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Posted 3/15/2007 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
Leandra,       Whew… We’re glad you’re back!!!   We are right where you left us…      Our thoughts and prayers remain with you….. In Friendship ~ Lee & Buddy
Posted 3/15/2007 10:37 PM (GMT 0)

I wish I could put into words exactly how I feel right now, I'm sitting here crying my eyes out I am so scared, I haven't been able to sleep for about a week and I don't think I have eaten for about 2 days, the very thought of food makes me feel ill.I seriously don't know how you all got through this

I am trying really hard not to let anyone see me like this, at the moment my grandson is out playing with his friends and my darling husband has fallen asleep. I need to sleep but I can't relax. My husband is such I worrier that I cant let him see me like I am now, he may decide not to have the op and I know its the best thing to do. I think what has bothered me more than anything is that we were reading Dr Walch's book the other night ( yet again ) and he stated that if you have a heart condition...even if you cardio gives you the green light...don't have the op, it's really bothering me now, I'm so afraid something will happen during the operation.

When everything was rescheduled last time my husband mentioned these concerns and the Doc he spoke to said that she would get us an appointment so that we could really talk things through with someone...that never happened, I have never met the person doing the op and my husband has only spoke to him once. Being from Uk I don't really understand your health system, but he is having this done through the VA and so far, I am sorry to say, I am far from impressed with the care they offer. It reminds me far too much of the National Health system in the UK and I could never trust them there.

The logical side of me says everything will go just fine, but the emotional side is so confused, we haven't been married very long and I don't really have any friends here that I can talk to, my family is back in the UK and I don't want them worrying about us. Our Church has been amazing with the amount of support they have offered, I have been truly overwhelmed by all of it, yet I still feel alone and trying to cope with everything  by myself.

After he has  had the op and recovering ( which I know will happen) I am serioulsy thinking about starting some kind of help system for those of us supporting someone with PC though I dont really know where to start, if there is already somewhere that does this please let me know, as I havent been able to find anything on the web at all.

Ok my mind has now gone completely numb I really do need to sleep, God bless all of you and thank you so much for your support, I don;t know what I would have done without you.

Posted 3/15/2007 11:17 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Leandra,

The fear and dread you are feeling is natural for a person who loves someone very much and sees him in trouble. We and our wives all went through it. We got over it (mostly) after meeting with the uro/surgeon who put us at ease by answering ALL of our questions and sharing our concerns. He gave us time with him to discuss the treatment options and what the surgery was all about and the after effects. Then he gave us lots of information (papers and books) to read as well as the link to this forum.

You need to find a doc that can do this for you. You don't have to face the decisions and the wait times for tests etc. all alone. Insist on getting answers and insist on having time to make a decision and insist on getting all the information you can. As Bluebird says, "Knowledge is Power and Power dispels Fear" (or something to that effect) I don't know how the VA system works but they have to understand your position and get you some answers.

In the meantime, please come back to this forum for support. I don't know much about medicine but some of the others here have experienced what you are going through. Stay close to us, Leandra, we need you as much as you need us....

Jim
Posted 3/15/2007 11:33 PM (GMT 0)
Leandra….Remember this: 01-04   Scared and in need of a little support   I've been lurking about on this board for quite a while and have gained so much information from all of you, and a great deal of comfort, I finally decided to join you. STOP …….. take a nice deep breath ….. and let your mind clear. You are on overload from all the waiting and the mind is running wild on you. STOP ~ and take another deep breath ….. let your mind clear. You’ve had a really good cry and this is “GREAT”…..   let it be a cleansing tool for you.   Let it be what flushes all the “negatives out of your body and mind”. STOP ~ and take another deep breath … let your mind clear. HOLD TIGHT to each of us…. Take our STRENGTH and let it help you through this. Leandra ~ I am shutting down my computer and have to re-start and will be back on in a few minutes… Don’t let go!!!!   I see Biker just posted……   There’s your 1 st of many Helping Hands…. HOLD ON…
Posted 3/16/2007 1:10 AM (GMT 0)
Leandra & Hubby,                                                                       YOU MAKE THE DECISIONS…. YOU HAVE OPTIONS   The most important thing right now is keeping your strength up and getting sleep.   If you need help sleeping…. Get it!!! Call your family physician or your specialist… Also ~ this is a must for your honey…. Don’t let this become a “negative” factor in “your” moving forward… You have to be strong and from your posting…. You are strong!!!   It is so evident in your posting….   If you are even aware of what you just wrote… then you are stronger than you think.   Partial Quote from Leandra:   I am seriously thinking about starting some kind of help system for those of us supporting someone with PC You are already prepared to help others who are going through what we are or have gone through.   This is inner strength.   PULL FROM IT….   You also wrote in previous postings.   Partial Quotes from Leandra… We got the results from the echo cardio and they told us everything is normal and there are now no concerns about his heart, apart from the normal ones of course, everything looks good for the Op He seems to have settled down a little after the consult, he was really worried that the anesthetic could have an adverse effect on him because of his heart, they assured us that won't happen, BUT if anything does go wrong then he is in the best place possible to have things put right …that the consult with the cardio went really well, they aren't at all concerned about his heart, seems it was a very mild attack and left little if any damage, we have to go for an EKG before the op so that they can tell us exactly what's going on there, the only real problem he had was a blockage...hence the stent. Leandra ~   Any major surgery has risk.   This is where you both have to be completely at ease with the decision to move forward in whichever treatment “YOU” choose.   Every book you read will tell you that other medical conditions come into play with the decisions you make… … Not just Dr. Walsh….   You have to be aware and from your postings above you are.   If you need re-assurance after all this time that’s passed… get it!!!!! If the answers from your consultation are still a concern then get a 2 nd opinion.   Or make another appointment… YOU MAKE THE DECISIONS…. YOU HAVE OPTIONS After re-reading your previous postings….. What’s changed from then until now?   In all likelihood… just time…. And that “time” gives the mind the time to play havoc (confusion).   You truly need to regroup and if you still have questions…. Get them answered ~ Now!!!   Partial Quote from Leandra:   appointment so that we could really talk things through with someone...that never happened, Get your answers….. if you still have some…   Don’t wait for someone else to make the appointments…   Pull strength from anyone who offers it to you.   Whether it is from church members or members on this forum ~ Move forward… with our help.   The most important thing I can share with you right now is to STOP and take a deep breath and look at “everything” with a clear ~ mind…..   Keeping you extra close….. in our thoughts and prayers. Let us hear from you soon. In Friendship ~ Lee & Buddy Leandra: It truly would be good if you put your arms around your husband and told him what you’re feeling.   He may be feeling the exact same way and with 2 minds… helping each other you may find that the fear is cut in half and can be dealt with much better. Don’t leave him outside of your “fear”…   Bring him in.   He may be hurting and probably more scared than you are….. We all have weaknesses and we all have strengths.   Pull from each other to get through this. This is a team “journey”…. Don’t keep the “ball” to yourself…. Share it!   The odds are much better when the team shares in the victory.   That’s what this life is all about .   One~Day~At~A~Time….  
Posted 3/16/2007 11:12 AM (GMT 0)
Leandra, sorry to hear that things are not going so well right now. I agree that your and your hubby need to feel comfortable with your decisions and with your doctors. if that means cancelling the surgery yet again, just do it. if he's so uncomfortable about having surgery, there are other options available. I agree with Lee in that you need to share your concerns with him. he's probably feeling the same way and doesn't want to upset you. everytime I talked with Jeff about my feelings, he would say he was feeling the same way. it's ok to be scared and upset - who wouldn't when faced with cancer and death? here's a big hug for you! take care and God bless, kat
Posted 3/17/2007 5:37 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all you support on this. I was having a really bad day when I wrote that post, my husband is well aware of how I feel and how upset I get at times, we talk about it all the time and I know he feels the same way. You are probably right when you said that the extra time we have had to wait has taken it's toll on both of us, we really need to get past all of this and on the other side.

My problems recently are mainly due to the VA and who we Have to use for this op, my husband can't get insurance since his heart attack and we cant afford to go private, so our choices are very limited. The surgeon who will be performing the op is one of the best in the country, he has trained many of those now working at places like John Hopkins, however his 'bedside' manner is terrible, I havent met him yet and I am unlikely to either, my husband has spoken to him very briefly on only one occasion, that was the only appointment I was unable to attend with him, I hated him having to go without me but could do nothing about it. Since then we have seen one other surgeon ( who won't be there for the operation ) and countless PA's, all of whom have said that he is a perfect candidate for the operation. from what they have said the prostate itself is tiny, and the cancer can't be felt at all, the doctor that did the biopsy also said that it looked perfectly normal, I think they were suprised when they got the results back as positive as everyone was sure there was nothing wrong, he's not really had any major symptoms either except occasionally getting up in the night, and sometimes having a slow stream, he has however had these problems for at least 3 years and nothing was done about it at the time despite his PSA being elevated for someone his age.

We both know that the operation is the right way to go for us, his chances of a complete cure are very high, his main concern is the anaesthetic, he has a dread of not being able to control what is happening to him, he does trust the doctors but I know at the back of his mind he is constantly thinking 'what if something goes wrong', and we have spoken to many about it, all have reassured us that it will be fine and they dont anticipate any problems at all, his cardio has told him that if it wasn;t for the stent he has, his heart would be 'normal' all his EKG's show this to be true, they can't see any damage to the heart at all.He made a good point just last night, when he said that maybe the way we are feeling now is probably absolutely normal and we just think it's worse because it's us that is having to deal with it this time!

The anxiety and fear's wont go away until he's back in his room on tuesday and it's all over and done with, we know whatever happens after that, we can deal with it when the time comes.

I remember feeling exactly like this when he was in the operating room after his heart attack, that didn't bother him much at all, but then, he was awake during the entire procedure and could watch what was happening and talk to the doctor, plus he knew the surgeon very well. he'd worked with him at a previous hospital.

We don't have long to wait now and though I know it's going to be a rough couple of days I also know we will get through it. Monday will be the worst day, and I know he will consider cancelling it at some point that day, when the stress really starts to get to him. I'll update you as soon as I can after the Op.

Posted 3/17/2007 6:53 PM (GMT 0)
((((Hugs)))) leandra,

you all have definitely had a hard time of it. Our thoughts are with you. Hope everything goes smoothly for you and best wishes. Thanks for continuing to post even through the rough times. It helps everyone to know they are not alone in feelings of anxiety when surgery approaches.

Tanya and Ken
Posted 3/17/2007 7:01 PM (GMT 0)
{{HUGS}}} and prayers to you and hubby Leandra! He'll sail through it and before you know it this will be a distant memory. Wishing you a lifetime of post op PSA ZEROOOOOS!
;o) Linda & Bob
Posted 3/17/2007 7:05 PM (GMT 0)

Leandra,

I had my PC surgery done FEb 8 at the San Francisco VA and it could not have gone better.  I was also uptight about going under the anesthesia, but all I remembered is talking to the nurse in the prep room and then waking up when it was all over.  I had met with the surgeon a week before and never saw him again.  Remember that in a normal hospital they see about 50/50 men & women, but in VA they see about 95% men and they do a lot of PC surgery and I feel real good about my care and results. 

Good luck and I hope it goes as well for your husband as it did for me, but I would recommend VA again to anyone, at least the SF and Palo Alto ones in the SF bay area as I have had good results and good care at both of them with very minimum run around or red tape.

Motelmat

Posted 3/22/2007 3:16 AM (GMT 0)
I tried a couple of times to get onto here last night to post this but couldn't.I hope you don;t mind that its so long First of all I want to thank all of you here for your invaluable help, support and prayers during this very difficult time. I wish I could give each of you a huge hug, you are all very special people and I applaud all of you.   And now for our BIG day.   We arrived at 5:30 am and was taken straight to the admittance room, we stayed with him while the nurses got him ready with everything necessary, We had our 8 yr old grandson with us so for modesty’s sake and 8 yr old eyes…we waited outside while they shaved him. After that everything happened all too quickly, they let us back in the room and told us to give him a hug as we wouldn’t see him until after the operation, then he was gone, I watched them wheel him out of the room and on to the waiting area prior to seeing the anesthetists, we were just left standing, then one of the nurses said that we could go and sit in the waiting room, I couldn’t face all those people so went to get some fresh air and a coffee.   Once I had my wits back we went back to the admittance area and I asked what time he would be going into surgery, they said 7:30, and the operation would take about 3 hours, then he would go to the recovery room for about 4 hours before he was finally taken to his room, they told us that once the surgery was over ‘someone’ would come to speak to me and tell me how everything had gone. They also said that when we saw him back in his room, not to worry if we saw blood in the urine bag, this was normal. OK here’s how it Actually went .   6:00 he disappeared to the waiting area   7:00 Our good friend arrived to stay with me and give me some support   7:30 they took him to the operating room ( nothing new here)   8:30 I get a phone call in the waiting room and I’m thinking, what could have gone wrong? It was the operating room nurse letting me know that they were just starting surgery ( hmm wasn’t that supposed to be an hour ago??)   So surgery started 1 hour later than I thought it would as it took an hour to prepare him once they got into operating room…no one told me this lol. So I am now thinking ok he should be finished by 11:30   10:30 yet another call from the surgical nurse letting me know that the op was almost over and he would be going to recovery in about 30 mins (so 2 hours not 3) and that ‘someone’ would be down to see me in about 20 mins   At this point I decided that my bladder couldn’t wait any longer and I went to the restroom and to get another coffee…BIG mistake, the ‘someone’ arrived to speak to me 15 mins earlier than expected, he spoke to our friend instead, I had some questions I really wanted to ask too, and this ‘ someone’ turned out to be the chief surgeon whom I have yet to meet   Obviously he wouldn’t tell just a friend that much, except that all was well and we should be able to see him around 2pm. So thinking we had 4 hours to wait I asked our friend if he would take my grandson and go and check on our dogs, who had been locked in the house since early this morning, off they went.   11:45 Call from the recovery room…. Can you make you way to the room he’s on his way now….??   Panic as I thought I need to let out friend know where to go when he finally makes it back to the hospital, so I call him and let him know, then run to the elevator and up 2 floors, I quickly turn the corner…straight into the bed with my husband on it. Talk about timing lol I thought he was still asleep until the guy pushing the bed asked him to keep his elbows in and he moved, WOW he is awake.   So we got through it and he’s doing absolutely fantastic, YAAAY we are joining all of you on the other side AT LAST. He’s been very sleepy most of the day but has been laughing and joking with the nurses while awake.   His surgeon came to see us this evening, She is very pleased with how things are going, she said that when they examined the prostate she couldn’t see anything on the margins, seminal vessels were very good and no spread, they took the lymph nodes as a precaution, and she had been able to spare the nerves, the prostate itself was normal size and the cancer could only be felt by squeezing really hard. No surprise they could detect it on and rectal exam. She told us that no blood was needed at all during the op and was amazed when she looked at the urine bag and saw no signs of blood at all; fluid from the wound is minimal. She said that if everything went well tomorrow and he was able to eat normally and walk about then he may be able to come home tomorrow afternoon!!   The final result obviously depends on the result from post op biopsy, but from what she can see he is now CANCER FREE.   He just called me as is feeling a little pain, the meds they have him on aren’t working well and Morphine gives him migraine like headaches, I’ve managed to convince him to let them know and get more meds if he needs them, He’s also feeling VERY cold, to the extent that he had a shivering fit this morning and we had to get another blanket for him, his throat sounds very raspy and sore and he has what he describes as ‘cotton mouth’ from all the meds.   I think with a good nights sleep he will feel much better in the morning, he is still feeling slight effects from the anesthetic. I will be back with him about 5am and will let you know how things are when I get back home tomorrow.   OK so that was yesterday. now for today, he's up and walking probably much too far, eating solids again, and still having a fair amount of pain but it's not bothering him that much, best news of all though is: He was discharged from hospital around 6pm this evening and we are now back home , he's doing great and his doctors and extremely pleased with him, We've got one small problem tonight in that he seems to have a slight temperature, nothing too bad but we did call and see if we should go back, they said to make sure he got plenty of water and rest but keep an eye on it, if it rises again then I will take him back asap.   I am so relieved it's all over with now, we are on the other side and we feel so much better,Again thanks to all of you for all the help and support you have given, maybe now I can help others too
Posted 3/22/2007 3:36 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Leandra, I was reading DJHoustons letter...I like detailed information, thank you DJ! A couple of thoughts on the catheter. One, we were prescribed a lydocaine gel to put on the opening of the penis.  It was extremely helpful for the first few days of the catheter. Hopefully your surgeon will prescribe as a matter of course.  If not, ask! Secondly, I don't know much about this subject, but I do know my husband.  His penis hangs to the left and when he was told at the pre-op appointment to shave both thighs in order to make the tape removal easier when the cath was removed, I mentioned that it would likely be more comfortable having the cath tube down the left thigh.  So, he shaved the left thigh only and specific instructions to the surgical nurse immediately before surgery insured that small bit of comfort.  I know its small stuff, but it helped! Best wishes for an easy time! Kind Regards, Becky
Posted 3/22/2007 3:52 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Leandra,

Welcome to the "other side". Glad everything looks so good. That's a big load off everyone's mind. Thanks for the detailed report on the day of surgery. It lets others know what to expect, the little surprises and the overyall procedure.

Now to get well. You are well prepared and should have no problems. Please keep us posted...

Jim
Posted 3/22/2007 3:52 AM (GMT 0)
Hi ~ Leander   & Hubby,   We are so happy you are both home!!!!!!   Hugs to you both!!!      Now ~ make sure you sleep when he sleeps and you will be better able to handle anything that comes at you.   Monitor that fever and stay on top of things and you will be fine.   Don’t you hesitate to call your doctor at anytime if you have “any” concerns…..   Okay!!!!!   And don’t forget to Eat!!!!   okay!!!   Take care of you… too!!!            WE “ALL” FEEL YOUR HUGS…..   Thank you!!!!!!       For some reason your surgery date surprised me…. I had Leander with a ?? on my calendar for the end of March…. And was waiting to pencil in the date…. And must have missed it in previous post…   And when I saw this Thread pop-up ……BAM…. You are on the road to healing/recovery.   Yipppppeeeeeee!!!!!   Excellent posting…… never too long when it gives such good details!!!!!!!   That’s part of the journey and we are so happy you allowed us to walk with you.   Keeping you extra close in thoughts and prayers…. In Friendship ~ Lee & Buddy
Posted 3/22/2007 4:00 AM (GMT 0)
Whoops, sorry Leandra,  I missed your latest post.  Halelujah it is over...I am so glad...best wishes for a quick recovery! Becky
Posted 3/22/2007 5:13 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Leandra,

I am happy for you and your husband what a relief the op is over. After Jim's op, was when he has really needed my support for some of those black days. It has helped us to have these wonderful people giving us encouragement. We made a pact to be truly honest with each other, and share our feelings. No secrets.

Prayers and best wishes to you both,

MaryLu
Posted 3/22/2007 10:58 AM (GMT 0)
Leandra, yeah! you both made it! here's wishing you both a quick recovery and happy days ahead. tell your hubby to relax, take it easy, walk a little bit more every day, and drink lots of water. God bless, kat
Posted 3/22/2007 8:11 PM (GMT 0)

Thanks everyone for the good wishes. After his Temp was up yesterday evening we did have to rush him back to the ER at about 2 am, his pulse was racing at an alarming rate 150+ when the paramedics checked it and it had slowed down by the time they arrived, they decided to take him back in as a precaution, as it turned out once we got there we realised that the nurse hadn't given him his blood pressure meds that morning or evening before we left the hospital, and once we got home he took his pain meds and almost immediately fell asleep,the Doc in the ER said he seemed to be having a reaction to the pain meds and to stop taking them, that, on top of no blood pressure meds had lets things spiral to the point we couldn't control it at home.We arrived safely home at around 5:30, very tired but even more relieved. I think we both collapsed once we got back home, I woke up this morning still on the sofa and still dressed !!

I fully intend to try and get some sleep whenever he does, eating is still a problem for me but that will get better in the next few days, it always does.Getting him up and walking is not a problem at all, in fact making him sit still is the problem right now,he's determined to recover from this as quickly as he possible can, and I am sure he's going to do it too.I already know I am going to have to watch him like a hawk as he is likely to push too hard.I am truly amazed at how well he is doing today, once he managed to get some 'real' sleep he seems alot better, and is managing with ordinary Tylenol for his pain, which isn't anything like as bad as it was yesterday, coughing is still a problem and I am waiting for the first time he sneezes or really laughs hard.Holding a pillow to him wasn't working well at all, so I got the idea to tightly roll up a bathroom towel and tape it together, it's still flexible to pull it into him but gives him much better support when he coughs, he's already nicknamed it his teddy and carries it everywhere with him.

I'll keep up updated but for now he's still doing GREAT

Posted 3/22/2007 8:23 PM (GMT 0)
Leandra,

Thanks for such detailed updates. Really helps those of us going into it.

What a scare yesterday, I am sure! But glad to hear things are looking up and I think you have had your share of complications ... so no more for you all! i hope and pray :)

Great idea on the bath towel, will add that to the list of "tips and tricks" I am keeping for our upcoming surgery.

Tanya
Posted 3/23/2007 3:41 AM (GMT 0)
Leandra

Great to have you on the other side, just make sure hubby take is slow and easy and not over do to fast. It takes time and the time does go by quickly. I hope for a good post op pathology report for you.

norskie
Posted 3/27/2007 6:21 AM (GMT 0)
Quick update on how things are going......................

He's doing really well. sore but coping with it, he has been taking ordinary Tylenol since the day after surgery as he had some kind of an allergic reaction to the one they gave us...hence the trip back to the ER, it's worked, not taking anything for pain now as it's not bothering him at all, he does still have some nausea which according to the Doc should have passed my now, but he also has a bad sinus problem due to allergies and they think that is what is causing the upset stomach.

 We had to call them this morning as his testicles were very swollen, and he was finding it extremely hard to sit down, I know many of you have warned me about this but I really didnt know how big they could get....his are enormous, his surgeon told us to come in and she would take a look at him, I cant praise this young lady enough, she is about to qualify as a full urology surgeon and has such a wonderful manner about her that any hospital she goes to after she leaves the VA is getting one incredibly talented surgeon, the head of urology has told us that she is so good she scares him!!!, she may be about to qualify but has already done thousands of these ops and never had a failure yet. Well she took a look at him and told him they honestly everything is ok , she could inderstand his concern as they would feel very large to him but after this op they are normal!!! all I could say was OUCH !!!!, he also has a bit of a heat/yeast rash that will probably be making it even more uncomfortable for him, I mentioned that I had Gold Bond Medcated poweder at home and she said that should work great, If not...then get some athlete's foot cream and that should clear it up.

The only other problem that is really bugging him, is that he cant seem to lift his left leg, it hurts to try it and he dosen't seem to have any strength in it at all. he can walk on it fine, he just cant lift it to get into bed etc..Dr Noonas told us that it could be a slight nerve problem things get moved about in the op and though she knows she didn't cut anything she shouldn't she cant say she didnt move it...nerves don't like to be moved so they kind of go on strike for a while just to let you know they didn't like it, it's expected to be back to normal very soon, though she couldn't say when as that will depend on how angry the nerve is :)

We also confirmed today that we wil get the final pathology on April 4th, when they will remove his ' leash' as he calls it, he really hates that cath, he's been using the leg bag alot in the day and much prefers that.

One question I have for all of you though is how soon after the op did you begin get an errection, I only ask as this happened to him last night, obviously he dosen't want anything like that right now..not with the cath in,( I dont know if it would hurt or not but I would imagine it would)It took him by suprise and sent him running to the bathroom to check, but, yes it was deffinately trying, he said all he could thing at that point was think no...no...NOOO!! and I appologise to all you guys but I couldnt stop laughing at the expresion on his face, sheer panic simply can't describe it (does it really hurt that much???).

For all the post op stuff and any more updates I will probably start a new thread,as this one is getting long now. I have been keeping a diary of everything that's happened so far, but I think it would be too long to post on here, I may try and alter it a little and put it on as our Journey, I dont know yet, but I will be checking these boards daily, after all the help and encouragement you gave to us, I feel the need to help others in the same way. Again thanks to all of you and a HUGE HUG to all my amazing friends on her.

 

Posted 3/27/2007 9:33 AM (GMT 0)
Leandra,

The erection lilkely bothers your husband (although it is actually great news...)
because it makes the catheter even more uncomfortable.
In spite of the leg problem, my experience suggests
he should walk frequently (e.g., before or after meals) for increasing lengths of time.

Keeping you two and your path report in good thoughts.

Cedar Chopper
Posted 3/27/2007 11:27 AM (GMT 0)
Leandra, I can only imagine that it would hurt to have an erection with the catheter. I laughed at you laughing about the look on his face. :) at another thread, Kate said taht Tom had an orgasm with the catheter in. I would think that would really hurt! I hope the swellness has gone down some so he can sit more comfortably. hang in there - it gets better every day, and when you have a bad day, the next day will be better. take care, kat
Posted 3/30/2007 5:52 AM (GMT 0)

Another Update:

He's doing great, but still sore and slightly swollen,I dont know if we will make it all the way to Apr 4th with all the staples as quite a few of them are coming out on their own and the scar is itching like crazy.

We've had a couple of quiet days here, taking walks around the yard and trying to relax, he's been so sore that it's been waking him up at night, so we are really tired. His stomach is still a little upset but since i made him drink more water that seems to be getting better, he;s never been very good at hydrating since he retired from the army, he always has a glass of water at his side but most of the time he forgets to drink it!!.

We tried a little experiment this afternoon, he couldn't get the catheter comfortable at all and was really feeling low about the bag, so we took it off and he tried out a depends, I could see him starting to relax almost immediately, the freedom he had without that bag allowed him to rest so much better and he could move about much easier too, he's been laughing and joking again all evening and it's been wonderful to see him really smile.

Quick question for all of you, the tip of his penis is really sore, we have been using the neosporin often and his cath hasn't been puling on it either, he does have a bit of a sweat rash around the top of the legs (It's already starting to get hot here !!) and the doc said I could use the Gold Bond antisceptic baby powder to help dry it up, the tip isn't red or inflamed at all...just sore, any tips on how to relieve this? We don;t have long before the cath comes out, thank goodness, but I hate to seem him so uncomfortable

He's starting to get a bit anxious about the pathology report too now, we get that on Tuesday along with taking out the staples ( if they stay in that long as they are coming out on their own ) and the cath, we are both praying for a good result.

As for the erections, they are happening more often, at first he wasn't really sure if that's what he was feeling, but now there is no mistaking it at all and it really hurts him.Yes it's excellent that it's happening but.....please not with the cath in :) we are hoping that this continues once the cath is out.

Again thanks for all your wonderful support, big hug to all of you :)

 

Posted 3/30/2007 6:17 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Leandra,
Neosporin only is an infection inhibiter, did you not get a lydocaine gel prescription? I did and the soreness was very minimal for me. It's probably getting to be trivial because soon the catheter wil be gone. I did use the lydocaine for a day after the catheter came out. But that tube is a distant memory for me now.

The nerve sparing worked since he is able in "inflate" but don't be surprised if these conditions change around in the coming days. Swelling and healing do affect initial post op observations. I think he'll be fine and soon. My prayers are with you for the pathology.

God Bless,


Tony
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