Post Operation

Much Obliged; to Everyone for great advice prior to operation.  Results: Age 69, PSA 5.7, Gleeson 3+4=7, clinical stage T2b, complications.......former fractured pelvis.  Turned down for laproscopic due to scar tisssue however, thanx to advice here, I found a sympathetic open surgeon who agreed to do it.  Operation Aug 5th.. Home Aug 7th.  Catheter out Aug 13th.  Post op. results: negative margins, 5-10% concentration, 48 grams weight, T2C stage,  Gleeson 3+4=7, PSA 0.01.  Doctor says he had hell getting it out amidst scar tissue but he obviously was good and "got 'er done".  My gratitiude to him is immense.  I'm still moderately incontinent but notice regular improvement and predict pratically dry sometime around in Oct . 

Question: Does anyone have advice re: post operative constipation?  I can't seem to find a stool softener that works reliably.  Enema works good but wonder if I can somehow overuse this method, plus do not like to have to rely on this.

Thanks again to all for past tips and please note that I highly recommend placing confidence in experienced open surgeon.

Roy123

Every Uro Surgeon states emphatically to NOT do enema's for several months after RRP. Significant risk of perforation due to thinning of the rectal wall at the location where the prostate is peeled away from the rectum. Be careful when buying stool softeners. Some of them also contain stimulants. I made that mistake, and went from constipated to a bad case of the runs.

I found that using a stool softener WITHOUT a stimulant along with a bulking agent seemed to help the most. The problem with many of the bulking agents is that you then wind up with severe gas.

Oh well,....Seems that everything has a tradeoff of sorts

good luck

k

Senna and Colace for hubby, but neither worked for awhile. It was the biggest problem for the first week post surg. and he was fixated about it. We tried Mineral Oil one night with no results. Literature says you can over-use laxatives and bring about the opposite result -yikes. Keep with the stool softeners as directed. Enemas, as kbota pointed out, are against almost all the uro surgeons's advice unless administered in the hospital. My husband was instructed to delay his colonoscopy (he's due) for at least 9 months.

And a side note: although he was no longer constipated after the first week, he often had the sensation of not being "completely emptied" for a couple of months afterwards. We've attributed it to the 95 gram prostate which had bulged towards the rectal wall. We had no idea til then that he had prostate enlargement since there were no symptoms. Now, however, all is well with that end of the bod.