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Posted 1/16/2008 11:40 AM (GMT 0)
Good Morning, I'm Bob in Southern MD, a new member.  I noticed you posted in some thread that you went to sleep thinking Da-Vinci and woke up with a long scar

Are you comfortable discussing that ?

I've been warned up front by my Surgeon, Dr. Simon S. Chung, that, althought I'm scheduled for Da-Vinci on 25 Feb 08 @ INOVA Fairfax Hospital, Fairfax VA, depending on the Scar Tissue left from previous surgeries since 2002 (Kidney Cancer, Gastric By-pass) they may have to abort Da-Vinci and open me up.  So, we (my wife Joanne and I), need to decide by the time I go to sleep what we want the Dr to do if he encounters any issues.

Is that what happened to you, Can you elaborate ?

Thank You

Posted 1/16/2008 12:15 PM (GMT 0)
Bob,


I had many previous abdominal surgeries and was warned the same.
After an hour, they got the camera through the adhesions but only with much difficulty - so they abandoned DaVinci and opened me up.
Recovery is pretty much the same as with DaVinci.

Some here will argue that the physician can "feel around" more and such if you are opened.  Others say the physician can see better with magnifiers and control fine movements better with DaVinci.
I personally think the question is how many "open" surgeries AND DaVinci surgeries has your suregeon team done?
open has become the rarity and DaVinci the norm.  Newer surgeons have done less open.  I had the great fortune of having both a "young Jedi knight" DaVinci expert and a master of open surgery "Yoda" for my team.

This is to say, I wouldn't let this aspect of the surgery (always a possiblity in any DaVinci procedure) make the decision concerning treatment for you -
  - perhaps influencing your choice of surgical team but not choice of surgery over other options.

Sincerely,

CCedar
ICTHUS!

Posted 1/16/2008 12:28 PM (GMT 0)
FYI - I had several Dr's tell me that if it were a race to continence, the open patient would usually win. The marketing is marketing. There is nothing "worse" about the open surgery. They separate the muscles - not cut through them, so pain is usually not that great an issue. Don't let this add to your stress. Having been through the DaVinci, it was no walk in the park.
Posted 1/16/2008 12:38 PM (GMT 0)
Thank You
I have a incision from my belly button to my right side from a Kidney removal operation (Cancerous) in 2002, so, I know about cutting and healing, I was just curious in regards to the Prostate and what approach was taken/received by others here from their surgeons.
I am certainly getting this done, one way or another
The surgeon, Dr Simon S. Chung @ Dominion Urology in Fairfax Va seems pretty much "Above Board" and we were referred to him by other Surgeons/Dr's.

Sorry if I Blabber too much (as my wife says) :))
Posted 1/16/2008 12:45 PM (GMT 0)
Bob, sure, I will be glad to share my story. First, the official reason for stopping the robotic surgery was difficulty in keeping me ventilated so the sleep doc made the call, this was after several starts and stops to keep me stabilized. This was a very rare problem per my surgeon. I had years ago gallbladder surgery before the tiny hole so I had a scar all the way across my belly and got the same warning you got but that was not the problem. To add to the story, when I went to the urologist for the first time he wanted to run a test for kidney stones the same day as the biopsy. So to make a long story short, it was a bad day at the urologist. They found one kidney full of stones with one the size of a ping-pong ball and prostrate cancer. The urologist suggested that fixing the stone problem first would be the way we go. Because of the size of the stones had to be surgically removed. This turned out to be three different trips to the hospital keeping a tube in back for a month but from your problems you have probably been there and done that. So the month before the robotic surgery, I was put to sleep four times. This, I think contributed to problem.

Now when I woke up, was it worse having five holes and a tummy cut? At that moment yes but it just added one day to my hospital stay and you are more sore for sure but tolerable. The next day, I was up with help and walking, and as you know, you will need a little more help getting up and down when you get home for a couple of days.

Would I have rather had just the robotic; sure, but as my surgeon said, in three weeks, if you compare a person with robotic surgery to one with open surgery, they will be at the same stage of recovery. You might ask this of your surgeon

I sure hope this helps.

Randy
Posted 1/16/2008 1:19 PM (GMT 0)
Bob,

There is no deciding before hand, unless you mean deciding to have open surgery instead of robotic. The robotic assisted procedure will be aborted by protocol should the need arrive at anytime. Asking your opinion was decent of him however, Doc has a clear pretty protocol. He can change mid stream for his own reason or because he hit upon a concern. Good luck to you.

Swim
Posted 1/16/2008 3:18 PM (GMT 0)
Deciding, as in the Surgeon wants to let us know beforehand, as in Pre-OP, if, when he goes in (Da-Vinci) and there is a Scar Tissue issue, do we want him to just close me up and we're dicuss it later when I wake up, or do I want him to just open me up and do what he has to do

Obviously, unless someone here address's a issue unknow, or we havent thought about, my obvious decision is: "Doc, do what ya gotta do" !

Posted 1/16/2008 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
Bob1949

It's your decision, of course, but if it were me, I would want it completed no matter which way it went.  Surgery is surgery and the after effects of either type is very similar. After all the physical and emotional prep for this, I couldn't comprehend waking up and being told I'd have to do it again later.  I'd really be pissed...lol   Having had the open, I can tell you that my recovery time and such was equal to what I read here of the DaVinci guys, so it was a non-issue for me.  But that's me, you will have to make your own decision as to what you wish them to do..  One tip for you.  Lots of guys here decide a course of treatment, which takes a couple of months to get done, and in the meantime start worrying and second guessing their decision.  Don't do that, make the decision and let the worry and second guessing go, unless something really compelling is found that makes you alter that.  Spend the time waiting to try to get your body in better condition, gather all the post-surgery things you may need, take this time to enjoy family and friends, The other side is waiting, with its own set of worries and questioning...lol  Good luck in what you decide.

Posted 1/16/2008 10:06 PM (GMT 0)
A clear pretty? WOW..I ned more coffee...LOL

Seriously though, the Doc knows what he is supposed to do should robotic need to be aborted. He's asking for you to say the words apparently. Strange but hey, maybe he angered somebody once by not waking the patient up to ask first.
Posted 1/16/2008 11:58 PM (GMT 0)
HI wd40. Reading your post I was wondering if you have sleep apnea? I have it, and my first choice for PC treatment was robotic, but the Dr told me the position they put you in for robotic is bad for people with sleep apnea, so I went with the open.

Mika
Posted 1/17/2008 11:50 AM (GMT 0)
Ni don't have sleep problems, I feel sure it was having been put sleep four times in the last five weeks before the walnut surgery.
Posted 1/17/2008 3:37 PM (GMT 0)
I had Sleep Apnea, but, when I had Gastric-ByPass Surgery in 2006 that went by the wayside, so I hope that wont be a issue with my Da-Vinci.  Now, my wife snores all the time as payback I think

Bob

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