to heal.

Hang in there.
Posted 2/17/2019 8:35 PM (GMT 0)
Fran and Buffalo,

Welcome to both of you. At ten days and four weeks, you are both feeling a lot better than you were. But don't hurry it in taking on too much. There is no prize for walking or lifting the most soon after surgery. As Andrew says, SRT is not that terrible, so just relax and wait for the PSA test at three months or so.

FC
Posted 2/18/2019 1:28 PM (GMT 0)
Buffalo - The first month or two after RALP surgery was a learning experience for my body. Lots of new feelings, aches, and odd pains from all the disruption that was done. I had the bladder ache a couple of times at night some weeks after surgery as well which wakes you up thinking you should be past this and what is going on? The 3rd month is where I started making real progress, increased exercise and working out, etc. Just take it slow and you eventually should feel better with the surgery effects fading away. However, don’t hesitate to contact your doctor if you think you have reached a point where you can’t deal with it or something is really wrong as problems can develop from the surgery like the infection you already dealt with.
Posted 2/21/2019 5:41 PM (GMT 0)

FranPro said...
Ten Days post surgery and feeling ok. 58, 4+3=7, 10 of 12. Seminal Vessel diagnosed in pathology.
I was hoping I would one and done, now the misery of waiting until March 18th to get my new PSA and see what my future holds. I have a feeling that radiation is in my future. The good news is no pads needed since the catheter was removed. I am glad I found this forum. I have so many questions and concerns, I think I have a lot of reading to day.

Thanks for being here!

FP, a positive Seminal Vesicle is for sure, not the best post op pathology, but it is by no means a guarantee of a bad outcome or even further treatment. I was SV+, and also had a positive margin, and a G9, but I have managed to hang in there for 5 years without a relapse - aka BCR - yet. And without further treatment yet. I really figured I would need it within a year or less, or even within a few months, but so far so good, I have bought some time. I realize I have been blessed in that regard, but you might well be also. It will be useful to see what that PSA in March and the following one are. (sometimes they keep going down for a while after that first one) But don't assume that SV+ guarantees more treatment anytime soon. The PSAs will tell the tale. Good luck!
Bill
Posted 2/22/2019 10:14 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome Fran Pro,
A tremendous amount of good info on this board. I am 58, 3+4=7, and three months post surgery today, PSA at six week follow-up was 0. It sounds like your doing great with the incontinence. Each day you'll get better physically. I'm back to doing everything I did pre-surgery. No aches or pains. My advice is to get back to doing what you did before surgery as soon as possible. Exercise helps tremendously. Prostate surgery is definitely an ordeal but not one that can't be overcome. Good luck with your follow-up PSA and your continued recovery.

WillieM
Posted 3/5/2019 5:31 PM (GMT 0)
The waiting is the hardest part. Today marks 4 weeks post RX. Urine is 98% normal, no pads or leaks. No erection response at all and that is depressing. I am in a deep funk this week and I still have to wait 2 more weeks for my new PSA and surgery follow up. They did find cancer in my seminal vessel. Looks like I have radiation in my future. It turns out the surgery is not the most painful part. It's the mental aspect and the waiting.

Age 57. RX Feb. 5, 2019. PSA 12.5. 11 of 12 samples positive. 4+3 Gleason.
Posted 3/5/2019 6:24 PM (GMT 0)

Buffalo Chip said...
I'm 4 weeks post op, my score was 3+3, PSA score of 39, and my biopsy was 2 of 12 samples positive. I'm not sure if I made the right decision to have the surgery, I've had problems with infection in my abdomen from the surgery, and now, it only happened 3 times, but at night with full bladder, I have pain in the lower bladder and difficult to walk, but after I urinate, with a good stream, I'm fine. So much I have to learn.

You should be feeling better Buffalo Chip. No "difficult to walk" a month out. If this continues, or gets worse, I'd suggest a call into your surgeon. A part of the reason for the second guessing Buffalo Chip could be how things have been going for you. Once you do actually get some of this behind you, things can begin to change. But for now, just concentrate on getting better. One thing you need to know is….You are not alone Chip.

Welcome to HW to both of you!
Posted 3/5/2019 7:07 PM (GMT 0)
FranPro, ED should get better. My surgeon told me it could take up to 2 years. At 7 months post op I started to see improvement. I used daily 5mg of Cialis. I am now going on 3 years post op and I need no ED meds at all and I am basically back to pre-surgery status, ED-wise. So, hang in there. I was a 4+3 also.
Posted 3/5/2019 8:18 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Jay. That gives me hope. I am prepared for a round of radiation as well, so that may effect my come back a bit. I just hate this waiting period. The 18th cannot come soon enough, even if it's bad news.
Posted 3/5/2019 8:49 PM (GMT 0)
Fran,

A lot of docs do the first post-surgery PSA at 6 weeks. It should be a LOT lower than pre-surgery, but don't stress out if it's not non-detectable. It frequently takes more than 6 weeks to get all the PSA out of your system. Most RO's won't do SRT anyway until you're 3 months post surgery, to give things time to heal.

What you hope for at 6 weeks--and especially at 3 months--is a "<" in front of your PSA number. Get that, you may not need anything--at least not unless it starts going up. My doc does PSA every 3 months for the first year, and evey 6 months for 5 years--I'm having my 4 year blood draw on Friday.
Posted 3/7/2019 2:50 PM (GMT 0)
4 weeks +2 days post surgery. The body is healing just fine but the mind is an evil thing. Having the seminal vesicle with cancer and a lesion on my kidney stays in my head. I still do not go back to the URO until 3/18. Not even a tingle down below. To top it all off, my wife not needs to have an MRI this Friday on her breast following a mammogram. Just *****ing a bit I guess.
Posted 3/7/2019 3:24 PM (GMT 0)
FP - From my experience, the mind is pretty much shot after you are sent to the urologist for cause, told you need a biopsy, and/or after the diagnosis of PCa. Each event was a "chink in the armor" of my mind. It does settle down after a while but never goes away, you just get better at shrugging off the various "news" you get, good or bad, and just roll with it.

Have you started any sidenafil (Viagra) or Cialis yet? Usually the doc will have you start in a month or so after surgery. I am at 4mos now and I think I have some things going on down there but nothing to work with yet. The doctor and ED therapist are pretty clear about it taking a long while for most folks as the nerves repair the incidental damage from the surgery (assuming the two nerves were spared in the surgery?)

My wife is a 15 year survivor of breast cancer, cured at 10 years which is one advantage of that cancer, you actually reach a point where you stop seeing doctors about it. PCa is not so nice like that if I can say there is a good thing about breast cancer. All cancer sucks, some more than others.
Posted 3/7/2019 3:50 PM (GMT 0)
I think Mumbo summed it up well. It really is a new normal. Over time you get more skilled at meshing it into your life.
Posted 3/7/2019 7:14 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the support guys. It's been a bad week for me as far as the depression. I have been very positive up until this week. The monkey is the heard are having a fun week at the zoo. 11 days to go until my first post Op meeting with the surgeon and the new PSA results. They also sent my pathology in for a Decipher test, I will be the results on the 18th well. FP.
Posted 3/7/2019 8:22 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome FranPro!..... you and I have a lot in common, my friend. My pre-op PSA was 12.44, biopsy determined 10 of 12 cores positive, and Gleason 7 (4+3). I am currently 8 weeks and 2 days since my surgery. I had full urinary control the day my catheter was removed, (well, a little drip here and there, but...) and while my nerves are functioning well, I could use a little air in the tire myself....so I know that frustration as well, lol.
I had an appointment TODAY for my post-op PSA, and because my Uro. was ill it was cancelled and re-scheduled for MAY 1....I requested my results via the phone, but that's another rant for me, lol.
I fully understand your anxiety. Over-thinking has beat me to pieces more than once during this process. Anxiety is a perfectly normal emotion, as are sadness, frustration, anger, despair.....all normal. Just remember that. I had a day or so last week when I was overwhelmed by sadness. No reason for it. Just a wave of melancholia.....normal. I've wanted to beat the tar out of more than one person in the past month or so......of course, I'm trying to get my business momentum back up, maintain a Vegan diet and I've been craving a smoke for a month, so again.....normal. I guess what I'm getting at is that you have been thrust into a situation that you most likely never expected, had to do things that were uncomfortable, embarrassing, painful, or perhaps frightening. I say let yourself off the hook for a while, friend. You've found a great group of fellahs with solid input, a wide range of diagnosis and treatment experience(s), and opinions based on real science.
Hang in there, Man. As I've been told repeatedly by some great Pca veterans, there are many options, and you have plenty of time! Godspeed!
Posted 3/7/2019 9:31 PM (GMT 0)
DaMayor, Thank you for your response. Put off until May 1? That is brutal, why? I guess after 3 long months since my diagnosis and deserve a week of feeling sorry for myself. In my first post op meeting a week after surgery, they told me about the seminal vesicle cancer but I was unprepared at the time and not worried because both were removed. Now that I have had time to study I have a lot of questions. I called my NP today and I am hoping for a call back. I am almost sure I will be doing at least 4 weeks of radiation, but I don't think they can start that until 8 weeks post op. I just want to get this all taken care of and put it behind me as much as I can. 57 is too young to be dealing with this. I have done everything according to plan, so I am hoping the lower parts come back to the party sooner than later. Thanks again. FP...
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