The Big Day

Well gentlemen, wish me luck.  Tomorrow I have a date with Mr Da Vinci.  It's weird, I feel great.  Yesterday, I went for a run, went golfing and yet tomorrow I'm going in for surgery that will change me, to some degree for the rest of my life.  To what degree, only time will tell.  Oh well, I guess it's better than the alternative.

 

One thing to remember is the happy fact that a prostatectomy usually is only recommended when it is expected to cure you. So you've got a lot going in your favor.

Can you post your stats -- PSA history, biopsy results, Gleason score, staging, your age, etc? We can give you more information if we know these details.

I went through a da Vinci almost 1 1/2 years ago. I had virtually no pain after the surgery, am totally continent & many times it is hard to convince myself that I actually had such a major surgery.

You're going to do just fine!

Good luck,
Chuck
P.S. Also wishing your dad well, Skooley

Resident of Highland, Indiana just outside of Chicago, IL.
July 2011 local PSA lab reading 6.41 (from 4.1 in 2009). Mayo Clinic PSA Sept. 2011 was 5.7.
Local urologist DRE revealed significant BPH, but no lumps.
PCa Dx Aug. 2011 at age of 61.
Biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma in 3 of 20 cores (one 5%, two 20%). T2C.
Gleason score 3+3=6.
CT of abdomen, bone scan both negative.
DaVinci prostatectomy 11/1/11 at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN), nerve sparing, age 62.
My surgeon was Dr. Matthew Tollefson, who I highly recommend.
Final pathology shows tumor confined to prostate.
5 lymph nodes, seminal vesicles, extraprostatic soft tissue all negative.
1.0 x 0.6 x 0.6 cm mass involving right posterior inferior,
right posterior apex & left mid posterior prostate.
Right posterior apex margin involved by tumor over a 0.2 cm length, doctor says this is insignificant.
Prostate 98.3 grams, tumor 2 grams. Prostate size 5.0 x 4.7 x 4.5 cm.
Abdominal drain removed the morning after surgery.
Catheter out in 7 days. No incontinence, occasional minor dripping.
Post-op exams 2/13/12, 9/10/12, PSA <0.1. PSA tests now annual.
Semi-firm erections now happening 14 months post-op & slowly getting a bit stronger.

Chuck,

With new guys with a limited number of postings it is easy to read all their previous postings. Just click on his name for a list.

In his first posting, he said...
I was diagnosed with prostate cancer almost 3 years ago and have been on the active surveilance program. My last bisopsy showed the cancer had progressed and it was time to consider treatment. Out of 10 samples, two were Gleason 6 and one was Gleason 7. I'm also 52 and trying to decide on what treatment to take.

By now you are probably doing your bowel prep for your surgery. After today, tomorrow will be easy.

Good luck, we'll see you on the other side!

Bill

Thanks for all your thoughts.  It's good to hear so many are doing so well just after surgery.

Highlander, I was diagnosed just over 3 years ago with Pca at the age of 49.  I'm now 52.  My first PSA was 3.8 and first biopsy showed one core at Gleason 6.  I was put on an active surveilance program and all my following PSA scores and biopsies remained relatively the same.  My last PSA showed an increase to 4.3 and my last biopsy showed 2 cores that were Gleason 6 and one that was Gleason 7.  It was then that my doctor told me it was time to move ahead with treatment.  And all that has lead me to tomorrow.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Good luck decisions. See you on the other side. I had my surgery almost exactly 1 year ago and feel great. Be sure to do all the stuff post-surgery that they tell you to do and you'll do fine.

- UG

Make us proud! Good luck to you!

Good luck! Hope to see you on the other side soon and with good news!

Best of luck to you Decisions. I am confident it will go well for you.

Wally1960, I see we shared the same surgeon. I was happy with my surgery and outcome.

Rick