Welcome Dilbert61

In another thread, Dilbert61 posted for the first time, sayi8ng:

This forum is outstanding. I have lurked throughout my diagnosis, surgery and now recovery. We all experience things differently, I'm probably more private than most, but I take my hat off to this string. The psychological impact of this disease cannot be underestimated. When I was healing I was cathaterized and would bleed every time I moved around too much. I felt that I was supposed to exercise but when I moved I would bled which was a problem. I became very disheartened and I finally emailed my doctor and asked him. I should have done it so much sooner. He was able to calm my fears, and almost immediately my outlook and healing improved. To this day, I speak with others about what I went through and I remember what happened but not that it was bad. I'm thankful for that and for this group. Keep up the great information sharing.

Initial PSA 4.7 retest 4.9
Biopsy January 2009, two cores 3+3=6 Gleason
Diagnosed Febuary 2009, age 47
open Surgery June 2009, radical, open, nerve sparing retropublic prostectomy
No positive margins and a favorable Gleason's grade of 3+3=6
PSA August 2009 .5
PSA November 2009 undetectable


Welcome to the Forum, and hope you will stay with us in your journey and continue sharing it with us.

Welcome to the club ! Sounds like you are on your way.

To All the other lurkers out there, take note. It's better to post here and ask questions before you get your pads in a bunch. Posting is good therapy, and there are a bunch of guys here who can help.

Dilbert, hopefully your experience can encourage others. Thanks for sharing.

Welcome Dilbert Yup this PCa (and HW) certainly makes you realise that in order to help us cope with all the (unexpected) problems that crop up you definitely have to make the decison to ask questions , and to do so without much hesitation or embarrassment, as well as to talk to people about matters that were hitherto rather private.  By way of an example of what I mean I'll quote from an email from a female friend of mine (whose husband has just finished radio and hormone therapy after a prostatectemy failed to get everything). "I can't believe I'm writing about this, but there you go! Cancer leads you where you never thought you'd go." Alfred

Dilbert
Glad to have you "come out" because you then provide more information for people who are not yet ready for that.

When you talk about incontinence where are you in pads per day? Sometimes that last bit can seem to take forever but you are still within what we would expect.

ED is a B*tch but again you not only have time but many alternatives.

We hope that you will use us as seems best for you -- posting or lurking we are here for each other.

A lot of us at the end of incontinence have switched to women's pads. They are much less bulky and better engineered (they sell a lot more of them.) Try something marked as thin or ultra thin with medium absorbency. Guys have different opinions, I like them with wings. Right now my wife and I use the same pads!
P.S. When you buy them at the store the clerk will think that you are being considerate in shopping for your wife.

Yes, confidence is an issue -- I go without on weekends and do OK but am not ready to take it all the way to work.