1 week post RALP

This has been a long journey for me as you can see from my signature, but I am now 1-week post RALP and prostate free. I had decided that when they found cancer that I would have surgery as long as it hadn't spread outside of the prostate. All of the scans prior to the surgery and the comment from the surgeon when he removed it that it appeared to be prostate contained have me feeling pretty good

Recovery hasn't been as bad as I anticipated. The worst pain the evening in the hospital was from intestinal gas pain with didn't pass until the next morning. I was just mildly uncomfortable from the 6 incisions and in the perineum area. After I left the hospital I have been able to alternate Tylenol and Motrin for pain and to help control inflammation with minimal discomfort. Still having a few bladder spasms and they can be intense.

Yesterday was 1-week post-surgery and I had the catheter taken out and passed the voiding test and was pretty happy. I've had a little leakage during the day yesterday but overnight I was completely dry. I did get up 3 times to use the bathroom and was able to freely go each time. Today I've had some leakage twice already so I know there is still plenty of healing to happen.

If anyone had advice on how to proceed from here I'd appreciate it.

DjinTonic said...

Did you get your post-op path report? As you no doubt know, this detailed report will replace your biopsy pathology, which is just a sampling/estimate of what was actually going on in your entire prostate. Up- and downgrading of one's Gleason score are not uncommon. It will also have much other important info.

When does your doc want you to have your first PSA test? This can vary anywhere from 6 weeks to several months.

P.S. Check your RALP date in your sig. -- It shows 2/21

Thanks for the advice. I have a video visit next week on the 16th and I expect to see my pathology results by that time. I believe he said the plan is to test PSA at 3 months but I'll verify that next week.

I did have the RALP 2/21 (February 1st) or 2/1/2021, I just shortened it to month/year like my other entries.

Guitar Hunter, glad your surgery went well. Wishing you a speedy and complete recovery. I’ve found exercise (simply walking) to be a huge help for any medical procedure. It’s great for the body and the soul.

Guitar - You are doing good, sounds like my recovery except for the nasty gas pains in my shoulders.

I had the catheter out at 10 days in the morning and was dry the rest of that day. I drank a lot of fluids as recommended and went to the bathroom very often during the days. I made it through the first night also and got up every 2-3 hours because I was scared I would have an accident. This went on for weeks as every twinge down there would get me up. Takes a while before you feel the urge at night and just roll over for some more sleep. Same with the days where you head inside at first urge since it seems to build quickly. I knew every restroom location in every Home Depot and food store in the metro area which served me well in the beginning.

On the other hand in the early days, almost every time I would yawn, a little spurt would occur that I stop right away. There were other odd things that would cause that also. First time I sneezed, I was fine, go figure. I think you will find the situation somewhat odd for weeks/months even if your continence is good right of the bat.

I was worried about road trips and stopped at every rest stop with a wee wee jug in the glove compartment just in case one was closed. I still stop often even though I can go for hours. Just don't like the full feeling for a long time.

First ejaculation was like a fire hose which took me a long time to learn to control. Seems you learn how to control your self and anticipate situations better as time goes on.

You are only a week into this and sounds like you are heading in the right direction. Some patience is needed.

Good for you! You are way ahead of my schedule. I wasn't dry at night for weeks. And was in pads for a couple months. Don't get discouraged when you have leakage. It is a natural part of the process. Keep walking and getting stronger every day. Remember-you just had major surgery. Take it slow and easy on the recovery. Good luck on your path report.

Welcome to the other side!

I would not wait 3 months for that first PSA test. I would ask for psa tests at 4 and 8 weeks. Make sure its the ultra sensitive psa test.

Basically since your renegade prostate is now sitting in a freezer somewhere you should be darn close to undetectable at 4 weeks and undetectable at 8 weeks.

GH, sounds like you're right on track. I wore thick pads for the first week or so, and moved to thin shields during the day and thick ones at night for a while. I suppose I wore the shields longer than I really needed to, more for security. I eventually started automatically kegaling when I stood up from a chair. Now, I leak occasionally and don't worry about it.

One pleasant surprise I had was at about week 3, I woke up one night in a slightly painful situation: junior was tucked down by the heavy pad and was trying to go erect in the night. After that I made sure I pulled him up before I went to sleep so that if it happened again no pain.

My dr. ordered a PSA at 6 weeks, and it showed a big drop, but as others said, the definitive read is at 3 months.

GH-where in Ohio? I grew up in suburban Cleveland.

It may sound counter-intuitive, but keeping yourself well hydrated is important to help your continence get better. It gives the muscles something to work against. I find that even now, coming up on 6 years after RALP, that if I let myself dehydrate, I leak more, not less.

The first weeks after surgery, it was really, really cold and snowy. I hear you.

halbert said...
GH-where in Ohio? I grew up in suburban Cleveland.

It may sound counter-intuitive, but keeping yourself well hydrated is important to help your continence get better. It gives the muscles something to work against. I find that even now, coming up on 6 years after RALP, that if I let myself dehydrate, I leak more, not less.

The first weeks after surgery, it was really, really cold and snowy. I hear you.

I'm in the Dayton area and had the surgery at The James in Columbus.

Thank you Stephen
I have to do surgery so I'm working on Kegels and losing weight.
All suggestions are helpful. Most important is remembering to do them
So reading this has been a reminder.
Besides anesthesia issues, urine flow is a top concern for me.

Glen Heinsohn

Heh-heh yeah I have considered that. Gee I can almost remember when it was s firehose flow
I could write my name in the snow. Today? It might look like Sanskrit Lol

Glen

one other trick to beat the dribbles.....learn to exhale on effort. So for example when you go to standup instead of holding your breath as you begin standing exhale instead. Your diaphragm then exerts less pressure on your bladder. It takes a while (well it took me a while) to do that without thinking but it helps.

Reminds me of a story a friend told me. She had some kind of significant surgery. The doctor told her that she should/would be "up and about in 24 hours." At 36 hours post-surgery she wasn't feeling too good, but taking the doctor's advice to heart, she went to a work-related meeting. She felt awful and was white like a ghost. She wondered why she was such a wimp that she wasn't doing better. When she saw the doctor next she related the foregoing and asked why her recovery was so slow. The doctor said: "When I said you would be up and about, I meant that you would be able to go to the bathroom." Moral of the story: You have had major surgery and will be weak and tired for a considerable period. Don't fight it! Walk, but don't wear yourself out. (Actually, it will be really easy to wear yourself out.) If you feel weak as a limp rag, just lie down and rest!

Post Edited (fiddlecanoe) : 2/10/2021 8:23:35 PM (GMT-7)